Caritas warns that unless peace is established in Mali, insecurity could spread to the whole region.

The situation in Mali remains unstable following an insurgency which began in 2012. Caritas calls for calm, inclusive and transparent presidential elections when they take place in July 2013. It also urges the safe and rapid return of those displaced by fighting to their homes ahead before the elections to guarantee security in the country.

In an address to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Caritas said, “The poorest and most vulnerable people are the most affected by the crisis. Malian children, women and men have the right to live in peace like everyone else.”

The impact of the conflict in the north of the country has affected 2.8 million people. The supply of food and services has been disrupted. It’s estimated that 450,000 children under 5 are malnourished and 210,000 are acutely malnourished.

Over 200,000 Malians have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, whereas a further 200,000 have been displaced within the country.

Théodore Togo, secretary general of Caritas Mali said, “We hope that our national and international partners and all those who support Mali contribute to the definitive return of peace to Mali. It is only once peace has been established that social cohesion can return and peaceful and transparent elections can take place across Mali.”

A conflict erupted between rebels and national forces in January 2012, plunging the country into crisis. France sent troops in January 2013 as the rebels advanced towards the capital, Bamako.

As French troops prepare to withdraw a contingency of 12,600 peace keepers will be deployed early July , Their mission is to maintain peace and stabilise the North of the country.

For further information on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human rights follow this link.

For more information, please contact Valerie Kaye at kaye@caritas.va or call 0039 (06) 698 797 57

Peter Clottey
Last updated on: June 12, 2013 7:06 PM

A team of officials from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is in Mali to assess the security and political situation in the approach to the country’s July 28 presidential election.

Sonny Ugoh, the ECOWAS communications director, said the fact finding mission is part of the regional bloc’s plans to restore constitutional rule in Mali and maintain its territorial integrity.

“This is consistent with the requirement of our protocol on democracy and good governance…,” Ugoh said.

His comments came after Burkinabe’s foreign minister, Djibril Bassole, said the Malian government and ethnic Tuareg rebels had agreed “in principle” on a deal that would allow elections to take place next month and the army to return to the rebel-held city of Kidal.

Ugoh says ECOWAS supports Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore as mediator of the peace talks between Mali’s government and the Tuareg rebels.

Mali wants to retake control in Kidal, which the Tuareg separatist group MNLA seized earlier this year after French forces ousted Islamist militants who had controlled northern Mali for 10 months.

Ugoh says the ECOWAS fact finding mission will draw up recommendations on what the regional bloc can do to ensure a peaceful vote, particularly in areas of northern Mali where security is still tenuous.

“If in evaluating the conditions for the elections, there is a determination that we will require to support Mali, there would be a recommendation to that effect and the region will have to work with Mali to make sure that those challenges are addressed,” Ugoh said.

He said ECOWAS plans to send in a team of observers to monitor the balloting.

“We are hoping that we will have an election observation mission in place at least two weeks before this exercise takes place,” Ugoh said.

Clottey interview with Sonny Ugoh, ECOWAS communications director

12 June 2013 – Despite progress to protect children living in war-affected countries, the evolving character and tactics of conflict are creating unprecedented threats for children, particularly in Syria, Mali and the Central African Republic, a top United Nations envoy today said.

Briefing reporters in New York on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report on children and armed conflict, his Special Representative on the issue, Leila Zerrougui, said: “In 2012, we have seen positive developments in some areas of the world, but also extremely worrying situations in places such as Syria, Mali and Central African Republic.”

The report reviews situations in these and 18 other countries, as well as the regional conflict involving the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) whose activities impact children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan.

The report also “names and shames” parties that engage in the recruitment and use of children, sexual violence against children, the killing and maiming of children in contravention of international law, recurrent attacks on schools and/or hospitals or recurrent attacks or threats of attack against protected personnel.

This year, the list includes 55 armed forces and groups from 14 countries, including 11 new parties in Central African Republic, DRC, Mali and Syria.

Two countries previously listed – Nepal and Sri Lanka – have been removed this year. In addition, new action plans have been signed with the DRC, Myanmar, Somalia and South Sudan, as roadmaps to potential delisting.

On Syria, Mr. Ban said in his annual report that the toll the conflict is taking on children is “unacceptable and unbearable,” and urging immediate measures to protect the lives and dignity of all children.

“I urge the Government immediately to cease bombardments of civilian areas,” Mr. Ban said in his report. “The Government should be held responsible for all grave violations committed by groups affiliated to it.”

“The use of terror tactics against the civilian population can also not be tolerated. In this regard, I urge all armed opposition groups to put an immediate end to these acts that cost the lives of children in the Syrian Arab Republic and to end the recruitment of children,” he stressed.

The office of the Special Representative received throughout 2012 verified reports that Syrian children are killed or injured in indiscriminate bombings, shot by snipers, used as human shields or victims of terror tactics, according to a news release from the office.

The report cites instances of children being detained and mistreated, including boys as young as 10 years of age recruited by armed groups to work as combatants, porters, messengers and to perform other support tasks.

“What we would like to do is to see these stop,” Ms. Zerrougui told the press. “We would like to see parties take their responsibility to respect the standards that govern war and to ensure that children are not paying such a high price and to preserve the lives of civilians in general and children in particular.”

The UN has also cited instances of schools in Syria under attack and limited access to lifesaving humanitarian assistance.

“Everyone involved in the conflict needs to take urgent measures to protect children,” Ms. Zerrougui said. “Allowing access for lifesaving humanitarian assistance is essential. We cannot allow innocent children to continue to die because they can’t see a doctor, or because they can’t fulfil their basic needs.”

In the press conference, the Special Representative said she plans to travel to the region later this month to follow-up on her visit last December. The visit will also include stops in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Syria.

Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today reiterated that all parties to armed conflict must do everything to ensure the safety of children and the protection of their rights.

