The EU calls for safe access to humanitarian aid for LGBTI people

Registration rules, unsafe shelters, and fear of discrimination can keep people away from food and care. The EU supports adapting services and cooperating with community organizations, following a UN report that explains these obstacles.

On October 16, the European Union and its Member States called for changes to practices that prevent LGBTI people from safely receiving humanitarian assistance. In a statement presented to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, the EU supported adapting assistance systems, confidential referral and complaints mechanisms, and partnerships with organizations led by LGBTI people.

In brief

The EU calls for removing barriers that prevent LGBTI people from safely receiving humanitarian assistance.

The UN report explains how registration rules, identity documents, and the organization of shelters can exclude people in need.

Referrals to services and the submission of complaints must be confidential, without involuntarily exposing beneficiaries.

Community organizations can help humanitarian services reach people who avoid official institutions out of fear.

The statement supports changing practices without announcing a new financial allocation.

The position concerns lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people, referred to by the acronym LGBTI. In wars, disasters, or situations of displacement, their need for food, shelter, and care may go unanswered even when assistance is available. Discrimination that existed before the crisis and the way services are organized can impede access, the report addressed by the European statement shows.

The report is signed by Graeme Reid, the UN independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Document A/81/185, dated July 15, 2026, examines the situation of LGBT people in the humanitarian system and proposes measures for states, aid organizations, and funders. The EU statement supports the expert’s mandate and recommendations concerning safe access to assistance.

Some obstacles arise as early as registration for assistance. According to the report, programs organized around households may exclude same-sex couples or other family forms that do not match the definitions used by authorities and organizations. People separated from their families or living in hiding may encounter difficulties registering for food or financial support.

Other barriers concern documents and accommodation. The report describes situations in which transgender people cannot access assistance because their identity documents do not match their appearance. Shelters and camps organized strictly into female and male categories may leave them without a safe accommodation option. These rules can produce exclusion even when a program states that it serves everyone in need.

Fear of hostility may lead some people to avoid services before reaching a counter or distribution center. Reid warns that their absence from records does not prove the absence of needs. In repressive environments, simply disclosing one’s sexual orientation or gender identity can expose a person to violence or criminal prosecution.

Solutions do not mean collecting more sensitive data at any cost. The report recommends that such information be collected only when demonstrably necessary, with strict confidentiality safeguards and the participation of affected communities. Access to assistance and protection must not be conditional on disclosing this information. In the same vein, the EU calls for confidential channels through which people can reach services and report discrimination.

Community organizations have a practical role in this process. According to the report, they reach people who avoid official institutions, refer them to trusted services, and sometimes provide food, shelter, or emergency support. The EU supports them as partners in humanitarian interventions. The report also recommends staff training and reviewing registration procedures so that the commitment against discrimination is reflected in daily activities.

The statement, published by the European External Action Service on October 17, does not announce a new funding program and does not adopt new legal rules. The European Commission already has a policy of adapting assistance to differences in gender and age, as well as an instrument for assessing the integration of these dimensions into EU-funded actions.

The report does not claim that LGBT people are always the most vulnerable group in a crisis. Assistance must be provided according to the needs and risks of each situation. The recommendations seek to identify people whom services fail to reach and remove the barriers that leave them without support.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/ue-cere-ca-ajutorul-umanitar-sa-ajunga-si-la-persoanele-lgbti-excluse-de-discriminare