International High-Level Conference Towards a More Resilient Future – The EU’s Engagement in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings

The Conference was organized by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation, in collaboration with the Egmont Institute, under the auspices of the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Affairs.

Fragility is a growing challenge for the EU and its partners. This high-level conference consolidated the commitment and clarified the expectations for a comprehensive EU integrated approach on fragility.

Fragility is a critical challenge for the global system. For the European Union, addressing fragility is not only a moral imperative but a strategic necessity.

This requires a comprehensive, integrated approach that combines diplomacy, development, humanitarian aid, as well as peace and security measures. Leveraging the EU’s comparative advantage is essential to deliver sustainable solutions today and tomorrow. Embedding this approach within the Multiannual Financial Framework, particularly under the Global Europe instrument, ensures predictable resources and coherence across policies.

The Humanitarian Communication announced in the Commission Work Programme for 2026 offers a unique opportunity to clarify Europe’s vision and to ensure the strong coordination and joint action that is needed to address fragility.

The goal of the Conference was to consolidate commitment and support for a comprehensive EU integrated approach to fragility, and to clarify expectations from EU Member States, international actors and countries facing high levels of fragility.

The agenda included keynote speeches of:

• Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation Maxime PREVOT and
• European Commissioner for Equality, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Hadja LAHBIB
• UNDP Administrator Alexander DE CROO

(Photo credit: Canva teams)