Bamako, le 20 juin 2015 - Le Représentant spécial du Secrétaire général (RSSG) et Chef de la MINUSMA, M. Mongi Hamdi salue la signature de l'Accord pour la paix et la réconciliation au Mali par la Coordination aujourd'hui à Bamako.

Le RSSG félicite le Gouvernement du Mali ainsi que l’ensemble des représentants de la Plateforme et de la Coordination, réaffirmant que « la MINUSMA est déterminée à soutenir la mise en œuvre de l’accord, en étroite collaboration avec les membres de l'équipe de médiation internationale.»

Le RSSG a rappelé dans son propos que le Gouvernement du Mali et la Plateforme avaient déjà signé cet accord le 15 mai dernier. La signature de l’accord aujourd’hui par la Coordination est une étape décisive pour le processus de paix, elle ouvre la voie à la mise en œuvre intégrale et rapide de l'Accord de paix.

Il félicite les parties maliennes ainsi que l'équipe de médiation dirigée par l’Algérie pour leurs efforts soutenus qui ont permis la réussite du processus de signature.

« Pour continuer d’avancer durablement vers la paix et la réconciliation, il faut à présent que les parties se mobilisent véritablement. C’est en effet en dernier ressort aux maliens qu’incombe la responsabilité d’assurer la paix au Mali, » a déclaré M. Mongi Hamdi.

Le RSSG encourage les partenaires du Mali à appuyer tous les efforts pour parvenir à une paix juste et durable.

« La bonne foi entre les parties est cruciale pour faire avancer cette paix que tous les maliens appellent de leurs vœux » a-t-il conclu.

Factsheet on Cameroon (ECHO)

Cameroon is currently hosting almost 300 000 refugees. Nearly 50 000 are Nigerian refugees who seek asylum in the Far North region of Cameroon. The remaining refugees are from CAR. The situation constitutes a huge challenge for local administrations and communities, making it critical to provide emergency aid to meet basic needs.

Security remains a concern impeding humanitarian agencies from starting operations or even to conduct assessments in areas of the Far North Region. The European Commission has recently allocated additional € 6 Million to populations in Cameroon affected by the Boko Haram crisis, including both Nigerian Refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Cameroon. This brings the total envelop for Cameroon to € 13.7 million in 2015.

EU funding targets malnourished children; provides assistance to refugees with shelter, food, safe drinking water and sanitation; healthcare and child protection, and response to the cholera epidemics. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/cameroon_en.pdf

HIGHLIGHTS

• In Nigeria, the security situation in the North East has not improved, with 11 insurgent attacks recorded in the last week. Despite successive gains by military forces in the region, the insurgency is growing in intensity.

• On 10 June, UNHCR Nigeria unveiled its ‘Guma Shelter Project’, a flagship project consisting of 100 low-cost bungalows made available for 200 vulnerable IDP families, aimed at supporting them in a sustainable manner.

• In the Minawao camp in Cameroon, spontaneous arrivals continue to be registered, but at a decreasing rate. The Minawao camp has been registering 60 to 70 persons per day since the beginning of the month as opposed to 400 a day between April and May.

KEY FIGURES

1,491,706 IDPs in Nigeria (NEMA/IOM DTM Report, April 2015)

168,042 Total number of Nigerian refugees in neighbouring countries

FUNDING

USD 114,530,270 Requested for the situation

Key messages

• The INGO Forum is concerned that not enough attention is being paid to the ongoing and deepening humanitarian crisis in North-East Nigeria, where 4 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity and 1.5 million people have been displaced by the conflict and are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.

• The ongoing conflict is continuing to displace people. Conditions in most areas of displacement are not suitable for supporting safe and voluntary returns due to insecurity, lack of basic services and absence of humanitarian actors in these areas.

• The most urgent needs identified are: Food, Protection, Livelihoods

• While needs at critical stage include Health, Nutrition, Shelter/NFIs, Education, WASH and Psycho-Social Support

• Returns are happening to a limited extent only in some parts of Adamawa State where 15% of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) come from.

• There is extremely limited coverage and funding of the humanitarian response.

• The INGOs have scaled-up their assistance and are ready to continue supporting Nigeria in tackling the humanitarian consequences of the conflict in the North-East, in cooperation with the Government of Nigeria, Nigerian civil society and other partners.

Dakar / Ouagadougou, 22 juin 2015: Le Comité permanent Inter-Etats de Lutte contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel (CILSS) et des agences des Nations Unies ont signé aujourd’hui un accord de partenariat stratégique pour renforcer la résilience des communautés de Sahel qui font face à l’insécurité et la malnutrition.