In particular, the UN agency noted as “horrific” the continuing trend of schools being attacked and used for military purposes, including car and other bombs detonated near schools.

“In conflict, schools must be seen by children, parents and families as protected safe havens where children can learn and grow to their full potential, while benefiting from a sense of normalcy in a context that is anything but normal for children,” UNICEF said.

A reported 167 education personnel, including 69 teachers, were killed up to the end of February 2013 and 2,445 schools are reported damaged, the UN agency noted, adding that in some areas, children have not been to school in over 18 months.

In Mali, where children are more than half of the population, the UN cited instances of children “severely affected” by the conflict – killed, injured, as well as sexually assaulted and recruited by armed groups operating in the northern part of the country.

“The serious deterioration of the security situation in Mali in 2012 was characterized by a large number of grave violations against children by various armed groups,” according to Secretary-General Ban’s report.

Hundreds of children, mainly boys between 12 and 15 years of age, were enlisted during the reporting period, mainly to man checkpoints and conduct patrols, while others joined out of poverty and religious affiliations.

The UN also received and looked into reports of sexual violence against girls which are believed to have been “widespread and systematic in northern Mali” since January 2012. At least 211 girls were raped, forced to marry or otherwise sexually abused.

Among other points related to Mali, there are dozens of reports of children being killed or maimed by weapons, mines and explosive remnants of war during the French and Malian military campaign initiated in January 2013, including during aerial bombardments.

“I am working to make sure that the deployment of a peacekeeping mission, in conjunction with the work of UN agencies and partners already on the ground, will allow us to improve our collective response to children’s needs,” Ms. Zerrougui said in the news release in reference to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA.

Meanwhile, in the Central African Republic (CAR), while the reporting period saw an overall decrease in the occurrence of grave violations against children, “all progress made earlier in the year has been erased” due to fighting resumed in December 2012 between the Government and the Séléka coalition, Ms. Zerrougui said.

“The United Nations received alarming reports continuing into 2013 of recruitment and use of children by armed groups and pro-Government militias, killing of children associated with those groups in the course of military operations and sexual violence against children by armed groups,” the report noted.

Although these developments do not fall within the reporting period, the progress achieved and the violations committed in 2012 need to be placed against the backdrop of the recent deterioration of the security situation, it further noted.

In addition to the Séléka coalition, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) was also responsible for a series of abuses against children, including the majority of the at least 41 cases of recruitment of children.

Ms. Zerrougui said that half of the country’s schools are closed and access to humanitarian assistance is extremely limited due. More than 2 million children do not currently have access to basic services.

In her presentation today, the Special Envoy highlighted the importance of developing partnerships with regional and sub-regional organizations to promote adequate protection for children affected by conflict.

She also stressed the importance of ending impunity for grave violations against children.

“International justice must step in when national courts lack the capacity or willingness to bring alleged perpetrators to justice,” said Ms. Zerrougui. “But it’s essential that we support Governments to reduce the accountability gap.”

Assemblée générale
Soixante-septième session
Point 65 de l’ordre du jour
Promotion et protection des droits de l’enfant

Conseil de sécurité
Soixante-huitième année

I. Introduction

1. Le présent rapport couvre la période allant de janvier à décembre 2012; il est soumis en application de la résolution 2068 (2012) par laquelle le Conseil de sécurité m’a prié de continuer à lui présenter tous les ans des rapports sur l’application de ses résolutions et des déclarations de son président concernant les enfants et les conflits armés.

2. Le présent rapport a été établi à l’issue de vastes consultations tenues avec les organismes des Nations Unies, en particulier l’Équipe spéciale pour la question du sort des enfants en temps de conflit armé, les équipes spéciales de surveillance et de communication de l’information au niveau des pays, les missions de maintien de la paix et les missions politiques, les équipes de pays des Nations Unies et les organisations non gouvernementales. Des consultations approfondies ont également été menées avec les États Membres concernés et les organisations régionales.

3. En septembre 2012, Leila Zerrougui a pris ses fonctions de Représentante spéciale du Secrétaire général pour le sort des enfants en temps de conflit armé. Faisant fond sur l’action menée par ses prédécesseurs, elle s’attachera à mettre en œuvre le cadre juridique international et les mécanismes de protection des enfants touchés par les conflits armés, notamment en renforçant la surveillance et l’établissement de rapports sur toutes les atteintes graves commises sur la personne des enfants, en fournissant un appui accru à la mise en œuvre des plans d’action, en intensifiant la coopération avec les États Membres et les organisations régionales pour qu’ils s’approprient davantage le programme, en garantissant une intervention rapide dans les situations nouvelles pour faire cesser et prévenir les violations commises contre les enfants et en élaborant des stratégies visant à intensifier les pressions sur les auteurs de violences répétées.

Asamblea General
Sexagésimo séptimo período de sesiones
Tema 65 del programa
Promoción y protección de los derechos del niño

Consejo de Seguridad
Sexagésimo octavo año

I. Introducción

1. El presente informe, que abarca el período comprendido entre enero y diciembre de 2012, se presenta en cumplimiento de la resolución 2068 (2012) del Consejo de Seguridad, en la que el Consejo me solicitó que le siguiera presentando informes anuales sobre la aplicación de sus resoluciones y de las declaraciones de su Presidencia relativas a los niños y los conflictos armados.

2. Para preparar el informe se celebraron amplias consultas dentro de las Naciones Unidas, en particular con el Equipo especial para la cuestión de los niños y los conflictos armados, los equipos de tareas en los países para la supervisión y presentación de informes, diversas misiones de mantenimiento de la paz y misiones políticas especiales, los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países y organizaciones no gubernamentales. También se celebraron amplias consultas con los Estados Miembros pertinentes y organizaciones regionales.

