Senegal - En partenariat avec le gouvernement sénégalais, l’OIM organisera, demain, un exercice de simulation de déplacement à Dagana, dans la région de St. Louis, à la frontière avec la Mauritanie.

Le but de l’exercice est de préparer les participants à une situation de crise à la frontière en favorisant la coopération et la communication entre les communautés frontalières, les autorités administratives, les forces de sécurité et les fournisseurs de services de santé et d’urgence. Quelque 500 personnes devraient participer.

Un précédent exercice de simulation avait eu lieu à Matam, dans la région du Nord-Est, également à la frontière mauritanienne, en février 2016. Il avait également été suivi par 500 personnes et avait rassemblé différentes communautés, les autorités, les forces de sécurité et les fournisseurs de services de santé et d’urgence.

La participation active des communautés frontalières à la gestion d’une crise humanitaire qui provoque des déplacements de population est essentielle. Leur participation renforce la réactivité des services de sécurité et des services de santé d’urgence.

« Notre objectif est de renforcer la capacité des institutions chargées de sécuriser les frontières nationales en intégrant la population locale dans des scénarios spécifiques. Nous espérons que cet exercice sera utile aussi bien pour les communautés que pour les forces de sécurité, et qu’il contribuera à établir des liens plus étroits entre les habitants et ceux qui sont chargés de les protéger », a déclaré Massimo Ramanzin, coordinateur du projet de l’OIM au Sénégal.

L’exercice de simulation à Dagana fait partie d’un projet de l’OIM financé par les Etats-Unis intitulé : Engaging Communities in Border Management and Border Security in Senegal.

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter Massimo Ramanzin, OIM Sénégal, Tel: +221 33 869 62 00, Email: codakar@iom.int

Executive Summary

For 2017, humanitarian partners will require $22.2 billion to meet the needs of 92.8 million people in 33 countries. The initial appeal for 2016 stood at $20.1 billion to meet the needs of 87.6 million people in 37 countries. This is in stark contrast to the $2.7 billion called for in the first six inter-agency humanitarian appeals launched in 1992. The last quarter century has seen an overwhelming shift in frequency, scale and magnitude of humanitarian emergencies. Crises in Afghanistan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Sudan have issued appeals almost every year. This has also been the case since the turn of the millennium for CAR, Chad, Iraq and the occupied Palestinian territory.

As 2017 approaches, these same countries and many others are immersed in conflict and urgently require a multidimensional response. In Afghanistan for example, needs are increasing due to massive displacement and protracted conflict. In Burundi, the political crisis continues to deepen and the number of people in need of urgent support has tripled to 3 million. About 1.2 million people, 80 per cent of them women and children, have fled from South Sudan, making this the largest refugee movement in Africa.

Aid organizations in Syria expect protection and humanitarian needs to grow exponentially if hostilities continue and no political solution is found. In the Lake Chad Basin, Boko Haram violence is causing instability and insecurity and there is little evidence that a political solution is forthcoming.

Humanitarian access is severely constrained and has grown in complexity in countries including Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, preventing humanitarians from carrying out their work and leaving affected people without basic services and protection.

Mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices impede humanitarian access and threaten the lives of vulnerable populations in conflict-affected regions. As Iraqis work to rebuild their lives as a result of the Mosul military campaign, mine clearance will be essential for their safe return, and to ensure that schools, hospitals and infrastructure function satisfactorily. Food insecurity and malnutrition will continue to drive humanitarian need. Across the Sahel, hundreds of thousands of households live in unacceptably precarious conditions. Food insecurity, acute malnutrition, disease and disasters are a reality for millions. Conflict in the region and in bordering countries has uprooted many people from their homes and livelihoods and forced them into dependency on external assistance. Where chronic vulnerabilities drive humanitarian needs, humanitarians are collaborating with development actors to bring about a “shift from delivering aid to ending needs”. In 2017, transitional Humanitarian Action Plans for Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Senegal will be strategically aligned with resilience and development frameworks.

At the World Humanitarian Summit the humanitarian community resolved to change the way it works in order to adapt to the changing operational context to meet the needs of affected people. Six countries will develop multi-year response plans in 2017 to allow partners to address needs arising from protracted crises more effectively. Multi-year planning and the Humanitarian Response Plans are designed to increase the chances for greater collective impact and accountability.