La région africaine du Sahel compte des communautés parmi les plus pauvres du monde. Les familles sont confrontées à des crises alimentaires et nutritionnelles chroniques qui sont exacerbées par les effets du changement climatique, les catastrophes naturelles récurrentes et par l'impact des conflits violents – notamment les déplacements de population. Les niveaux de vulnérabilité demeurent inacceptables. Depuis 2012, en moyenne 20 millions de personnes sont en insécurité alimentaire chaque année et plus de cinq millions d'enfants de moins de cinq ans souffrent de malnutrition aiguë.

« Les familles sont plus vulnérables aujourd'hui qu’elles ne l'étaient il y a vingt ans. Elles sont de moins en moins en mesure de faire à des chocs climatiques plus fréquents et plus intenses», a déclaré Robert Piper, le Sous-Secrétaire général des Nations Unies et Coordonnateur Régional humanitaire pour le Sahel qui a signé l'accord au nom des Nations Unies. «Ce partenariat nous permettra d'approfondir notre compréhension de ce qui fait que les risques deviennent des catastrophes, et de mieux cerner ceux qui sont les moins équipés pour faire face à ces chocs. C’est une étape indispensable si nous voulons coopérer avec les acteurs du développement et les gouvernements de la région pour répondre durablement aux causes structurelles qui génèrent les urgences chroniques du Sahel ».

Le plan de travail conjoint ONU / CILSS pour 2015-2016 définit six domaines prioritaires visant à renforcer la capacité des familles à faire face aux chocs climatiques et aux catastrophes, qu’elles soient d’origine naturelle ou humaine. La création d'une «plate-forme de mesure de la résilience», dédiée à l’analyse de vulnérabilité des communautés et leur capacité à résister aux chocs, est au cœur du partenariat. Parmi les autres domaines de coopération, on note aussi le développement de politiques en soutien à la résilience des populations pastorales, le soutien à Alliance globale pour la résilience (AGIR), la réduction des risques de catastrophes, la surveillance et la gouvernance des ressources naturelles; ainsi que le développement de nouvelles technologies de communication pour une analyse et une information dynamique et en temps réels des marchés.

« La valeur ajoutée d’un tel partenariat régional, c’est de créer des synergies qui vont décupler l’efficacité de nos activités pour renforcer le développement socio-économique des pays du Sahel» a noté Djimé Adoum, le Secrétaire Exécutif du CILSS et signataire de l’accord.

Les agences des Nations Unies impliquées dans le partenariat comprennent l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO), le Programme Alimentaire Mondial (PAM), Le Fonds des Nations unies pour l'enfance (UNICEF), le Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement (PNUD), le Programme des Nations Unies pour l'environnement (PNUE) et le Bureau de la Coordination des Affaires humanitaires (OCHA). Créé en 1973, Le mandat du CILSS est de s’investir dans la recherche de la sécurité alimentaire et dans la lutte contre les effets de la sécheresse et de la désertification, pour un nouvel équilibre écologique au Sahel. Il est actuellement composé de 13 Etats membres, dont le Bénin, le Burkina Faso, le Cap-Vert, le Tchad, la Côte d'Ivoire, la Gambie, la Guinée, la Guinée Bissau, le Mali, la Mauritanie, le Niger, le Sénégal et le Togo.

Contact presse:

Abdoulkarim Dankoulou, CILSS, Chargé de communication, dankoulou.abdoulkarim@cilss.bf, +226 503 741 25/26 or + 226 75 05 37 77 (Ouagadougou)

Bérénice Van Den Driessche, OCHA, vandendriessche@un.org, +221 77 333 91 95 (Dakar)

Pour plus d’information sur les activités du CILSS: http://www.cilss.bf ou Twitter @CILSSinfos Pour plus d’information sur les activités de OCHA : http://www.unocha.org/rowca ou Twitter @OCHAROWCA

Dakar / Ouagadougou, 22 June 2015: The Permanent Interstate Committee for drought control in the Sahel (CILSS) and several United Nations agencies signed today a two-year strategic partnership agreement to strengthen the resilience of communities in the Sahel that are highly vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition.

West Africa’s Sahel region is home to some of the world’s poorest communities. Families are confronted with chronic food and nutrition crises, exacerbated by the effects of climate change, recurrent natural disasters, and the impact of violent conflicts and displacement. Levels of vulnerability remain unacceptably high. Since 2012, each year an average of over 20 million people face food insecurity, and over five million children under the age of five suffer from malnutrition.