3. En septiembre de 2012, Leila Zerrougui tomó posesión del cargo de mi Representante Especial para la Cuestión de los Niños y los Conflictos Armados. Tomando como base la labor realizada por sus predecesores, mi Representante Especial se concentrará en promover la aplicación del marco y los mecanismos jurídicos internacionales existentes para la protección de los niños afectados por los conflictos armados, para lo cual recurrirá en particular a reforzar las actividades de vigilancia y denuncia de todas las violaciones graves de los derechos de los niños, conseguir más apoyo para la ejecución de planes de acción, mejorar la cooperación con los Estados Miembros y las organizaciones regionales para fortalecer la identificación con el programa, garantizar una rápida respuesta en situaciones de emergencia para detener e impedir las violaciones graves de los derechos de los niños y preparar estrategias para hacer más presión en los autores persistentes de violaciones graves de los derechos de los niños.

HIGHLIGHTS

• In 2012, the Sahel in West Africa faced the most serious Desert Locust threat since 2005. More than 50 million people were potentially affected in Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

• Successful control operations in the Sahel during the summer of 2012 reduced the scale of the autumn migration to Northwest Africa. Nevertheless, locust populations have increased in Algeria, Libya and Morocco as a result of winter/spring breeding.
  Despite control operations, adult groups and perhaps small swarms formed and are expected to move to the northern Sahel of Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger in June and breed with the onset of the summer rains, causing locust numbers to increase further.

• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) requested USD 10 million in June 2012 for urgent action to coordinate the emergency campaign and allow national locusts control units to undertake the required operation.

• With the USD 7.2 million received (from the Central Emergency Response Fund [CERF], Belgium, France, United Kingdom and USA), FAO continues to ensure overall campaign coordination and technical support through:

• A Regional Strategic Response Framework for the Desert Locust threat in the Sahel.• Regular update of the Regional Action Plan. • Strengthened the operational capacity of national survey and control teams in Chad, Mali and Mali. • Triangulation of pesticides (airlifting pesticides from a country in the region with available stocks to a recipient country). • Enhanced preparedness for potential upscale of interventions in Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.

• Bilateral assistance of USD 1 million to Niger has allowed the country to further strengthen its survey and control capacity.

• Current funding gap is USD 1.8 million. Consequences of unmet requirements: reduction of field survey teams, less control, increased risk to crops, and more locusts will move to other countries.

06/12/2013 23:53 GMT

Par Serge DANIEL

BAMAKO, 12 juin 2013 (AFP) - D'intenses tractations mercredi à Bamako ont échoué à convaincre le pouvoir malien de signer le compromis accepté par les rebelles touareg occupant Kidal (nord du Mali) en vue de la présidentielle de juillet: un accord devrait prendre encore plusieurs jours.

"Nous avons l'espoir d'aboutir dans quelques jours à un accord", a déclaré mercredi Pierre Buyoya, chef de la force africaine déployée au Mali (Misma).

Cet accord doit permettre un retour de l'armée malienne dans la ville de Kidal (nord-est), auparavant refusé par les mouvements armés touareg, dans la perspective de la présidentielle prévue le 28 juillet dans tout le Mali, une élection jugée cruciale par la communauté internationale.

M. Buyoya faisait partie d'une délégation de diplomates et partenaires internationaux (ONU, Afrique de l'Ouest, Union européenne, France, entre autres) qui ont accompagné à Bamako le médiateur burkinabè pour un entretien avec le président malien de transition Dioncounda Traoré, qui a duré plus de six heures.

Le chef de la diplomatie burkinabè Djibrill Bassolé et ses soutiens avaient fait cette visite impromptue mercredi dans la capitale malienne pour tenter d'arracher le feu vert de de Bamako au compromis conclu avec les rebelles touareg, issu des négociations menées avec des émissaires des deux camps depuis le weekend dernier à Ouagadougou.

La signature de l'accord entre la délégation des autorités maliennes, conduite par l'ex-ministre Tiébilé Dramé, et la délégation conjointe touareg du Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad (MNLA) et du Haut conseil pour l'unité de l'Azawad (HCUA), était initialement attendue mardi dans la capitale du Burkina Faso.

"Dès demain (jeudi), nous allons poursuivre les négociations à Ouagadougou", a indiqué le chef de la Misma.

Selon lui, l'entretien mené avec le président Traoré n'avait "pas du tout pour but de signer un document" le jour même. Pourtant beaucoup, y compris le chef de la diplomatie française Laurent Fabius - qui soutenait le "bon texte" mis au point - espéraient bel et bien l'épilogue pour ce mercredi.

"Toutes les parties ont décidé de faire un effort pour aboutir à une paix globale", a ajouté l'ancien président burundais.

Selon des participants, si des avancées ont pu être enregistrées, les négociations bloquent toujours en particulier, du côté des autorités maliennes, sur le cantonnement et le désarmement des rebelles.

Pour les groupes touareg, leurs éléments seront cantonnés "avec leurs armes" et désarmés seulement une fois un accord final signé avec les autorités maliennes légitimes installées après la présidentielle, et conférant un "statut particulier"à l'Azawad, terme par lequel les autonomistes touareg désignent la région septentrionale du Mali.

Mais les autorités maliennes considèrent que le désarmement doit se faire dans la foulée du regroupement des combattants.

mandats d'arrêt

Les discussions achoppent également sur la question des mandats d'arrêt lancés par la justice malienne contre des chefs du MNLA: ce mouvement en réclame la levée, mais Bamako y tient au nom de la lutte contre l'impunité.

"On ne peut pas passer sous silence tous les crimes commis par les groupes armés", a expliqué un officiel malien.

Les rebelles touareg se sont installés fin janvier à Kidal à la faveur de l'intervention militaire française, appuyée par la Misma, contre les groupes islamistes armés liés à Al-Qaïda. Les jihadistes avaient pris en 2012 le contrôle du nord du Mali, s'alliant d'abord au MNLA qui avait lancé l'offensive, avant d'évincer ce mouvement dans la région.

