EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib traveled to Geneva from 4–5 June 2025. 

Commissioner Lahbib’s visit began on 4 June with a meeting with Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum. Their discussions focused on the current funding crisis, humanitarian resilience investing initiatives and potential synergies, the role of the private sector, and strategies to broaden the donor base. 

On 5 June, she participated in the 2025 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR).

The day started off with a meeting of the G20 Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction in the Permanent Mission of South Africa. "In today’s more fragile world, global cooperation on Disaster Risk Reduction is vital. The G20 must stay the course and continue championing resilience." 
In her meeting with Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of UNDRR, Commissioner Lahbib she discussed advancing the shared resilience agenda and strengthening global preparedness together.

Commissioner Lahbib took the time to write on the gender equality wall to reiterate the EU’s commitment to a gender-responsive approach to civil protection and humanitarian aid. Because disasters are not gender neutral, resilience starts by listening to and including women’s voices and needs!

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At the GPDRR 2025 Commissioner Lahbib participated in the UN Disaster Risk Reduction Ministerial Roundtable meeting on 'Safe Schools Now: Protecting Every Child from Disaster and Climate Risk'. 

In her speech, she highlighted the EU’s commitment to placing children and education at the heart of its preparedness agenda. 

In times of crisis, ensuring safe schools and education is more than a book, a pencil, a classroom. It is hope. It is protection. And it is the first step toward a brighter future. 
| Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management

Commissioner Lahbib recalled seeing the power of education with her own eyes -  in an underground school in Ukraine, in a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan, and in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, emphasizing that education is a lifeline in crisis settings.

She also mentioned the EU's newly launched Preparedness Union Strategy, putting people at the heart of our preparedness and outlined how the EU is bringing disaster preparedness into the classroom, not just as a subject to study, but as a life skill to practice, leveraging EU youth programmes like the European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus+ to make preparedness part of how young Europeans learn, connect, and lead. 

The EU is also proud to be one of the world's leading donors to education in emergencies. Between 2015 and 2024, nearly €1.2 billion was invested to keep children learning. Thanks to EU-funded education projects, more than 23 million girls and boys affected by crises in 63 countries have kept learning. 

For 2025, the EU has set aside €185 million to support education for children and adolescents caught in humanitarian emergencies. We support inclusive projects that aim for at least 50% participation of girls and children with disabilities will not be left behind. 

Commissioner Lahbib furthermore opened the second High-Level Dialogue between the EU, Latin America and the Caribbean on Disaster Risk Management.  

In her speech, she emphasized the growing urgency of stronger coordination in the face of increasingly complex and cross-border risks such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires.

Today's risks are more complex and unpredictable than ever, and they don't respect borders. 
| Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management

Commissioner Lahbib reaffirmed the EU’s long-standing commitment to disaster preparedness in Latin America and the Caribbean, noting that since 1994, the EU has invested over €390 million in the region—nearly 18% of its total humanitarian aid. She also highlighted the EU’s €120 million allocation for humanitarian aid to the region in 2025 alone.

Marking one year since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on disaster risk management, she welcomed the progress made and commended the leadership of CDEMA and Chile as the first rotational Secretariat members, while warmly greeting CEPREDENAC and Cuba as they assume their new roles. 

Let's keep up the momentum because the Memorandum of Understanding isn't just words on paper, it is a commitment to real action and real impact. 
| Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management

Commissioner Lahbib also had a meeting with Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General Guy Ryder on the humanitarian situation in today’s shifting geopolitical context. She reaffirmed the EU’s support for the Humanitarian Reset and UN80 – a clear reflection of our commitment to multilateralism.

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The bilateral meeting was followed by an exchange with the EU27 Heads of Mission, a great opportunity to reaffirm the importance of unity, principles and universal values in a time where multilateralism is under pressure. 

The Commissioners furthermore met with UN leaders, including Filippo Grandi (UNHCR), Amy Pope (IOM), Rebeca Grynspan (UNCTAD), Dr Tedros (WHO) and Jagan Chapagain (IFRC), discussing the UN-EU partnership and reiterating the EU's support to make the UN stronger and more efficient in a fast-changing world.