United Nations agencies and partners are relying especially on un-earmarked and multi-year donor support to ensure timely response. Low, delayed and unpredictable funding with strict allocation criteria have dire consequences. In Ukraine, for example, inadequate funding has resulted in major delays, interruptions and discontinuation of critical activities such as mobile health clinics and services in hard-to-reach areas. Maintaining transport links for humanitarian relief for vulnerable people in Mali has been seriously challenging in 2016. In Yemen, under funding, outstanding pledges and bureaucratic impediments limit the reach of humanitarian partners to save countless children dying from hunger. If sufficient funds are not secured for DRC, 4.3 million people will face heightened risk of morbidity or death due to malnutrition, food shortage and epidemics.

In 2017 urgent humanitarian assistance will be required in Ethiopia, Somalia, Haiti and Southern Africa due to the El Niño event and its successor, La Niña. In Southern Africa El Niño caused a $9.3 million tons cereal production deficit and led to severe water shortages. Here and elsewhere, failure to act upon the alarming crises outlined in this Global Humanitarian Overview 2017 could lead to a far wider humanitarian crisis with devastating repercussions to life, livelihoods and security.

Response plans and appeals in 33 countries aim to reach 93 million people in need

(Geneva, 5 December 2016) - The world is facing a state of humanitarian crisis not seen since the Second World War: more than 128 million people are affected by conflict, displacement, natural disasters and profound vulnerability. Through strategic and coordinated action, aid organizations around the world aim to deliver urgent relief, protection and support to nearly 93 million of the most vulnerable and marginalized people in 2017. This will require US$22.2 billion in funding – the highest consolidated humanitarian appeal ever launched.

“The scale of humanitarian crises today is greater than at any time since the United Nations was founded. Not in living memory have so many people needed our support and solidarity to survive and live in safety and dignity,” said Stephen O’Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, launching the Global Humanitarian Overview 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Our collective plans to meet people’s needs are ready. They are effective and efficient investments - the best way to help those who need help now. Funding in support of the plans will translate into life-saving food assistance to people on the brink of starvation in the Lake Chad Basin and South Sudan; it will provide protection for the most vulnerable people in Syria, Iraq and Yemen; and it will enable education for children whose schooling is disrupted by El Niño,” said the international aid chief.

The humanitarian appeal is the culmination of a global effort to assess needs and decide collective response strategies by hundreds of organizations delivering food, shelter, health care, protection, emergency education and other basic assistance to people in conflict- and disaster-affected regions. At the start of 2017, the plans presented collectively to the international donor community today will support vital humanitarian operations in 33 countries.

Conflicts in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and Nigeria are among the greatest drivers of humanitarian needs, fuelling new displacement within countries and across borders. At the same time, the impact of El Niño-triggered droughts, floods and extreme weather is pushing vulnerable communities to the brink of survival. Responding to these protracted crises has prompted the humanitarian community to strive for better, faster and more effective delivery of aid, as highlighted during the transformational World Humanitarian Summit in May this year.

So far in 2016, international donors have generously provided $11.4 billion to the current global appeal which, over the year, has risen from $20.1 billion to $22.1 billion. However, this represents only 52 per cent of the requirements and humanitarian organizations approach the end of this year with a funding gap of a record $10.7 billion - the largest gap ever.

“The lives of millions of women, girls, boys and men are in our hands,” Mr. O’Brien said. “By responding generously and delivering fully on this appeal we will prove to them that we will not let them down.”

The Global Humanitarian Overview 2017 documentation is available on www.unocha.org/stateofaid

Note to correspondents

The humanitarian appeal 2017 is based on Humanitarian Response Plans in Afghanistan, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. Other appeals cover Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Senegal.

Burundi, Nigeria, South Sudan and Syria are crises that affect entire regions and their neighbouring countries are included in regional response plans, bringing the number of countries included to 33.

Les appels et plans de réponse dans 33 pays visent à aider 93 millions de personnes

(Genève, 5 décembre 2016) : Le monde fait face aujourd’hui à une crise humanitaire sans précédent depuis la Deuxième Guerre mondiale: plus de 128 millions de personnes sont touchées par des conflits, des déplacements, des catastrophes naturelles et une profonde vulnérabilité. A travers une action stratégique et coordonnée, les organisations humanitaires visent en 2017 à fournir une aide d’urgence, de la protection et du soutien à près de 93 millions de personnes parmi les plus pauvres et marginalisées. Cela demandera un financement de $22,2 milliards de dollars américains – l’appel humanitaire le plus élevé jamais lancé.

« L’intensité des crises humanitaires aujourd’hui a atteint un niveau jamais vu depuis la création des Nations Unies. De mémoire vivante, jamais autant de personnes n’ont eu besoin de notre soutien et de notre solidarité pour survivre et vivre en sécurité et dans la dignité », a dit Stephen O’Brien, Secrétaire général adjoint des Nations Unies aux affaires humanitaires et Coordonnateur des secours d’urgence, en lançant l’appel humanitaire global 2017 à Genève, Suisse.