La Minusma, la mission onusienne attendue au Mali en juillet et qui absorbera la force africaine, devrait encadrer l'armée malienne à Kidal au moment de l'élection.

Pour les représentants touareg, il s'agit de "garde-fous" qui éviteront des "vengeances" de l'armée malienne une fois revenue dans la cité.

Les cas de représailles à l'encontre des Touareg et des communautés arabes dans le nord du Mali ont diminué depuis la mi-mars, a affirmé mercredi l'ONU à Genève, relevant toutefois une persistance des violations des droits de l'Homme.

Dans leur rapport sur les enfants et les guerres, les Nations unies affirment que des centaines d'enfants - principalement des garçons de 12 à 15 ans - ont été recrutés par des groupes islamistes, des rebelles touareg et des milices gouvernementales dans le nord du Mali.

bur-tmo/abl

© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

Croix-Rouge burkinabè / CICR – Communiqué de presse n° 13 / 106 13 juin 2013

Genève / Ouagadougou (CICR / Croix-Rouge burkinabé) – Les agriculteurs et éleveurs de la province de l'Oudalan, dans le nord du Burkina Faso, recevront à partir du 13 juin une aide alimentaire de la Croix-Rouge burkinabé, avec le soutien du Comité International de la Croix-Rouge (CICR).

D'ici au 16 juin, quelque 9 000 personnes vulnérables devraient ainsi voir leur sécurité alimentaire renforcée en attendant les prochaines récoltes du mois d'octobre.

Depuis février 2012, le Burkina Faso fait face aux conséquences de la crise au Mali en accueillant près de 50 000 réfugiés. Cet afflux fragilise une situation économique déjà précaire pour les populations résidentes. Les évaluations réalisées lors d'opérations d'assistance précédentes, au profit de 16 200 réfugiés en mars 2012 et 1 800 réfugiés en janvier 2013, font état d'un appauvrissement général des ménages et permettent d'identifier les besoins.

« Les habitants de cette région reculée du Sahel ont accueilli des milliers de réfugiés venus du Mali et partagent avec eux leurs maigres ressources. Les réfugiés sont arrivés avec leur bétail, multipliant par trois le nombre d'animaux sur un pâturage déjà insuffisant », explique Romain Kima, chargé de la préparation et de la réponse aux catastrophes à la Croix-Rouge burkinabé. « L'agriculture a été perturbée et les populations d'accueil ont parfois été forcées de vendre une partie de leur bétail afin de pouvoir joindre les deux bouts. »

Tout comme Hadiza W. Mohamed, veuve et mère de trois enfants habitant le village de Gandafabou, chaque famille recevra 50 kg de mil, 10 kg de haricots, 5 litres d'huile et 1 kg de sel. Cette opération contribue aussi à apaiser les tensions entre la population locale et les réfugiés.

Cette année, la campagne agricole a été relativement satisfaisante au Burkina Faso, tous les produits pour cette assistance ont donc pu être achetés sur les marchés d'Ouagadougou puis acheminés dans la province de l'Oudalan.

Informations complémentaires :

Léa Balima, Croix-Rouge burkinabé Ouagadougou, tél. : + 226 78 04 06 21 / 00226 50 36 13 40 Pascal Jequier , CICR Abidjan, tél. : +225 09 399 404 Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, CICR Genève, tél. : +41 22 730 31 49 ou +41 79 244 64 05 ou sur notre site : www.cicr.org/ci

Pour visualiser les dernières vidéos du CICR et les télécharger en qualité professionnelle, veuillez consulter le site : www.icrcvideonewsroom.org

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Introduction　　

1 . The present report is submitted pursuant to resolution 22/28 by which the Human Rights Council invite the High Commissioner for human rights to present, at its twenty-third session, an update report on the situation of human rights in Mali. The report aims at providing information of the situation since the presentation of the last High Commissioner’s report to the Council, on 12 March 2013, and covers the period until 20 May 2013.

2 . On 25 February, the United Nations Security Council decided in its resolution 2100, to create the MINUSMA, with the following mandate ; (i) stabilization of the situation in the main areas and contribution to the re-establishment of the State authority in the whole country, (ii) contribution to the application of the roadmap for the transition, including national dialogue and the electoral process ; (iii) protection of civilians and the UN staff ; (iv) promotion and defence of human rights ; (v) support to humanitarian action ; (vi) support to the safeguard of the cultural heritage, and, action in favour of the national and international justice.

3 . The report is based on investigations carried out by a mission deployed by OHCHR in Mali from 18 February to 22 March 2013 (the Mission), as well as by the human rights division of MINUSMA. The report also takes into account the conclusions of the missions undertaken in April and May 2013 by the MINUSMA Human Rights Division in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger for collecting information on the situation of the Malian refugees and the human rights situation in their origins areas.

4 . The progressive improvement of the situation of human rights in the North, following the Serval operation allowed our teams to go until the regions so far inaccessible, including Konna, Mopti, Sévaré, Tombouctou, Gao, Tessalit and Kidal. The human rights teams confirmed allegations of human rights violations reported in the previous report of the High Commissioner and confirmd the gravity of the human rights violations committed during the occupation of the armed groups since January 2012.

5 . Major challenges persist and continue to compromise the ongoing investigations on human rights violations. The limited access to the North of the country, for security reasons, complicated the verification process of certain allegations. Furthermore, the human rights teams confirmed that some actors tried to manipulate the information, talking on behalf of the Northern community. Finally, the reluctance of some witnesses and victims to cooperate with the investigators by fear of reprisals remain a major issue.

