Document status: current. Last source check: 4 Nov 2026, 09:59 UTC. Extracts below retain the donor’s source wording.
Countries and scope
Afghanistan · Pakistan · Iran
Allocation round 1 AFGHANISTAN
Source document ↗Allocation round 1 PAKISTAN
Source document ↗Allocation round 1 IRAN
Source document ↗
Funding priorities
In Afghanistan, DG ECHO will respond to the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable populations, with a special focus on women and girls, prioritising remote and hard-to-reach communities and shock- affected people. DG ECHO will, in particular, address the needs of the forced returnees from the neighbouring countries and their host communities. Principled humanitarian engagement and needs- based interventions will be central to DG ECHO response. Particular attention will be paid to mitigate the risks associated to delivering humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, via the consistent and permanent monitoring of actions, in close co-operation with other stakeholders and partners.
Response strategy ↗DG ECHO advocates partners to pool their logistical, administrative, technical expertise and other operational support services. Based on a coherent thematic programmatic approach, projects implemented by a consortium that demonstrate greater efficiency in the delivery of humanitarian aid and reduced costs through the pooling of services are strongly encouraged.
Response strategy ↗DG ECHO intervention strategy will support humanitarian assistance, protection, and advocacy in the best interest of the affected population. The response will prioritise lifesaving needs through integrated responses, maximising the impact of the intervention. This will encompass:
Response strategy ↗Protection: Targeted and protection-sensitive interventions with a specific focus on gender, age, disability, and diversity. This will include protection monitoring, prevention and response to violence and abuse, case management (child protection, SGBV, and other vulnerable groups), counselling and psychosocial support, and access to documentation and legal services. Advocacy and data analysis will remain pivotal to address systemic barriers and risks faced by vulnerable communities.
Response strategy ↗Food security: food assistance will be prioritised to meet most urgent needs while ensuring sensitivity to gender and specific vulnerabilities.
Response strategy ↗WASH: Addressing both domestic and public needs (health centres, schools, community facilities), interventions will focus on safe water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion, with integration into other sectors such as health, nutrition, education, and protection where possible.
Response strategy ↗Integrated Primary health care (PHC) and Nutrition: Interventions will ensure delivery of a comprehensive PHC package with integrated nutrition services. This will include maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, MHPSS, and strengthening of referral systems. Where needed, rehabilitation of health facilities and integration of WASH services will be supported.
Response strategy ↗EiE: Responses will be based on solid analysis of barriers to education, promoting equitable access for both girls and boys. Activities will include community engagement, provision of learning materials, teacher support, and where feasible, light rehabilitation of educational infrastructure, including WASH, to ensure safe and inclusive learning environments.
Response strategy ↗Response to sudden shocks triggered by natural and human induced hazards and epidemics. This will be done by mainstreaming DP across proposals, to systematically; (i) support evidence-based and risk-informed assessments and information sharing; (ii) embed flexibility
Response strategy ↗into proposed actions to strengthen early response capacity and co-operation between sectors; and (iii) support contingency planning for real-time response.
Response strategy ↗Support humanitarian coordination, with particular attention to strengthening sub-regional coordination, the centrality of protection, and common humanitarian services.
Response strategy ↗In Pakistan, DG ECHOs response will address the humanitarian needs of vulnerable populations, including forcibly displaced Afghans, communities affected by conflict and those impacted by climate change effects. Where possible, DG ECHO will adopt an integrated multi-sectoral approach to programming to meet critical needs of affected populations. Assistance will be guided by the principles of Do No Harm and conflict sensitive programming. Given the frequency of disasters, additional ad hoc responses, may be implemented during crises, combining a humanitarian and civil protection response.
Response strategy ↗Protection: Targeted and protection sensitive interventions ensuring a holistic approach with strengthened and effective monitoring, prevention and response to violence, abuse, harassment, extortion and exploitation. Priority will be given to interventions such as access to justice and legal services, counselling, protection monitoring, case management (child protection, SGBV, and general), documentation and housing, land and property rights. Continued joint data analysis, monitoring and advocacy will remain pivotal for forcibly displaced Afghans.