“Many families are more vulnerable today than they were twenty years ago. They are less and less able to cope with the greater frequency and intensity of climate shocks”, said Robert Piper, UN Assistant Secretary General and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel who signed the agreement on behalf of the UN agencies. “Today’s partnership will deepen our understanding of what drives hazards to become disasters, and who is least equipped to deal with the impact of such shocks. It is an indispensable step if we are to work together with development actors and governments to sustainably address the structural causes behind the Sahel’s chronic emergencies.”

The 2015-2016 joint UN and CILSS work plan defines six priority areas for cooperation geared to strengthen households’ abilities to cope with climate shocks and natural and man-made disasters. The creation of a ‘resilience measurement platform’ dedicated to analysing communities’ exposure to risks and their ability to withstand shocks is at the core of the partnership. Other priorities include the development of policies and practice to strengthen the resilience of the region’s pastoralists, partnership on disaster risk reduction, management and governance of natural resources, support to the Global Alliance for Resilience Initiative (AGIR), as well as the development of new communications technology to enable dynamic real-time monitoring and information on the region’s markets.

“The added value of such a regional partnership comes from the synergies it creates. It will multiply the efficiency of our activities and ultimately accelerate the socio-economic development in the region” said Djimé Adoum, the Executive Secretary of CILSS and a signatory to the agreement.

UN agencies involved in the partnership include the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Created in 1973, the mandate of the CILSS is to invest in research for food security and the fight against the effects of drought and desertification for a new ecological balance in the Sahel. It is presently composed of 13 member states, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

Press contacts: Abdoulkarim Dankoulou, CILSS, Communication Officer, dankoulou.abdoulkarim@cilss.bf, +226 503 741 25/26 or + 226 75 05 37 77 (Ouagadougou)

Berenice Van Den Driessche, OCHA, vandendriessche@un.org, +221 77 333 91 95 (Dakar)

For more information on CILSS, please visit http://www.cilss.bf or Twitter @CILSSinfos

For more information on OCHA, please visit http://www.unocha.org/rowca or Twitter @OCHAROWCA

22/06/2015 09:55 Press release 482/15 Security & defence

Today, the Council launched the EU naval operation against human smugglers and traffickers in the Mediterranean called "EUNAVFOR Med". Its mission is to identify, capture and dispose of vessels and enabling assets used or suspected of being used by migrant smugglers or traffickers.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said: "EU has never taken the issue of migration as seriously as we are doing now. With this operation, we are targeting the business model of those who benefit from the misery of migrants. But it's only a part of a broader strategy including the cooperation with our partners in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region, and the work with the International Organization for Migration and the UNHCR. As EU, we are determined to contribute to save lives, dismantle the networks of the smugglers of human beings and address the root causes of migration."

EUNAVFOR Med will be conducted in sequential phases, in full compliance with international law, including humanitarian and refugee law and human rights. The first phase focuses on surveillance and assessment of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Southern Central Mediterranean.

It is planned that the second stage of the operation provides for the search and, if necessary, seizure of suspicious vessels. A third phase would allow the disposal of vessels and related assets, preferably before use, and to apprehend traffickers and smugglers.

The Council will assess when to move beyond this first step, taking into account a UN mandate and the consent of the coastal states concerned, and subsequent phases will be conducted accordingly.

The Operation Headquarter of EUNAVFOR Med is in Rome. Rear Admiral Enrico Credendino has been appointed Operation Commander and will be assisted at sea by Force Commander Rear Admiral Andrea Gueglio. The common costs of the operation are estimated at €11.82 million for a two months start up phase and the initial mandate of 12 months.

EUNAVFOR Med, established on 18 May 2015, is one element of the broader EU comprehensive approach to migration which aims to respond to the immediate need to save lives and address emergency situations, tackle the root causes of irregular migration and fight traffickers.

MINUSMA congratulates the movements of the Plateforme on their decision, announced yesterday evening, to withdraw from the town of Ménaka, in the Gao region, in accordance with the “Arrangement Sécuritaire pour une Cessation des Hostilités” (“Security Arrangement for a Cessation of Hostilities”) signed in Algiers on 5 June 2015.

“MINUSMA welcomes this courageous and responsible decision by the movements of the Plateforme, which demonstrates their commitment to advancing the peace process for the benefit of all Malians,” the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSMA, Mr. Mongi Hamdi, said.