6 . The OHCHR team met with the Minister of Justice, seals keeper, the Minister of Defence and former combatants, the Minister of Territorial Administration and decentralisation, and the Minister of Family, on the promotion of woman and child, as well as the local authorities in the Northern region. The OHCHR team also met with the prosecutor of the Commune III, the National Human Rights Commission, members of the civil society as well as members of the diplomatic corps and of the United Nations Country Team

Chers Collègues et partenaires,

Nous avons le plaisir de partager avec vous le premier numéro de notre bulletin trimestriel consacré à la coordination civilo-militaire. L’objectif visé à travers cette publication est de vous informer sur les interactions entre l’Unité de coordination civilo-militaire et les partenaires.

La Coordination civilo-militaire humanitaire des Nations Unies (CMCoord) facilite le dialogue et l’interaction entre les acteurs civils et militaires — indispensables pour protéger et promouvoir les principes humanitaires, éviter la concurrence et minimiser les incohérences.

C’est dans cette optique qu’OCHA a soutenu les formations visant à renforcer les connaissances des forces de sécurité et de l’ordre sur les principes qui guident l’action humanitaire.

Je vous en souhaite une bonne lecture !

Fernando Arroyo

Chef de Bureau d’OCHA au Mali

After 31 years of successful work empowering smallholder farmers in The Gambia to increase their productivity, IFAD is now scaling up activities to cover agricultural areas across the whole country. A new IFAD-supported project, the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project, known in the local Mandinka language as Nema – meaning peaceful and prosperous – is just getting under way.

At the same time, the Participatory Integrated Watershed Management Project, or PIWAMP is concluding its work and assessing the results. The two projects are part of a 20-year programme for community-driven agricultural land and water development.

The nationwide reach of Nema is a tribute to the success of PIWAMP in providing infrastructure that has increased access to productive land. Before, many communities were cut off from farm fields during the rainy season, limiting how much they could grow. Life has changed in many villages thanks to the improvements.

An IFAD supervision mission visited project areas in April 2013 to assess PIWAMP's progress. It found that most of the planned infrastructure works have been completed or are near completion. As a result, upland crop production of maize, millet, peanut and sorghum has increased significantly.

"Overall, household food security in the project sites has almost doubled, with the average hungry season experienced by families falling from nine months to five months," said IFAD's country programme manager for The Gambia, Moses Abukari, who led the mission.

"This is a result of both increased production due to reclamation of land and improved access to markets, which raises family income. But improving productivity remains a challenge," he said.

Over the life of the project more than 80,000 metres of dikes have been constructed. In 2012, almost 300 metres of spillways were built, more than double the goal. Six bridges were constructed in five villages, giving women farmers safe access to fields that otherwise would have been unusable for all or part of the growing season. So far about 47,000 hectares of productive land have been reclaimed. Nearly 200 kilometres of inter-village roads have been built, helping families access the wider world, including markets.

With the new 8-kilometre road between Fula Kunda to Kayai, for example, residents of Kayai no longer feel they are "living in the bush", Jadally Janko, secretary of the Kayai Farmers' Association, told the IFAD team. During previous rainy seasons, goods had to be left at the village of Fula Kunda until the road was dry enough to use.

"Now, even if it rains, one can access the village at any time," he said happily. "All we do now is to call a friend who picks us up by motorbike."

In addition to infrastructure works, the project has helped farmers start associations, improving their business skills and enabling them to learn about land degradation and climate change. Activities have been supported in over 100 communities around the country.

As part of IFAD's ongoing work with partners, geographic information systems are being used to map land and other resources in The Gambia. The European Space Agency (ESA) is piloting the use of this technology to monitor PIWAMP's impact on rice production and to provide baseline land use information for Nema.

"This gives us hard evidence that can be used in policy dialogue," said Abukari. "It enables us to demonstrate to government ministers the difference that this work has meant for their country."

To market: Transforming the agriculture sector

The new project Nema is the result of a request from the Government for IFAD to take the lead in implementing The Gambia National Agricultural Investment Plan 2011-2015. The aim of the plan is to transform the agriculture sector from subsistence to an increasingly efficient market system. The end goal is to reduce poverty among rural women and young people. The target area encompasses all six agricultural regions along the Gambia River, essentially the entire rural sector of the country. The initiative is crucial to The Gambia's economic growth, given that agriculture employs over 70 per cent of the population, more than half of them women.

"Women are the core rice and vegetable producers in The Gambia," said Abukari, "and Nema has been designed by them and with them". Around 180,000 women will be targeted for assistance with market-oriented vegetable and rice production.

Certified local seeds boost productivity

In 2011 low rainfall led to a nationwide crop failure – a catastrophe in a country where agriculture accounts for around one third of gross domestic product. Soon after, the PIWAMP distributed more than 50 tons of locally sourced rice seed to farmers. The National Agricultural Research Institute certified the seeds, which were distributed in 56 communities. During the project team's visit, farmers confirmed that the seeds gave much better yields compared to varieties they had cultivated during the 2010/2011 season, and they were also drought tolerant.

Mama Jarju of Massembe was one of the farmers enthusiastic about the new seeds. She had increased her yield of paddy rice from 10 to 35 bags per half a hectare. She has also adopted other innovative practices that have contributed to her rising productivity. She plants early, hiring young people to help her with planting and weeding in a timely manner, and she puts aside money to buy fertilizer when the price is low. Most importantly, after seeing her husband use a sickle to cut grass, she began using it in place of a knife to harvest paddy rice. The knife shatters the rice grains, causing significant losses, but the sickle does not, and it is also faster. Other local women are starting to follow Mama Jarju's example.

Aja Nyima Sillah of Jarumeh Koto is building a new house with the profits from her increased production, and thanks to a lesson she learned from the project about the importance of diversifying her source of income. Sillah, who is president of her local village farmers' association, has been using some of the proceeds from her rice harvest to invest in livestock. She raises sheep, goats and cattle and now has 19 head of cattle. She also gives 10 per cent of her harvested paddy rice to support the most vulnerable people in her community.

"Farmers learn about each other's innovations partly through farmers' associations, which encourages adoption of good practices," said Abukari.