Response strategy ↗Integrated Primary health care and Nutrition: ensuring a comprehensive Primary PHC package with integrated nutrition that includes mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS), the strengthening of quality health care and effective referral mechanisms. Basic repairs/rehabilitation of affected health facilities including WASH can be considered when justified. Data analysis and evidence gathering that support advocacy and humanitarian response to deteriorating health, nutrition and food security conditions of affected and vulnerable people will likewise be considered.
Response strategy ↗EiE: interventions based on solid analysis of barriers and developing a response strategy enhancing access, inclusion and equity to education for Afghan and conflict affected children, accompanied by ensuring quality education for better learning outcomes, remain a priority. Basic repairs/rehabilitation of schools including WASH remain an integral part of EiE.
Response strategy ↗Disaster Preparedness: interventions with a view to promote system strengthening leading to more efficient preparedness and response modalities which are informed by layered, inter- linked, real-time data combining hydro-met and socio-economic vulnerability, so disaster triggers are integrated inter-departmentally within Government systems. The overall aim of these targeted interventions would be to contribute to better preparedness, including preparedness for a ‘greener’ emergency response, thus enhancing capacity of Pakistan as a system to be more ready to the escalating challenges posed by numerous shock events. This support would complement the ongoing HDP nexus actions.
Response strategy ↗In Iran, DG ECHO’s response strategy is be guided by the Afghan Regional Refugee crisis ensuring the protection space and multi-sectoral humanitarian needs of forcibly displaced Afghan nationals, regardless of their status. The intervention strategy will focus on sectors that benefit Afghans and host community alike.
Response strategy ↗Protection: targeted and protection sensitive interventions ensuring a holistic approach with strengthened effective monitoring, prevention and response to violence, abuse, harassment, extortion and exploitation. Priority will be given to interventions such as access to justice and legal services, counselling, protection monitoring, case management (child protection, SGBV, and general), countering mis/disinformation, documentation and housing, land, and property rights. Partners are expected to ensure joint data analysis of population movement and advocacy.
Response strategy ↗Basic Needs: pursuing integrated multi-sectoral or cross-sectoral approaches that aim at meeting the essential needs of Afghans. DG ECHO prioritises multipurpose cash (MPC) to meet essential needs, complemented by other modalities, as appropriate, and timely referrals, to meet specific sectoral outcomes. Enhanced coordination and coherence across sectors among the humanitarian agencies will be required.
Response strategy ↗Integrated Primary health care and Nutrition: ensuring a comprehensive PHC package that includes MHPSS, the strengthening of quality health care and effective referral mechanisms. Basic repairs/rehabilitation of affected health facilities including WASH can be considered when justified.
Response strategy ↗EiE: interventions based on solid analysis of barriers and developing a response strategy enhancing access, inclusion and equity to education for Afghan children, accompanied by ensuring quality education for better learning outcomes, remain a priority. Basic repairs/rehabilitation of schools including WASH remain an integral part of EiE.
Response strategy ↗Disaster Preparedness: is envisaged as a priority for Iran in 2026, with the aim to enhance and scale up multi-hazard risk preparedness and early action. Hereto, scenario based contingency plans and integrated Crisis Modifiers in programming for both human and natural induced crises are envisaged.
Response strategy ↗In addition to the resources of this HIP, DG ECHO can also mobilise under other instruments, such as ReliefEU, an emergency response tool designed to cover unforeseen humanitarian needs emerging after the adoption of the Worldwide Decision that cannot be immediately covered by geographic or regional HIPs. ReliefEU supports humanitarian partners’ operations in the form of emergency funding or operational capacities, to provide effective, efficient, and timely assistance to people in need, ahead of a predictable hazard through early response, in the aftermath of a disaster (natural or human-induced including epidemics) and in protracted crises where operational gaps are identified.