« Nos plans collectifs pour répondre aux besoins de ces personnes sont prêts. Ce sont des investissements efficaces et performants – la meilleure manière de venir en aide à ceux qui en ont besoin maintenant. Le financement de ces plans se traduira par une aide alimentaire vitale aux personnes qui sont sur le point de mourir de faim dans le bassin du Lac Tchad et au Soudan du Sud ; il fournira une protection aux personnes les plus vulnérables en Syrie, Irak et au Yémen ; et cela permettra de fournir une éducation aux enfants dont la scolarité a été perturbée par El Niño », a dit le chef de l’aide internationale.

L’appel humanitaire est le point culminant d’un effort global dans lequel des centaines d’organisations qui fournissent aide alimentaire, abris, soins médicaux, protection, éducation d’urgence, et toute autre forme d’assistance de base aux populations dans les régions touchées par les conflits et catastrophes se rassemblent pour évaluer les besoins et décider des stratégies de réponse collective. Au début de l’année 2017, les plans présentés de manière collective aux bailleurs de fonds internationaux aujourd’hui soutiendront des opérations humanitaires vitales dans 33 pays.

Les conflits en Syrie, au Yémen, au Soudan du Sud et au Nigéria sont parmi ceux qui engendrent le plus de besoins humanitaires en entraînant des nouveaux déplacements de populations à l’intérieur des pays et à travers les frontières. En même temps, l’impact des sécheresses, des inondations et des phénomènes climatiques extrêmes dans le sillon d’El Niño poussent les communautés vulnérables à la limite de la survie. La réponse à ces crises de longues durées a incité la communauté humanitaire à avoir comme ambition une manière plus efficace, plus rapide de fournir de l’aide, comme souligné lors du Sommet humanitaire mondial en mai de cette année.

Jusqu’ici en 2016, les bailleurs de fonds internationaux ont généreusement financé l’appel global à hauteur de 11,4 milliards de dollars, qui au cours de l’année a passé de 20,1 milliards à 22,1 milliards. Toutefois, cela couvre seulement 52 pourcent des besoins et les organisations humanitaires approchent la fin de cette année avec un déficit record de financement de 10,7 milliards de dollars – le plus important déficit rencontré jusqu’à présent.

« Les vies de millions de femmes, de filles, de garçons et d’hommes sont entre nos mains », a dit M. O’Brien. « En répondant de manière généreuse à cet appel et en étant efficace nous leur prouverons que nous ne les laisserons pas tomber ».

La documentation de l’appel humanitaire global de 2017 est disponible ici:

www.unocha.org/stateofaid

Note à la rédaction:

L’appel humanitaire 2017 se base sur les plans de réponse humanitaire en Afghanistan, Burundi, Cameroun, République centrafricaine, Tchad, République démocratique du Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopie, Haïti, Irak, Libye, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Nigéria, Territoire palestinien occupé, Somalie, Soudan du Sud, Soudan, Syrie, Ukraine and Yémen. D’autres appels couvrent le Burkina Faso, la Mauritanie et le Sénégal.

Le Burundi, le Nigéria, le Soudan du Sud et la Syrie sont des crises qui affectent des régions entières ainsi que leurs pays voisins et sont inclus dans des plans de réponses régionaux, ce qui ramène le nombre de pays compris dans l’appel à 33.

Points Clés:

• À travers cinq régions du Niger, la situation alimentaire peut-être qualifiée globalement satisfaisante en Octobre 2016, étant donné que 97% des ménages ont eu une consommation limite ou acceptable.

• La proportion des ménages ayant une diversité alimentaire faible a été 27%.
  Ces ménages ont été particulièrement trouvés dans les communes de Bagaroua,
  Kantche, Kao, Tondikiwndi et Wacha.

• La proportion des ménages ayant déclaré avoir été confrontés à des difficultés alimentaires au cours des sept derniers jours a été seulement .2%.