A total of 128 farmers' associations have been formed through the PIWAMP, and more than half the members are women. Fatou Samba Njai, Vice President of the National Coordinating Organization of Farmers' Associations, participated in the April supervision mission. In her report she noted the need for more training on topics such as improved crop agronomic practices, good governance and safe use of agrochemicals.

Wanted: Young farmers

Fatou Samba Njai also mentioned the importance of encouraging young people to go into agriculture. Abukari supported this: "In the drive to transform rural areas and increase productivity, we need the energy and creativity of young people," he said. "They need training opportunities and decent job options so they can build their futures in the rural areas where they are needed."

With IFAD support, a group of young Gambians recently participated in an eight-week training course at the Songhai Centre in Benin, which promotes sustainable entrepreneurship and works to link agriculture to industry and services. The trainees have developed personal action plans to share their new knowledge with their young people's farming group.

Contact Information

Moses Abukari
Country Programme Manager
Via Paolo di Dono, 44
Rome, Italy
Work: +39 0654592526
Fax: +39 0654593526
m.abukari@ifad.org

Geneva / Ouagadougou (ICRC / Burkinabé Red Cross Society) – Beginning 13 June, farmers and herders in Oudalan province, in the north of Burkina Faso, will be receiving food aid provided by the Burkinabé Red Cross Society with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)..

By 16 June, some 9,000 needy people will benefit from enhanced food security, which should see them through until the next harvest in October.

Since February 2012, Burkina Faso has been dealing with the consequences of the crisis in Mali by taking in almost 50,000 refugees. The influx has strained an economic situation that was already difficult for the resident population. Surveys carried out in connection with previous rounds of assistance – for 16,200 refugees in March 2012 and 1,800 refugees in January 2013 – laid bare the general impoverishment of households and pinpointed needs.

"The inhabitants of this remote part of the Sahel have accommodated thousands of refugees from Mali, and have been sharing their meagre resources with them. Because the refugees brought their livestock with them, their arrival tripled the number of animals using already inadequate grazing resources," said Romain Kima, in charge of disaster preparedness and response at the Burkinabé Red Cross. "Farming has been disrupted and host communities have sometimes had to sell some of their livestock in order to make ends meet."

Like Hadiza W. Mohamed, a widow and mother of three living in the village of Gandafabou, each family will be given 50 kg of millet, 10 kg of beans, 5 litres of cooking oil and 1 kg of salt. The food aid should also help ease tensions between the local population and the refugees.

Because this year's harvest in Burkina Faso went relatively well, all of the food aid provided could be purchased in Ouagadougou markets and then transported to Oudalan province.

For further information, please contact:
Léa Balima, Burkinabé Red Cross Society Ouagadougou, tel: +226 78 04 06 21 or +226 50 36 13 40
Pascal Jequier, ICRC Abidjan, tel: +225 09 399 404
Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 31 49 or +41 79 244 64 05

HIGHLIGHTS

 Despite good agricultural production in 2012 and good conditions for pastoralists, the situation in the Sahel remains critical, mostly due to the impact of the 2012 crisis as well as previous recent crises. Approximately 10.3 million people remain food insecure in 2013 and over 1.4 million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition.

 Large population movements are reported as a consequence of the conflict in Mali. It is estimated that there are currently around 298 000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mali and some 175 000 refugees in neighbouring countries, mainly Burkina Faso, Mauritania and the Niger.

 The food security situation in Mali is deteriorating with 3.5 million people affected by food insecurity and 1.4 million people in need of immediate food assistance.

 Due to insecurity and low food production in northern Nigeria, cereal prices are increasing. This is a matter of deep concern for the food access of the most vulnerable population in the Niger, Nigeria, northern Benin and western Chad. Eastern Burkina Faso and eastern Mali may also be affected by increasing prices.

 Based on current estimates, FAO is requesting a total of USD 135.3 million for 2013, in order to support almost 6 million people with livelihood interventions in the Sahel, including those related to the Malian conflict. So far, only USD 14.8 million has been received. While supporting the main agricultural campaign (May-October) is no longer an option, support to livestock production and health, as well as off-season agriculture are urgently required.

 Aggravated by existing chronic vulnerabilities, the negative effects of recent crises in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012 remain. Vulnerable people have eroded their capacity to withstand external shocks and many continue to be heavily indebted and have been unable to restore their productive means. Time is of the essence for building resilience to strengthen the livelihoods of the most vulnerable people.

Les titres

· Le Tchad face au défi de l’eau potable (Xinhua, 07/06/13)

· Nigeria’s crisis sees more than 6000 people displaced into neighbouring countries (UNHCR, 11/06/13)

· Tchad : le CICR préoccupé par le sort des milliers de réfugiés dans l’Est (VOA, 12/06/13)

· Meeting a desperate need for clean water in camps for Darfuri refugees (IRC, 12/06/13)

· Sahel: le Coordonnateur humanitaire de l'ONU appelle à la mobilisation pour faire face à la crise alimentaire (CANU, 11/06/13)

· Food for thought: there's more to staying well-nourished than getting enough to eat (Merclin, 07/06/13)

· Ten ways to save a million lives (IRIN, 10/06/13)

· Going Home: Eastern Chad, then and now (World Concern, 11/06/13)

· La frontière nigériane fermée, le Lac s’étouffe (Le Progrès, 13/06/13)

· « Laissez vos épouses aller en visite prénatale (Le Progrès, 13/06/13)

· Les élus et agents municipaux, au droit humanitaire (Le Progrès, 13/06/13)

Imagine there is a major crisis unfolding. While one region in the affected country is in crisis, there are available food supplies and resources in another. In situations like this, USAID disaster response professionals have several key decisions to make — all with the goal of helping as many people as possible in the most rapid, efficient and effective way possible. Does it make sense to bring in food from the United States? Should we purchase food locally to distribute to those in need? Should we provide people the means to buy the food themselves? Using all the resources available under its Emergency Food Security Program, USAID strives to respond to crises with the most appropriate tools to best meet the needs of vulnerable populations. Here are some recent highlights:

In Syria, humanitarian needs grow more pressing every day, but the conflict means importing large quantities of food aid can be impractical and downright dangerous in certain areas. Without the flexible resources provided through the International Disaster Assistance account, USAID would not have been able to respond initially to the Syria conflict. The flexibility to use emergency food assistance tools like vouchers and local and regional purchase has provided much needed help to those fleeing the conflict. In Kilis refugee camp on the Turkey-Syria border, we’re supporting a program that gives debit cards to families so they can shop for their own meals at local stores. And wheat purchased regionally in Turkey is now being milled to stock bakeries in Aleppo with much needed bread.