“This positive development and the imminent signing of the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement by the Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad in Bamako tomorrow are clear and reassuring signs, for both the Malian population and the international community, that the peace process is on the right track thanks to the commitment of the stakeholders to meet the aspirations of the Malian people,” Mr. Hamdi added.

In consultation with the competent authorities, MINUSMA will accelerate the implementation of the provisions of the Arrangement Sécuritaire that relate to the protection of civilians in Ménaka.

This arrangement is temporary and will remain in force until the relevant mechanisms foreseen by the Peace Agreement of 15 May 2015 are established in line with its implementation schedule.

Bamako, 20 June 2015 – The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of MINUSMA, Mr. Mongi Hamdi, welcomes the signing of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali by the Coordination in Bamako today.

The SRSG congratulates the Government of Mali and all representatives of the Plateforme and Coordination, and reaffirms that "MINUSMA is determined to support the implementation of the agreement, in close cooperation with the members of the international mediation team."

The SRSG recalled that the Government of Mali and the Plateforme had already signed the agreement on 15 May. The signature of the agreement by the Coordination today is a decisive step for the peace process and opens the way for the full and rapid implementation of the peace agreement.

He congratulates the Malian parties and the mediation team led by Algeria for their sustained efforts, which have allowed for the signature process to succeed.

"To continue to move forward towards peace and reconciliation in a sustainable manner, the parties really need to mobilize now. Malians bear the ultimate responsibility to ensure peace in Mal," Mr. Mongi Hamdi said.

The SRSG encourages Mali's partners to support all efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace.

"Good faith between the parties is crucial to advance the peace that all Malians wish for," he concluded.​

Situation in numbers

53,936 Nigerian refugees, Chadians IDPs and returnees (OCHA, June 2015)

1,496 children under 5 with severe acute malnutrition admitted in nutritional centers in Lake Region (UNICEF, April 2015)

6/22/2015 - 22:11 GMT

by Aminu ABUBAKAR

At least 20 people were killed Monday when a young female suicide bomber detonated her explosives at a bus station in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, in an attack likely to be blamed on Boko Haram.

The blast happened near a fish market in the Baga Road area of the city, which has been repeatedly targeted in recent weeks by shelling, bombs and suicide attacks.

"We heard a loud explosion at about 3:50 pm (1450 GMT) while we were preparing for afternoon prayers," said Danlami Ajaokuta, a civilian vigilante assisting the military against Boko Haram.

"It happened right inside the motor park (bus station) attached to the fish market where labourers were sorting out rice."

He said that according to survivors' accounts, a woman came into the bus station with a casserole dish, shouting out for customers.

"Suddenly, the casserole, which obviously contained explosives, went off. She was blown to pieces... We have sorted out 20 dead bodies and 50 others that were injured."

Ajaokuta's account was supported by a labourer working at the scene who survived the blast, which sent people running in all directions in fear and panic.

"The rescue operation is still on, so the death toll may be higher at the end," said the labourer, who asked not to be identified.

The police however gave a lower toll of 10 killed, as well as the two female suicide bombers.

"Twelve people died including the bombers and many others injured," state police commissioner Aderemi Opadokun told reporters.

Reports from Maiduguri indicated that the first bomber was a girl aged about 17 but there was no immediate confirmation of her age.

There were also indications of a second bombing by a girl about the same age outside the bus station but no one was hurt.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Boko Haram extremists have frequently targeted civilians at markets and bus stations during their six-year insurgency.

The Islamist bombers have also used young women and girls as human bombs since the middle of last year, as part of a campaign of terror in the restive northeast and beyond.

Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, has increasingly come under attack in the weeks since new President Muhammadu Buhari took office on May 29, vowing to wipe out the Islamists.

Monday's bombing takes the number of attacks in the city to five this month. Three have been by suicide bombers and one targeted a cattle market.

On June 3, an improvised explosive device left outside a mechanics' workshop on the Baga Road killed 18 while on May 30, 26 people were killed in a suicide attack at a city mosque.

With the latest attack, some 200 people have been killed since Buhari's inauguration, according to AFP reporting.

Nigeria and its military coalition partners of Niger, Chad and Cameroon have claimed a series of successes against Boko Haram since February, pushing the rebels out of captured territory.