Méthodologie

Ce bulletin mVAM est basé sur les données recueillies à partir de la questionnaire mVAM dans les régions de Zinder, Maradi, Tahoua, Dosso et Tillabéry et l’enquête Mid-line dans les régions de Zinder, Maradi, Tahoua et Tillabéry. L’enquête mVAM a eu lieu du 27 Septembre au 21 Octobre, et sur les 2827 ménages prévus, 514 ont pu être interviewés, soit un taux de réalisation de 18%. L’enquête Mid-line a eu lieu du 28 Septembre au 15 Octobre et 4285 ménages ont été interviewés. La première base de numéros de téléphone des ménages qui ont participé dans l’enquête mVAM étaient collectées pendant un enquête face à face à Décembre 2015. La deuxième base de numéros étaient collectées des ménages qui ont participé à l’enquête Mid-line. A fin de faire une comparaison entre les résultats des deux enquêtes, les données de 144 ménages qui ont participé à l’enquête mVAM entre le 5 et le 21 Octobre, après avoir participé à l’enquête mid-line, et font partie des 514 ménages interviewés par mVAM et 4258 interviwés de mid-line, ont été analysées dans ce bulletin. Les numéros sont collectés sur une base volontaire et les ménages ont donné leur accord pour participer aux enquêtes par téléphone. Les répondants sont contactés par les opérateurs et invités à répondre à une série de questions sur la consommation alimentaire des ménages, les stratégies d'adaptation et les prix alimentaires, ainsi que des questions ouvertes sur la situation de la sécurité alimentaire dans leur communauté.

Women have suffered violence and abuse by Boko Haram, but they are not only victims: some joined the jihadists voluntarily, others fight the insurgency, or work in relief and reconciliation. Women’s experiences should inform policies to tackle the insurgency, and facilitate their contribution to peace.

Executive Summary

Boko Haram’s rise and insurgency have dramatically changed the lives of thousands of women and girls, often casting them voluntarily or by force into new roles outside the domestic sphere. Some joined to escape their social conditions; others were abducted and enslaved. Seven years of war have caused gender-specific suffering. While men have disproportionally been killed, women are an overwhelming majority among the estimated 1.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the North East. As former wives, slaves or fighters, many bear the stigma of association with the insurgents and are barred from reintroduction into their communities, in part because the lines between militant, sympathiser and forced accomplice are blurred. Although Boko Haram faces strong pushback, it remains capable of launching attacks and conducting multiple suicide bombings. Understanding how women experience the conflict, not only as victims but also as actors, needs to directly inform policies and programs to tackle the roots of the insurgency and strategies for curbing it, as well as facilitate women’s contribution to lasting peace.

Since its emergence in 2002, Boko Haram has paid particular attention to women in rhetoric and actions, partly because of the intense debate surrounding their role in society in the North East. Among other revivalist Islamic movements, the sect called for tighter restrictions on them in some areas of life but also promoted their access to Islamic education and offered financial empowerment. With patriarchy, poverty, corruption, early marriage and illiteracy long thwarting their life chances, some women saw an opportunity in Boko Haram to advance their freedoms or reduce their hardship. Many valued the religious and moral anchoring.

Thereafter, Boko Haram began to abduct women and girls for both political and pragmatic ends, including to protest the arrest of female members and relatives of some leaders. The seizure of more than 200 schoolgirls near Chibok in 2014 was a much publicised spike in a wider trend. The group took Christian and later Muslim females to hurt communities that opposed it, as a politically symbolic imposition of its will and as assets. By awarding “wives” to fighters, it attracted male recruits and incentivised combatants. Because women were not considered a threat, female fol- lowers and forced conscripts could initially circulate in government-controlled areas more easily, as spies, messengers, recruiters and smugglers. For the same reason, from mid-2014, Boko Haram turned to female suicide bombers. Increasingly pressed for manpower, it also trained women to fight.

As vigilante militia members, including with the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), hundreds of women help security forces, particularly to frisk females at checkpoints, gather information and identify suspects, and also sometimes to fight Boko Haram. Others work in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and women’s associations or care privately for war victims. In some cases, the war has opened opportunities for women’s activism, illustrated by the establishment of several new women-led NGOs in Maiduguri and the Nigerian involvement in the Bring Back Our Girls international campaign.

Boko Haram attacks, the military’s persecution of suspects and its strategy of emptying contested areas have forced over a million women and girls to flee homes. Some suspected supporters are in detention. Hundreds of thousands of females are in government camps where food is scarce and healthcare dismal; in unofficial camps, the situation can be even worse. Separated from husbands and sons conscripted or killed by Boko Haram or arrested by security forces, many women are now fully responsible for their families’ protection and economic wellbeing.

Harsh treatment of IDPs in camps and detention centres could undermine mili- tary gains. If corruption in aid delivery and abuses persist, communities may harbour grievances that could lead them to reject state authority. Meanwhile, the stigma car- ried by women and girls known or suspected to have been Boko Haram members risks leaving them and their children isolated and alienated, generating new frus- tration and resistance of the kind that gave rise to Boko Haram.

