In 2017, the world was once again plagued by several natural catastrophes. Ten NGOs benefited from EUR 500,000 of EIB donations for humanitarian relief in Peru, Colombia, the Caribbean and Mexico. In addition, the EIB Institute raised EUR 500,000 for a Portuguese fund for housing reconstruction after the devastating forest fires that affected the country.

Following extreme floods in Peru at the beginning of 2017 and the devastation caused by a mudslide in the city of Mocoa in Colombia in April, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed hundreds of people, the EIB Institute organised immediate support. EIB Group staff and the EIB donated EUR 250,000 shared equally between CARE Luxembourg, SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde (Luxembourg), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Switzerland), Save the Children (Spain) and Welthungerhife (Germany).

On 3 July 2017, EIB Vice-President Pim van Ballekom presented the charities with symbolic cheques in a ceremony in which the representatives of the NGOs explained their work to help the victims. The ambassadors of Peru and Colombia in Brussels attended the ceremony.