Response strategy ↗
Partner eligibility
Only ECHO partners are eligible to submit a project for funding22;
Eligibility criteria ↗No award will be made to NGO partner organisations which have not complied with their obligations concerning the submission of audited financial statements (i.e., which would not have submitted those in due time to the Commission without a proper justification) or which would appear not to offer sufficient guarantee as to their financial capacity to implement the proposed actions (in light of their liquidity and solvency ratios as appearing from their latest available annual statutory accounts certified by an approved external auditor).
Eligibility criteria ↗All awards made using EU Funds must respect the Conditionality Measures23 issued under any Council Implementing Decision adopted in accordance with Article 6 of EU Regulation 2020/2092 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget24 (“Conditionality Decision”).
Eligibility criteria ↗The Commission hereby notifies applicants under this HIP/TA of the following Conditionality Decision (valid at the date of publication of this HIP/TA):
Eligibility criteria ↗23 Conditionality Measures against a Concerned Entity, may, for example, include, amongst others, the requirement to suspend payments or the implementation of the legal commitment to/with the Concerned Entity; and/or terminate the legal commitment with the Concerned Entity; and/or prohibit entering into new legal commitments with the Concerned Entity. Conditionality Decisions and Measures issued under Council Implementing Decisions may impact the implementation of grants, contributions and procurement contracts awarded, as the Commission is required to ensure the application of these Conditionality Decisions
Eligibility criteria ↗and Measures in the implementation of the EU budget via both direct and indirect management. implementation of grants, contributions and procurement contracts awarded, as the Commission is required to ensure the application of these Conditionality Decisions and Measures in the implementation of the EU budget via both direct and indirect management.
Eligibility criteria ↗24 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget OJ L 433I , 22.12.2020, p. 1–10
Eligibility criteria ↗26 Act IX of 2021 on public interest trust foundations with a public service mission (entry into force 01/01/2023).
Eligibility criteria ↗27 Available (in Hungarian) at:[https://njt.hu/jogszabaly/2021-9-00-00](https://njt.hu/jogszabaly/2021-9-00-00)
Eligibility criteria ↗Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506 of 15 December 2022 on measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary25.
Eligibility criteria ↗This Conditionality Decision, in particular its Article 2.2, prohibits legal commitments under direct and indirect management with any public interest trust established by Hungarian Act IX of 202126, including those entities listed in Annex I to Hungarian Act IX of 202127 and other affiliated entities maintained by them (“Concerned Entities”). The Commission will further notify when the above- mentioned Conditionality Measures are lifted.
Eligibility criteria ↗
Apply the round-specific restrictions below together with the complete partner and award conditions.
Allocation rounds and submission dates
Allocation round 1 AFGHANISTAN
Indicative date has passed
- Published date / wording
- Indicative date for receipt of the above requested information: by 03/02/2026.
- Potential or pre-selected partners
- Potential partners7: All DG ECHO Partners
Dates are indicative and remain in their published context. A date shown here does not certify that new applications are being accepted. Confirm the exact cutoff time and applicable instructions.
Allocation round 1 PAKISTAN
Indicative date has passed
- Published date / wording
- Indicative date for receipt of the above requested information: by 20/01/2026
- Potential or pre-selected partners
- Potential partners13: All DG ECHO Partners
Dates are indicative and remain in their published context. A date shown here does not certify that new applications are being accepted. Confirm the exact cutoff time and applicable instructions.
Allocation round 1 IRAN
Indicative date has passed
- Published date / wording
- Indicative date for receipt of the above requested information: by 20/02/2026
- Potential or pre-selected partners
- Potential partners19: All DG ECHO Partners
Dates are indicative and remain in their published context. A date shown here does not certify that new applications are being accepted. Confirm the exact cutoff time and applicable instructions.
Official documents and versions
- HIP version 2 ↗ Version 2 · document read · 4 Nov 2026, 09:59 UTC
- Technical annex version 2 ↗ Version 2 · document read · 4 Nov 2026, 09:59 UTC