How gender dynamics play a part in fuelling the Boko Haram insurgency should be a clear warning that women’s integration into decision-making processes at all levels is critical to a durable peace. Countering the sect and rebuilding a peaceful society in the North East requires the government and its international partners to tackle gender discrimination, better protect women and girls affected by the violence and support women’s economic and social reintegration, as well as enhance their role in building sustainable peace. In the short term, reunification of families should be a priority. In the longer term, improvements and gender balance in accessing education, in both state schools and upgraded Quranic schools, is vital.

Recommendations

To better protect women and girls affected by the violence and respond to immediate humanitarian needs

To the Government of Nigeria:

Screen the predominantly female adults from areas formerly controlled by Boko Haram with diverse teams that include protection officers provided by national civil society organisations and trained by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to ensure adequate treatment of both suspects and victims.

Implement urgently greater accountability in distribution of food and gender-sensitive assistance in IDP camps and host communities, including access to sexual and reproductive health information and services for women and girls; give local and international humanitarian organisations access to IDP camps and transfer their management to civilian organisations as soon as possible.

Develop urgently programs to increase women’s recruitment in local police forces and deploy them in IDP camps as soon as possible.

Activate referral mechanisms for women and girls to report sexual and gender-based violence in IDP camps and host communities and ensure that authorities, including the judiciary and police, properly investigate allegations of abuses by security forces and/or the vigilantes that assist them.

Develop special support programs, in partnership with women’s organisations, religious associations and health centres, for women victims of sexual abuse to ensure they and their children are free from discrimination, violence and stigmatisation.

Distinguish Boko Haram ideologues from those who joined for other motives and ensure transparent and fair investigation of both male and female Boko Haram suspects according to international law, including taking account of the level of involvement and seriousness of their crimes; hold all detainees, including women, in humane conditions monitored by humanitarian agencies; and ensure children are granted adequate care.

To support women’s economic and social reintegration, as well as enhance their role in building sustainable peace

To the Government of Nigeria:

Commit to greater representation of women in government-funded programs and support inclusive peacebuilding initiatives in the North East.

Ensure that public and private development and reconstruction plans are based on a gender-sensitive analysis of the insurgency and counter-insurgency.

Make reunification of families a priority, including by allocating more resources to the task and establishing a federal database to facilitate the search for missing persons.

Facilitate access to credit and land for women, recognising that single females and especially widow-headed households need particular support to restart productive activities, for example in traditional crafts, trade or agriculture.

To the affected northern-state governments, especially Borno state:

Engage community leaders, including religious groups, to facilitate reintegration and rehabilitation of all women released from Boko Haram and provide psycho-social support as possible.

Design programs to strengthen women’s participation in politics and local governance.

Prioritise increasing girls’ access to primary and secondary schools; and develop a program to upgrade Quranic education, ensuring equal access for girls.

Develop community-based approaches and sensitisation to address social stigma around former Boko Haram wives and slaves as well as children fathered by Boko Haram members, including by dramatically increasing investment in schools in the North East so as to allow the latter to attend school with other children in the region; and improve coherence and open a public debate by producing a blueprint for reintegration of these groups.

To donors, UN agencies and international NGOs:

Expand and improve gender-sensitive aspects of aid programs in all Boko Haram-affected areas.

Strengthen programs, in partnership with women-led NGOs, to tackle gender stereotypes and raise awareness about women’s roles, including in relation to peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction. Abuja/Dakar/Brussels, 5 December 2016

OVERVIEW OF THE CRISIS

As it reaches its eighth year, the effect of the conflict between Boko Haram and military counter operations in North East Nigeria has reached devastating proportions with widespread forced displacement, acute food and nutrition insecurity and serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. While the Nigerian Armed Forces and community security groups have made significant territorial gains in the fight against Boko Haram, there is ongoing insecurity and Boko Haram continues to pose a threat.

The Humanitarian Response Plan 2017 will focus humanitarian community capacity on responding to the most urgent lifesaving needs. The most directly affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe have an estimated 8.5 million people in need of life-saving assistance and the response aims to reach 6.9 million of the people in need in these three states.

While access has increased in 2016, it is estimated that many people1 remain inaccessible in six local government areas (LGAs) in Borno State. The dire situation found in recently accessible areas and the urgent life-saving needs suggest that those still unreachable are in critical need. Thirteen LGAs in Borno, 5 in Yobe and 1 in Adamawa are partially accessible through military secured main routes and at the LGA headquarters. Reaching all people in need remains the biggest challenge to the humanitarian operation, due to restricted access and high levels of insecurity. Some NGOs, Government and UN agencies are using military escorts as a last resort to deliver humanitarian assistance in the LGA headquarters, where there are large concentrations of IDPs secured with increased military presence.

Hunger and malnutrition rates are alarming, as the protection crisis has rapidly developed into a food and nutrition crisis.