But its return to guerrilla tactics aimed at "soft targets" is a sign that the insurgency, which has cost at least 15,000 lives, is not over, according to analysts.

abu-joa/mfp

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Le 17 juin 2015, la Haute Représentante et Vice-Présidente (HRVP), Mme Federica Mogherini, le Commissaire aux affaires humanitaires et à la gestion des crises, M. Christos Stylianides et les Ministres des Affaires étrangères des pays du G5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, SE Monsieur Moussa B. Nebie; Mali, SE Monsieur Abdoulaye Diop; Mauritanie, SE Madame Vatma Vall Mint Soueina; Niger, SE Madame Kane Aïchatou Boulama et Tchad, SE Monsieur Moussa Faki Mahamat) se sont rencontrés à Bruxelles. Les participants se sont vivement félicités de cette initiative et ont adopté le communiqué conjoint suivant:

"Nous avons pu constater la convergence de nos analyses sur la situation au Sahel et partager notre réflexion sur la manière de répondre aux défis sécuritaires qui nous affectent, notamment en lien avec les tensions actuelles en Libye et la montée en puissance de Boko Haram. Nous condamnons les récentes attaques terroristes à Ndjamena et exprimons notre solidarité avec le Tchad et notre profonde sympathie avec les proches des victimes.

Nous avons rappelé l'importance pour les parties libyennes d'arriver à un accord rapidement sur un gouvernement d'unité nationale et nous appuyons les efforts du Représentant spécial des nations Unies, M. Bernardino Leon. Nous restons déterminés à faire du Sahel un espace de paix, de développement et de stabilité. A cet égard, nous saluons l'opérationnalisation de la force Mixte multinationale.

Dans ce contexte, nous saluons l'aboutissement du processus de paix au Mali, auquel nous avons activement participé ensemble pour résoudre la crise. Nous réitérons notre engagement à tout mettre en œuvre pour accompagner la mise en œuvre de l'accord pour la Paix et la Réconciliation au Mali signé le 15 mai 2015 à Bamako. Nous lançons un appel à la Communauté internationale en tenant compte du rôle des Nations unies, afin qu'elle y apporte également son appui. Nous invitons les parties au respect strict de leurs engagements et les encourageons à mettre en place sans délai le mécanisme de suivi qui sera fondamental pour l'instauration d'une paix durable.

Sécurité, migration et développement sont étroitement liés et demandent une réponse globale telle que partagée collectivement par les cinq pays. L'UE est engagée auprès de ses partenaires de longue date, qu'il s'agisse de la coopération au développement ou du déploiement de missions PSDC au Niger et au Mali. L'UE et ses Etats membres ont identifié plus de 8 milliards d'euros destinés à la région du Sahel à travers la mobilisation de tous les instruments à leur disposition. La mise sur pied prochaine en partenariat avec les organisations sous régionales d'un nouvel instrument financier pour des actions régionales et transfrontalières a été évoquée.

Conscients de la nécessité de trouver des solutions communes aux problèmes communs, nous avons partagé le contenu du Plan d'Action Régional récemment adopté par l'UE qui permettra de concentrer davantage les efforts sur des actions prioritaires, parmi lesquels se trouvent la prévention et lutte contre la radicalisation, la création des conditions de développement en faveur de la jeunesse, la migration et mobilité et la gestion des frontières et lutte contre les trafics illicites et le crime organisé transnational. Nous nous engageons à discuter ensemble de la meilleure manière de mettre en œuvre ce Plan d'action régional.

Nous sommes convenus que le déroulement de ce Plan régional devrait aller de pair avec l'instauration entre nous d'un dialogue politique régulier et structuré en pleine complémentarité avec ceux des organisations régionales et sous régionales, ainsi que les différents processus existants tels que ceux de Nouakchott et de Rabat.

En particulier, nous sommes convenus de l'urgence d'adresser conjointement les causes profondes qui sous-tendent les flux migratoires, et d'accroitre la coopération conjointe sur les questions de migration irrégulière et de lutter contre le trafic inacceptable d’êtres humains. Nous saluons l'initiative de l'UE d'organiser à Malte un sommet qui permettra d'aborder ces questions au plus haut niveau.

L’UE restera très fortement engagée auprès de ses partenaires dans le domaine humanitaire et continuera à soutenir les efforts visant à renforcer la résilience et le développement au Sahel.

Enfin, nous avons décidé que l'approfondissement de la coopération se poursuivra à travers l’organisation de réunions régulières au niveau ministériel et de hauts fonctionnaires. Une prochaine rencontre à ce niveau se tiendra l'année prochaine pour évaluer les progrès qui auront pu être accomplis."