Last year in Rwanda, USAID and the UN World Food Program fed more than 72,000 people, including 61,000 refugees fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while supporting smallholder farmers within the country. By purchasing the food locally, USAID and WFP were able to save considerable time and money: saving $243 per metric ton on corn and $899 per metric ton on beans and getting food to refugees in just two months versus three to six months for U.S. food aid.

At the height of the 2011 drought in the Horn of Africa, in the hardest hit areas of southern Somalia where militants ruled and blocked traditional in-kind food distribution, food aid couldn’t reach everyone in need. But through cash transfers and vouchers, we were able to help more than 90,000 families in inaccessible and insecure areas buy readily available food from markets in their communities.

In Haiti, a pioneering food assistance program provided 20,000 earthquake-affected households with electronic vouchers to buy rice, corn flour, cooking oil and beans from participating local vendors. This not only helped Haitians in need, but also developed local private enterprise, by bolstering functioning markets and partnering with three Haitian companies – two banks and a cell phone company.

USAID was able to help those in need when providing U.S.-grown food assistance was either not possible or less appropriate due to market conditions or timeliness issues. We did so by drawing from the International Disaster Assistance account, which provides the Food for Peace program with resources to buy food locally or regionally, or provide support directly to beneficiaries to buy food in their local markets. In FY 2013, much of these flexible funds will go towards the large-scale response for the Syria crisis, leaving too little in flexible resources left for emergencies in the rest of the world.

Through the President’s Food Aid Reform Proposal, USAID is seeking to expand the flexibility of these resources so we can meet the needs of hungry people around the world in as efficient and effective a way as possible. Recently, the Senate passed the Coons-Johanns Amendment to expand USDA’s flexibility for local and regional purchase in a non-Food for Peace food assistance program.

Senate approval of the amendment is a recognition of the program’s demonstrated success and the value of LRP in providing food assistance around the world — and is consistent with the flexibilities sought in the President’s reform proposal for USAID to administer the Food for Peace program.

USDA and USAID’s proven track record with local and regional procurement food assistance programs demonstrate the efficiencies to be gained by using the most appropriate tools at our disposal.

« Les attaques et les agressions contre les écoles doivent cesser, » dit l’UNICEF

NEW YORK, 12 juin 2013– Les enfants vivant aujourd’hui un conflit armé sont confrontés à des menaces sans précédent. Parmi celles-ci figurent de graves violations comme le recrutement et l’utilisation d’enfants dans les conflits armés, la violence sexuelle contre les enfants, le meurtre et la mutilation d’enfants et des attaques répétées contre les hôpitaux et les écoles.

Ces graves violations sont mises en relief dans le dernier Rapport annuel du Secrétaire général sur le sort des enfants en temps de conflit armé publié aujourd’hui par la Représentante spéciale du Secrétaire général pour le sort des enfants en temps de conflit armé, Leila Zerrougui.

« De telles violations doivent cesser, » a dit aujourd’hui l’UNICEF.

La tendance constante d’attaquer des écoles et de s’en servir à des fins militaires est particulièrement odieuse. En période de conflit, les écoles doivent être regardées par les enfants, les parents et les familles comme des lieux de refuge protégés où les enfants peuvent étudier et s’épanouir pleinement tout en bénéficiant d’un sentiment de normalité dans un contexte qui est tout sauf normal pour des enfants.

Le rapport met en relief des incidents dans différents pays dans lesquels des écoles et le personnel enseignant ont été attaqués ou des écoles utilisées comme casernes militaires, lieux de stockage d’armes, centres de commandement, de détention et d’interrogatoires ainsi que comme station de tirs ou d’observation. Ces actes placent en danger les vies des enfants, entravent leurs droit à une éducation scolaire et ont pour conséquence une scolarisation moindre et des taux élevés d’abandon scolaire, particulièrement parmi les filles.

Voici quelques exemples provenant de différentes régions figurant dans le rapport :

En Syrie, des milliers d’enfants ont souffert de pilonnages, de tirs de missiles et d’importants bombardements effectués par les forces aériennes ou d’artillerie contre leurs écoles, leurs hôpitaux et leurs foyers. L’utilisation de véhicules et de différents types de bombes à proximité d’écoles provoquant des morts et des blessés parmi les enfants, ont été rapportés. Cent soixante-sept personnes appartenant au système éducatif, dont 69 enseignants, auraient trouvé la mort à la fin de février 2013 et 2 445 écoles auraient subi des dégâts. Dans certains secteurs, les enfants ne sont pas allés à l’école depuis plus de 18 mois.

En Afghanistan, des attaques ciblées contre des écoles ont été signalées dont certaines avec des engins explosifs improvisés et par le biais d’attaques suicides, d’autres étant effectuées en brûlant des écoles ainsi qu’en enlevant et en tuant du personnel enseignant. Des actes d’intimidation, des menaces contre des enseignants et la fermeture forcée d’écoles ont également été rapportés. En Afghanistan, dix cas d’utilisation d’école à des fins militaires figurent dans le rapport.