Food and nutrition insecurity has reached extreme levels in parts of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe with 5.1 million people projected to be in IPC Phases 3 to 52 by June 2017, an increase in 50 per cent severely food insecure since March 2016. In the worst affected and least accessible areas of Borno and Yobe states severe forms of hunger and even famine-like conditions are occurring. Up to 450,0003 children will suffer severe acute malnutrition in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe over the next 12 months, with 300,000 in Borno alone.

Health needs remain extreme with many people already in critical health conditions and high prevalence of severe malnourishment, morbidity and mortality. The lack of basic shelter, water, latrines and shower facilities increases the risks of communicable diseases including cholera and exacerbates malnutrition among children under five. WASH infrastructure needs to be urgently rehabilitated/rebuilt in newly accessible LGAs to minimize waterborne diseases. After two years without a recorded case, four cases of wild polio virus were confirmed in 2016 in Borno, indicating the urgent escalating health needs.

There are an estimated three million conflict affected children with no access to education. Prior to the conflict school enrolment and attendance rates in North East Nigeria were among the lowest in the country with girls particularly lagging behind. In some areas schooling has been interrupted for over two years due to the conflict and overcrowding in host communities schools. In a marginalized area that was already underserved in terms of access to education the targeted destruction of more than 1,200 schools have had a devastating impact upon children’s right to education.

Protection needs, particularly in recently accessible areas, remain severe, especially for vulnerable groups, including women and children, and protection must be at the core of the humanitarian response. Civilians face grave human rights violations and human rights abuses including death, injuries, sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary detention, disappearances, forced displacement, attacks on civilian sites and forced recruitment. Many families remain separated. Displaced people have experienced trauma and neglect. IDP sites are considered high visibility targets for attacks by Boko Haram, which often results in further restrictions by security actors. Assessments reveal limited access to humanitarian assistance and services contributed to negative copying mechanisms and sexual abuse and exploitations. Vulnerability screening found that 56 percent of GBV cases were associated with survival sex4 . Children are also joining community security groups.

There are limited safe, voluntary and sustainable returns of IDPs and refugees. However, some people are returning into areas which are not safe, with reports of deaths in subsequent Boko Haram attacks and returnees being displaced again.

While movement is being organized to bring IDPs back towards their areas of origin, most IDPs are being placed within LGA capitals, and therefore remain displaced. The organized movements of IDPs into their LGAs, without access to the rural areas and agricultural inputs will likely further increase their vulnerability.

As delivered

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, may I thank you for joining us today to launch the 2017 Global Humanitarian Overview.

We face a time of immense global suffering and fear. The scale of humanitarian deprivation today is greater than at any time since the United Nations was founded. Despite successes elsewhere, more and more people are trapped in a cycle of vulnerability and need.

Protracted conflicts last longer – sometimes decades – as political solutions are nowhere to be found. The blatant disregard for international governance, humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law means innocent civilians are suffering an ever greater toll and more and more people are displaced inside and outside of state borders. Globally, more than 80 per cent of the needs stem from man-made conflicts many of which are now protracted and push up demand for relief year after year. These crises affect entire regions.

Adding to conflict, we also remain worried about natural disasters. As the impacts of climate change become more profound, disasters will become more frequent and more severe.

Today, we must heed the humanitarian imperative to demonstrate our humanity and solidarity to millions of people around the world affected by conflict and disaster.

Looking ahead to 2017, over 128.6 million people across 33 countries will require humanitarian assistance. Faced with the trend of increasing needs, the humanitarian community requires US$22.2 billion to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable 92.8 million people in those 33 countries. This is an increase of 10 per cent since last year, and of 700 per cent since 1991. That’s 25 years ago when the General Assembly passed the landmark resolution 46/182, still relevant today.

Some of the figures for 2017 are based on last year’s numbers pending finalisation by the country teams, for instance in South Sudan and in Sudan where there will be greater need.

With natural disasters and the deteriorating situation in some of the countries, these figures are likely to further rise over the next year.

Representing the collective vision of hundreds of partners, this 2017 Global Humanitarian Overview and the individual country plans reflect the most accurate, effective and principled approach to tackle the most pressing humanitarian needs in line with humanitarian principles. It provides a strategic, streamlined framework for reliable, value-for-money investment. I would like to thank all of you for your invaluable support in this process.

