CBM joins Europe’s largest humanitarian network, VOICE

Membership in VOICE places the CBM inside Brussels policy talks and closer to the bloc’s largest humanitarian donor.

CBM has joined VOICE, Europe’s largest network of humanitarian nongovernmental organisations, gaining a role in the policy forums that shape European Union emergency aid.

VOICE, short for Voluntary Organisations in Cooperation in Emergencies, serves as the main NGO interlocutor with the European Union on humanitarian action. The network includes 89 organisations from 20 countries and holds regular policy dialogues with European institutions, including the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO).

For CBM, an international organisation focused on disability inclusion, membership brings closer engagement with EU-level discussions where priorities and standards are set. It also places the organisation among established humanitarian actors working across Europe.

A network built to shape EU humanitarian policy

Founded in 1992, VOICE emerged as European NGOs sought a stronger role in humanitarian decision-making and more predictable funding. It has since become a channel linking field experience with policymaking in Brussels.

The network contributes to policy through working groups, joint papers, and consultations with EU institutions. These processes help define how agencies assess needs, interpret protection obligations, and apply operational standards.

For CBM, the value lies in moving disability inclusion into operational requirements.

Humanitarian agencies have long recognised that crises affect persons with disabilities at higher rates. Yet many systems still treat accessibility as an add-on rather than a core requirement.

A gap that shows up in crisis settings

Around one billion people worldwide live with a disability. Many are in regions affected by conflict and disasters, where access to aid remains uneven.

In conflicts and disasters, existing barriers increase fast. Information often does not reach everyone. Distribution points require long travel or waiting times. Shelters lack physical access. Health and rehabilitation services face strain or disruption.

When families flee, persons with disabilities face higher risks of separation, violence, and preventable injury.

While policies have improved, with more references to inclusion, gaps remain in budgets, procurement, training, and monitoring. Many organisations commit to inclusion without changing how services are designed and delivered.

CBM has positioned itself as a technical actor in this space, drawing on decades of disability-focused programming and collaboration with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in crisis-affected countries. Our work has included practical guidance on accessible service delivery and on designing programmes with disability inclusion from the start, rather than retrofitting later.

Why the timing matters

Attention to disability inclusion has increased across the humanitarian sector, influenced by global frameworks and advocacy. Translating these commitments into daily operations remains uneven.

CBM joins VOICE as a policy participant and technical contributor.

By joining VOICE, CBM enters a network where these operational challenges are discussed and addressed. The organisation contributes field-based evidence and practical approaches to improve the application of inclusion in real-world contexts.

Membership also connects CBM to a wider community of NGOs engaged in research, peer learning, and joint responses to crises.

Within working groups and exchanges, CBM also shares tools and evidence on accessible service delivery and inclusive programme design. This work draws on our experience across multiple crisis settings and partnerships in the Global South.

To learn more about our work