EU External Action Funding Support for the Middle East
EU External Action funding support for Middle East projects. ECHO humanitarian, NDICI development and stabilisation grants for Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
The Middle East — Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen — is one of the most complex and well-funded regions in EU External Action, combining large-scale humanitarian assistance from ECHO with development, stabilisation and resilience programming from NDICI. The EU is the largest single donor in many of these contexts. INTERALTER supports organisations working in these difficult and dynamic environments to access EU funding through competitive grants and tenders.
Regional facts
- Primary Instruments
- ECHO, NDICI-Global Europe, IcSP
- Countries
- Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Israel, Palestine
- Primary Languages
- English, Arabic, French
- Managing Authority
- ECHO Brussels + EU Delegations in country
EU funding context
Jordan and Lebanon are major recipients of EU development and humanitarian funding, driven by their hosting of large Syrian refugee populations. Iraq is receiving increased EU engagement following the ISIS conflict and displacement crisis. Syria continues to receive significant EU humanitarian and early recovery funding. Yemen receives the largest per-capita EU humanitarian assistance of any country. The Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus is the dominant EU programming approach in this region.
Typical organisations
- International humanitarian NGOs
- Development organisations with crisis experience
- Refugee assistance and protection organisations
- Livelihoods and economic recovery organisations
- Health, WASH and shelter service providers
- Governance and stabilisation consultancies
Key sectors
- Humanitarian Assistance (ECHO)
- Refugee Response and Protection
- Early Recovery and Livelihoods
- Governance and Stabilisation
- Education in Emergencies
- Health and WASH
Common consortium needs
- Local Middle East partners with field presence
- Arabic-speaking staff for community engagement
- Organisations with security protocols for high-risk environments
- Humanitarian-development nexus expertise
Typical proposal challenges
- Operating in conflict-affected contexts with active security risks
- Meeting ECHO's specific operational and reporting requirements
- Demonstrating principled humanitarian action in politically complex environments
- Navigating donor coordination and coverage gaps in highly crowded donor environments
How INTERALTER supports Middle East projects
ECHO Application Support
We support ECHO Single Form applications for humanitarian projects in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Resilience and Recovery Proposals
We write NDICI resilience, early recovery and stabilisation proposals for the Middle East — bridging humanitarian and development approaches.
Middle East Partner Search
We identify qualified local partners in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq with the operational capacity and EU project experience needed for competitive bids.
Common questions
- Can organisations access EU funding to work in Syria?
- Yes, but with important restrictions. The EU funds humanitarian assistance and some early recovery activities in Syria through ECHO and NDICI. All funded activities must comply with EU sanctions and human rights due diligence requirements. We advise on what is fundable in Syria.
- What is the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus and why does it matter for Middle East proposals?
- The Nexus approach recognises that humanitarian, development and peace responses need to work together in protracted crises. The EU requires Nexus thinking in most Middle East proposals — meaning your application should demonstrate how humanitarian assistance links to longer-term development and peacebuilding goals.
Related regions
- mediterranean
- africa
- eastern-neighbourhood