Funding for 2017 will translate into concrete action, such as:

• life-saving food assistance for people on the brink of starvation in the Lake Chad Basin and South Sudan;

• protection of the most vulnerable people fleeing conflict in Syria, and Iraq;

• vital health and medical care in Yemen;

• education for children whose schooling is disrupted by El Niño;

• psychosocial support and protection for 439,000 children in Libya;

• health services to some 6.5 million people in Nigeria;

And of course much, much more.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The rising demand is putting pressure on the humanitarian ecosystem, but brave humanitarians are never deterred, even in the face of often insuperable challenges. We continue to grow in strength and diversity every day. This year, more relief actors - made up of local responders, national governments, the private sector, international organizations and others - have saved, protected or supported more people than in any previous year since the founding of the United Nations. Yet we cannot become complacent and coordination remains pivotal.

At the World Humanitarian Summit earlier this year in Istanbul, we recognized that the only way to deliver people out of a perpetual cycle of crisis is to reduce need and vulnerability at its source. Humanitarians alone cannot achieve this; it requires a new way of working involving collaboration between development and humanitarian actors as well as others, to work to collective outcomes, each of us working to our individual strengths.

At the Summit we also committed to invest in humanity, in part by committing to a Grand Bargain to improve the transparency, efficiency, flexibility and longevity of aid and by giving more support to local and national responders, both directly and through country-based pooled funds and the Central Emergency Response Fund.

The humanitarian community is changing in line with our commitments at the Summit and we already see improved transparency, efficiency and effectiveness. This Global Humanitarian Overview further aims to support these goals by setting a framework for multiyear action and by improving the coherence between humanitarian and development programmes.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Before I conclude, we must look back at 2016. Our collective work has never been more important. Together, we have raised $11.4 billion towards the coordinated appeals - more than ever before. However, despite immense donor generosity, by year-end just 52 per cent of the $22.1 billion requested was committed to reach over 96 million people in 40 countries in 2016.
The bulk of global requirements were for just four humanitarian crises: Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen - all of them man-made conflicts.

Last year humanitarian organizations overcame extreme access constraints and other obstacles to reach tens of millions with assistance. Among many more life-changing examples, your funding meant we reached 2 million refugees in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey with food and we enrolled 700,000 children in school. It meant we delivered yellow fever vaccinations to 6 million children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It meant we provided 150,000 earthquake-affected people in Ecuador with shelter and distributed seeds to 1.5 million households affected by El Niño-induced drought in Ethiopia.

I want to thank the generous donors who in spite of the challenges, and sometimes because of those very challenges, continue to show solidarity and humanity. I especially thank those governments who continuously trust our community and provide core, timely and – let me stress – un-earmarked funding. We are also counting on you to report your commitments through the Financial Tracking Service so we can identify gaps and avoid any duplication in our response.

As a former politician myself – and an international civil servant today – I understand that donors need to transparently account for and justify the significant resources you vote to provide to the humanitarian community. Resources paid for by constituent taxpayers to whom you are ultimately accountable. Let me assert that there is no higher public investment than the meeting of humanitarian needs and emergency relief. And let me reassure you that investing in the strategic, prioritized humanitarian appeals is the most cost-effective, value for money proposition. And we are always striving to improve and coordinate even better to be both more efficient and even more effective in meeting the urgent needs of the affected people, our fellow global citizens, around our one world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The United Nations and the humanitarian community are ready to provide urgent, lifesaving assistance and protection in 2017. Our humanitarian response plans are complete, they are prioritized and they are ready to implement. They are reliable, they are effective and they are efficient investments, the best way to get help to people who need help now. Brave, courageous humanitarian actors – let’s all salute them – are ready to deliver more and better humanitarian assistance to people affected by crisis.

The humanitarian community is already transforming to ensure a better, faster and more effective delivery of aid, including through the Grand Bargain and the New Way of Working. 2017 will be the highest funding appeal ever. We ask all Member States, private sector partners, individuals and others to fully respond and collectively invest in humanity and put their generosity and their will behind our collective humanitarian appeals.

We are now counting on you, our partners and donors, to actively engage in these efforts and to support this appeal. Millions of women, men, girls and boys - their lives are in our hands.
By delivering fully and generously on this appeal we will prove to them that we will not let them down.

Thank you.

As delivered

I am launching today, on behalf of the United Nations and hundreds of our humanitarian partners across the world, the Global Humanitarian Overview for 2017.

This appeal 2017, comprising strategic and coordinated response plans covering 33 countries, is calling for US$22.2 billion – the highest amount we have ever requested.

This is a reflection of a state of humanitarian need in the world not witnessed since the Second World War: more than 128 million people urgently need our support and solidarity to survive and live in safety and dignity. More than 80 per cent of the needs stem from man-made conflicts, many of which are now protracted and push up demand for relief year after year. These crises affect entire regions.

This international appeal maps out what humanitarian organisations plan to do to meet the needs of 93 million of the most acutely vulnerable people affected by crisis next year.