FOR FURTHER DETAILS:

Catherine Ray: +32 498 96 99 21 - +32 2 296 99 21 - Catherine.Ray@ec.europa.eu - @CatherineEUspox

Maja Kocijancic: +32 498 984 425 - +32 2 298 65 70 - Maja.Kocijancic@ec.europa.eu - @MajaEUspox

Daniel Puglisi: +32460 767374 - Daniel.PUGLISI@ec.europa.eu

On 17 June, in Brussels, the foreign ministers of the 'Sahel G5' (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad) met HRVP Federica Mogherini and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianidis. This was the first meeting in this format, although the EU has close bilateral relations with each of the Sahel countries.

A joint communiqué was adopted welcoming the common understanding between long-time partners, confirming that the two regions shared the same views on the security challenges facing them (Libya, Boko Haram, etc.), and seeking to initiate a regular, structured political dialogue between the EU and the 'G5'.

Cooperation will be deepened in the priority areas identified in the EU's Sahel Regional Action Plan such as preventing and fighting radicalisation, creating development conditions that help young people, managing migration and combating illegal trafficking and transnational organised crime. The EU also referred to the current ideas to create a trust fund for the Sahel so as to better coordinate the substantial financial envelope for the region, including Member State contributions, of EUR 8 billion until 2020.

The next meeting in this format is planned for next year in the Sahel region. Until then, exchanges with the 'G5' will be developed at all relevant levels across policy areas.

Links:

Joint Communiqué - Meeting in Brussels between the EU and the Sahel G5 countries Statement by High Representative/Vice President Federica Mogherini following her meeting with the foreign ministers of the Sahel G5 - Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad

Ouagadougou - The economy of Burkina Faso loses nearly FCA 409 billion (US$ 802 million) per year due to the effects of child under nutrition, according to a new study launched today in the capital by Mr François Lompo, Minister of Agriculture, Halieutic Resources, Sanitation and Food Security, representative of his Excellency, Lt Col Isaac Zida, Prime Minister of the transitional government of Burkina Faso.

The Cost of Hunger in Africa: The Social and Economic Impact of Child Undernutrition in Burkina Faso report shows that the country loses significant sums of money each year as a result of child undernutrition through increased costs in healthcare and the associated cost due to the additional burdens to the education system and lower productivity by its workforce. The report estimates that child undernutrition cost the economy of Burkina Faso the equivalent of 7.7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product each year.

The consequences of stunting are particularly of concern. Stunting (low height for age) occurs when children miss out on critical nutrients - including proteins, vitamins and minerals -- while in the womb and in the first two years of life. People affected by stunting face lifelong consequences starting in childhood such as frequent illness, poor school performance, having to repeat classes or dropping out altogether, and having low productivity at work.

The study shows that today there are more children suffering from stunting in Burkina Faso than there were 10 years ago. In addition, more than half of the country’s adult population was affected by stunting in their childhood. This represents over 4,743,580 people of working age who are not able to reach their full potential, as a consequence of undernutrition.

In rural areas of Burkina Faso, where the majority of the population is engaged in manual activities, it is estimated that CFA Franc 37,205 million (about US$73 million) were lost, due to the reduced productivity of those who were stunted as children. Infant mortality due to undernutrition also reduced Burkina Faso's workforce by 13.6 percent.

The Cost of Hunger study in Africa is a multi-country initiative led by the African Union Commission, under the coordination of the New Partnership for Africa (NEPAD), with the support of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

"This study encourages Burkina Faso and its partners not to settle for an “acceptable” level of undernutrition. Burkina Faso needs to set very ambitious targets to reduce stunting that go beyond a relative reduction and reach the 10 percent target established for the Africa region,” said His Excellency the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso.

The launch of the Cost of Hunger report in Burkina Faso is an opportunity to draw the attention of development actors, technical and financial partners, and policy makers of the urgent need to allocate sufficient human and financial resources to fight against child undernutrition which undermines the country's development.

The Cost of Hunger in Africa is a 12-country study highlighting that undernutrition is not just a health issue, but a broader social and economic one as well, that requires multisectoral commitment and investment. As the series progresses it is becoming ever clearer how undernutrition is undermining African economies. The survey has been carried out in eight countries, including Burkina Faso.

The African Development Bank, the French Development Agency, the Office of the United Nations Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Rockefeller Foundation, and WFP, contributed financially to the realization of this study in Burkina Faso and in other selected African countries.

The reference year used for the Cost of Hunger in Burkina Faso study is 2012, the year with the most recent data available.