Au Mali, la prise de contrôle du nord du pays en 2012 par des groupes armés a eu un effet dévastateur sur l’accès des enfants à l’éducation. Le rapport relève que 115 écoles ont été pillées, endommagées, bombardées, utilisées à des fins militaires ou polluées par des munitions non explosées. En février 2013, 86% des élèves restant dans le nord n’avaient toujours pas accès au système éducatif.

L’UNICEF profite de l’occasion de la publication du Rapport du Secrétaire générale pour répéter que toutes les parties impliquées dans un conflit armé doivent faire tout ce qu’elles peuvent pour assurer la sécurité des enfants et la protection de leurs droits.

L’intégralité du rapport est disponible sur le lien suivant : http://reliefweb.int/report/world/le-sort-des-enfants-en-temps-de-confli...

À propos de l’UNICEF

L’UNICEF est à pied d’œuvre dans plus de 190 pays et territoires du monde entier pour aider les enfants à survivre et à s’épanouir, de leur plus jeune âge jusqu’à la fin de l’adolescence. Premier fournisseur mondial de vaccins aux pays en développement, l’UNICEF soutient la santé et la nutrition des enfants, l’accès à de l’eau potable et à des moyens d’assainissement, une éducation de base de qualité pour tous les garçons et toutes les filles et la protection des enfants contre la violence, l’exploitation sous toutes ses formes et le SIDA. L’UNICEF est entièrement financé par des contributions volontaires de particuliers, d’entreprises, de fondations et de gouvernements.

Pour plus d’informations sur l’UNICEF et son action, veuillez consulter le site : www.unicef.org/french

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Pour obtenir plus d’informations, veuillez contacter :

Simon Ingram, Bureau régional de l’UNICEF pour le Moyen-Orient et l’Afrique du Nord, tél : +962-79-590- 4740,
courriel : singram@unicef.org

Alistair Gretarsson, UNICEF Afghanistan, tél : +93-790-507-110, Mobile : +93-798-507-110,
courriel : agretarsson@unicef.org

Martin Dawes, Bureau régional de l’UNICEF pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest et centrale, tél : +221 338 69 58 58 ; Mobile : +221-77-74-04-679,
courriel : mdawes@unicef.org

Kent Page, UNICEF New York, tél : +1-212-326-7605,
courriel : kpage@unicef.org

Bamako, 12 June 2013 – As part of response to humanitarian emergencies, the UNICEF Representative in Mali, Françoise Aackermans and the WHO Representative in Mali, Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, met on 11 June 2013 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two agencies of the United Nations. The MoU sets out a framework for collaboration, specifying the roles of each agency in the implementation of the joint plan. The objective is to ensure effective and coordinated pooling of the resources of the two partners in providing technical and financial support to the Ministry of Health of Mali.

The health situation in Mali remains worrying. According to data published in 2013 by the United Nations system, Mali has the third highest under-five mortality rate worldwide (176 per 1000 live births). Infant (under-one) mortality is still high (98 per 1000 live births). One woman out of 28 is at risk of dying from a pregnancy. This situation has been worsened by the armed conflict that has been raging in the north of the country since February 2012, through destruction of the social and health infrastructures and the departure of staff. Adding onto the situation is the nutritional crisis that has been rife since several years, with an overall acute malnutrition rate of about 10% (critical threshold) and a moderately severe acute malnutrition rate above 2%.

« The prevailing situation makes it incumbent upon us to work together » said Françoise Aackermans. « We have a common intention to unite our efforts, bring our teams together around the table and meet regularly in order to move forward. In this Memorandum of Understanding, the operative words are: partnership, coordination, analysis, information sharing, transparency, trust, coherence and effectiveness. »

For his part, Dr, Ibrahima Socé Fall stated: « We are here to solve problems together and support the authorities of Mali to address the needs of the populations. We should not be afraid of problems. On the contrary, we should remain in a problem-solving mode. The quality of our joint work to the benefit of Mali should be acknowledged. We have reached a cohesive consensus. »

The Memorandum of Understanding sets forth the priority actions to respond to emergencies, the joint strategies and the sharing of work between the two agencies, for each sector: Health; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); and Nutrition. Figuring among the priorities are: revitalization of health centres and hospitals; improvement and management of WASH services in health facilities; and implementation of nutrition advocacy, policies and strategies. Furthermore, through the Cholera Coordination Group, UNICEF and WHO have committed themselves to preventing and responding to cholera epidemics.

UNICEF and WHO commit themselves to playing a leadership role in strategic dialogue. The two partners will facilitate a harmonized intersectoral approach among the three above-mentioned clusters of sectors, for enhanced coordination with the Government. The two agencies have agreed on the complementarity of their roles while respecting their respective mandates.

UNICEF:
UNICEF is at work in over 150 countries and territories to help children to survive and develop from their youngest age up to the end of adolescence. As the world’s leading supplier of vaccines to developing countries, UNICEF provides support for child health and nutrition; access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities; quality basic education for all boys and all girls; and child protection from violence, exploitation and AIDS. UNICEF is entirely financed by voluntary contributions from private individuals,foundations, and governments. For more information on UNICEF and its activities: www.unicef.org Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

WHO:
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority in health, in international work within the United Nations system. It has a representative office in all Member States of the United Nations. It is responsible for directing global health action; defining health research programmes; setting standards and criteria; presenting evidence-based policy options; providing technical support to countries; and monitoring and assessing public health trends: www.who.int

For further information, please contact:

Hector Calderon, Head of Communications, UNICEF, Mali, Tel +223 75 99 40 89 hcalderon@unicef.org

Cindy Cao, Public Information and Media Relations Officer, UNICEF, Mali, Tel +223 75 99 58 46 ccao@unicef.org

Abdoulaye Cisse, Communications Officer, WHO, Mali, Tel + 223 63623135 cissea@ml.afro.who.int