For more information, contact: Celestine Ouedraogo, WFP/Ouagadougou,celestine.ouedraogo@wfp.org; +226 25306077; +226 75144747 (cell) Adel Sarkozi, WFP/Dakar, adel.sarkozi@wfp.org; +221 776375964 Follow us also on Twitter @wfp_media and @WFP_WAfrica. Dr Janet Byaruhanga, Africa Union Commission/Addis Ababa, byaruhangaJ@Africa-union.org; +251 913118479 (cell) Ms Mercy Wambui, Economic Commission for Africa/Addis Ababa; MWambui@uneca.org

Ouagadougou - L'économie burkinabè perd chaque année près de 409 milliards FCA (environ 802 millions USD), du fait des effets de la sous-nutrition infantile. Telle est la conclusion alarmante d'une nouvelle étude lancée aujourd'hui dans la capitale du Burkina Faso, par Monsieur François Lompo, Ministre de l’Agriculture, des Ressources halieutiques, de l’Assainissement et de la Sécurité alimentaire, représentant Son Excellence M. Isaac Zida Yacouba, Premier ministre, Chef du gouvernement.

Le coût de la faim en Afrique: le rapport du Burkina Faso montre que l'impact social et économique de la sous-nutrition chez les enfants fait perdre au pays chaque année beaucoup d’argent en soins de santé, en charges supplémentaires au niveau du système éducatif, et en termes de productivité pour la main-d'œuvre. Le rapport estime que la sous-alimentation des enfants coûte chaque année à l'économie du Burkina Faso, l'équivalent de 7,7 % de son Produit intérieur brut.

Les conséquences du retard de croissance sont particulièrement préoccupantes. Le retard de croissance (taille insuffisante par rapport à l'âge) se produit lorsque les enfants ne reçoivent pas suffisamment de nutriments essentiels - y compris les protéines, les vitamines et les minéraux – aussi bien au cours de la période intra-utérine que durant les deux premières années de leur cycle de vie. Les personnes qui ont souffert d’un retard de croissance pendant leur enfance sont susceptibles de faire face à des maladies fréquentes, d’avoir de mauvais résultats scolaires, de redoubler leur classes ou d’abandonner l’école, et d’avoir une faible productivité au travail.

L'étude montre que la prévalence de la malnutrition chronique s’est améliorée, mais qu'il existe aujourd'hui plus d'enfants qui souffrent de retard de croissance au Burkina Faso qu’il ya de 10 ans. En outre, plus de la moitié de la population adulte du pays a souffert de retard de croissance durant leur enfance ; ce qui représente plus de 4.743.580 personnes en âge de travailler qui n’ont pas été en mesure d'atteindre leur plein potentiel, comme conséquence de la sous-nutrition chez l’enfant.

Dans les zones rurales du Burkina Faso, où la majorité de la population est engagée dans des activités manuelles, on estime qu’en 2012, 37 205 millions de francs CFA (environ 73 millions de dollars) ont été perdus en raison de la réduction de la productivité des personnes ayant souffert d’un retard de croissance pendant leur enfance. La mortalité infantile due à la sous-nutrition a également réduit de 13,5 % La population activite du Burkina Faso.

L’étude sur le coût de la faim en Afrique est une initiative couvrant plusieurs pays. Elle est dirigée par la Commission de l'Union africaine, sous la coordination du Nouveau Partenariat pour l’Afrique (NEPAD), avec le soutien de la Commission économique des Nations Unies pour l'Afrique (CEA) et du Programme alimentaire mondial des Nations Unies (PAM).

«Cette étude encourage le Burkina Faso et ses partenaires à ne pas se contenter d’un niveau « acceptable » de la malnutrition. Dans ce sens, il est recommandé que le Burkina Faso se fixe des objectifs très ambitieux pour réduire le retard de croissance qui va au-delà d’une réduction relative pour établir un objectif absolu de 10% tel que celui fixé pour la région Afrique», a déclaré Monsieur François Lompo, Ministre de l’Agriculture, des Ressources halieutiques, de l’Assainissement et de la Sécurité alimentaire.

Le lancement du rapport sur le coût de la faim au Burkina Faso est une belle occasion pour attirer l’attention des acteurs au développement, des partenaires techniques et financiers et des décideurs sur l’urgence et l’impérieuse nécessité d’affecter suffisamment de ressources humaines et financières pour lutter contre la malnutrition des enfants qui mine le développement du pays.

Le coût de la faim en Afrique est une étude menée dans 12 pays. Cette étude montre que la sous-nutrition chez l’enfant est non seulement un problème de santé, mais aussi un problème social et économique considérable qui nécessite un engagement multisectoriel et un investissement importants. A ce jour, elle a été menée dans huit pays d'Afrique, dont le Burkina Faso.

La Banque Africaine de Développement, la Fondation Rockefeller, l’Office de Coordination humanitaire des Nations Unies (OCHA), l’Agence Française de Développement et le PAM, ont contribué financièrement à la réalisation de cette étude au Burkina Faso et dans les autres pays sélectionnés.

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter :

Célestine Ouédraogo, PAM Burkina Faso, Tél. +226 25 30 60 77, Mob. +226 75 14 47 47, celestine.ouedraogo@wfp.org.

Adel Sarkozi, Bureau regional PAM/Dakar, Sénégal, +221 776375964 –

Dr Janet Byaruhanga, Commission de l’Union africaine/Addis Abéba, + 251 913118479 (cell) – byaruhangaJ@Africa-union.org

Mercy Wambui, Commission économique pour l’Afrique/Addis Abéba, Mwambui@uneca.org.

Foreword

In 2015, the world continues to face an unprecedented number of humanitarian crises.

Over USD 750 million are required to address the immediate challenges facing agriculture and food security in the countries and regions highlighted in this mid-year review of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) participation in the 2015 humanitarian appeals. Even though agriculture is a source of livelihood for 75 percent of the population in most of the affected countries and the FAO appeal only represents a tiny fraction of the overall humanitarian needs, resource partners’ contributions received to date barely cover 20 percent of FAO’s appeal. And the needs are bigger than ever.

Most recently, Nepal’s devastating earthquakes severely impacted farming families. The deepening food security and nutrition crisis in South Sudan is raising serious concerns and the number of severely food insecure people is expected to escalate from 2.5 million at the beginning of the year to at least 4.6 million by July. The situation is likely to be even worse if the renewed conflict in Greater Upper Nile continues to spiral down.

Globally, conflict and protracted crises are further weakening the resilience of families and communities in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sahel, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Together these crises account for about 50 percent of FAO’s total appeal. Millions of people, many of them food insecure and suffering from malnutrition, are fleeing violence in the Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, and now Burundi. Without assets or livelihoods, they mostly depend on humanitarian assistance for their very survival. These displacements have knock-on effects, often destabilizing neighbouring countries and placing increased pressure on already strained service infrastructure and food availability in camps and host communities.

Snapshot 17–23 June 2015

Yemen: 2.3 million more people are food insecure than in March – the total is now at 12.9 million people. 279 children have been killed and 402 injured in the conflict, out of almost 2,600 total deaths and 11,000 injured. 53 health facilities have been damaged. Peace talks have ended with no agreement.

DRC: 17,000 IDPs in Orientale province are in dire need of food, shelter, and NFIs. Refugees who have arrived recently from Burundi will be granted refugee status. In South Kivu, fighting since mid-May has displaced thousands, and schools and other services are not functioning.

South Sudan: Around 14,000 South Sudanese refugees fled to Sudan between 12 and 14 June, due to the recent escalation of violence in Upper Nile state. In Juba, 73 suspected cases of cholera have been recorded.

Updated: 23/06/2015. Next update: 30/06/2015

Global Emergency Overview Web Interface

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Ravina Shamdasani
Location: Geneva
Date: 23 June 2015

We welcome the signing in Bamako last Saturday of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation by the rebel Coordination des mouvements de l'Azawad (CMA) group.

Particularly welcome is the stipulation in the agreement that amnesty law may not be passed for serious human rights violations. International law and UN policy are clear that amnesties are not permissible if they prevent prosecutions of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and gross violations of human rights. Any amnesty may also not restrict the rights of victims to an effective remedy and reparation. In a similar vein, we welcome the proposed establishment of an international commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of such crimes. For any peace to be sustainable, justice and accountability must be prioritized.

We urge all parties to ensure that the agreement is implemented in good faith. Our office will continue to provide advice to the international follow-up committee (comité de suivi et d'évaluation) on human rights issues, as well as providing assistance to the Government of Mali on transitional justice, justice sector reform and other relevant areas.

We hope that the Malian people, who have suffered grave human rights abuses and violations over the past three years, will be able to see immediate results, with an end to fighting, killings, arbitrary arrests and mass displacement. While major security challenges remain in the far north of the country due to the existence of violent extremist groups and drug traffickers, the peace deal ought to bring some measure of calm, some restoration of law and order, and enable badly-needed economic development.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact Ravina Shamdasani (+41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org) or Cécile Pouilly (+41 22 917 9310 / cpouilly@ohchr.org).