The collective plans are effective and efficient investments - the best way to help those who need help now. Funding to support the plans that we present today will make a vital difference in the lives of millions of people:

it will translate into life-saving food assistance to people on the brink of starvation in the Lake Chad Basin and South Sudan;

it will provide protection for the most vulnerable people in Syria, Iraq and Yemen;

and it will enable education for children whose schooling is disrupted by El Niño, among many other responses.

The humanitarian ecosystem – made up of many diverse partners - continues to grow in strength every day. This year, more local responders, national governments, the private sector, international organizations and others have saved, protected or supported more people than in any previous year since the founding of the United Nations.

Together we have raised this year $11.4 billion towards the coordinated appeals - more funds than ever before even though it only represents half of what was needed.

We are deeply grateful to the donors for their continuing and steadfast support and generosity – working together towards a common goal, leaving no-one behind, has never been more important.

So what is new in the appeal for 2017?

First, it incorporates key outcomes of the World Humanitarian Summit which was held in May of this year. In Istanbul, we recognized that the only way to get people out of a perpetual cycle of crisis is to reduce need and vulnerability at its source.

This has translated into multi-year planning in several countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Somalia, to promote a more predictable humanitarian response and ensure optimal coherence between development, peacebuilding and humanitarian frameworks.

Over time, we trust this new way of working will reduce the need for band-aid humanitarian relief and at the same time put national and local authorities in the driver’s seat.

Secondly, we committed to the Grand Bargain, in which aid agencies must step up efficiency and transparency, and donors must increase flexibility including through longer-term financing and increasingly fund local aid organisations on the frontline of any response.

Thirdly, some countries have significantly raised their appeal while other have reduced theirs.
For example Nigeria, where relief operations are pushing into formerly Boko Haram controlled areas, is in 2017 a billion-dollar-plus appeal and has nearly doubled.

On the other end, the requirements in Ethiopia have dropped from $1.6 billion this year to $895 million in 2017 reflecting a calibration and prioritisation of the response to the needs that still persist.

Representing the collective vision of hundreds of partners, this 2017 Global Humanitarian Overview offers effective strategies to tackle the most pressing humanitarian needs based on core humanitarian principles.

The appeal 2017 provides an actionable framework for reliable, value-for-money investment in humanity. Thank you.

Cash-strapped Chad is hosting tens of thousands of people made homeless by the insurgency

Story by Ashley Hamer

BAGA SOLA, 5 December 2016

Ali Mboudou was at home with his children one night in late 2015 when Boko Haram militants entered his village. They came in trucks and on foot from many directions, heavily armed.

Read the full story on IRIN

Millions go hungry in Nigeria, as its people are fleeing violence and suffering under the inflation of food prices.

Saleh stands in line for his monthly food basket, battling the harmattan season of dust and dry heat. He has a family of 12 to feed and food assistance is critical.

“I used to be a pastoral and grain farmer, I had land in Gwoza. The violence changed everything,” he says.

“They burnt our huts”

In 2014, Gwoza fell under Boko Haram control for almost a year. Saleh fled with his family to Maiduguri, 135 km from his hometown, to escape the violence that caused many people to go missing or lose their lives.

“They burnt our huts, our land is gone. I have nothing left,” says Saleh.

In addition to food assistance, Saleh receives business skills training and financial support through the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) food security and livelihoods programme. Now, Saleh is looking to grow tomatoes to sell on the market in order to make a living and provide for his family.

“I am a farmer, farming is what I know. I do not have enough land or means for pastoral farming anymore, but I can grow tomatoes. I have to try my best for my family,” he says.

No money, no food

At a different distribution point, Aisha and her daughter, Maryam, patiently wait for their monthly food assistance, which feeds a family of ten.

“With a big family, we need assistance. It is difficult to find work so there is not enough money to feed all of us.”

Aisha’s response hints at the current inflation that is affecting the prices of staple foods across northeastern Nigeria, and has pushed prices to an all-time high. NRC provides food assistance through e-vouchers, which are designed to protect beneficiaries from inflation through negotiation of fixed prices between vendors and NRC in advance of distribution.

Acute need for food

Food assistance has become a crucial lifeline for many Nigerians who have been affected by the insurgency. Despite functional markets, access to food remains problematic due to high cost of food items caused by the inflation. The UN food and agriculture organisation (FAO) reported that at least 5.1 million people face acute food insecurity in the northeastern states. The current food security situation is reaching alarming levels with potentially catastrophic consequences if left without a coordinated, strong response from humanitarian actors.

The lack of access to food compounds an already critical humanitarian situation, which renders an estimated 14 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The current conflict with Boko Haram, which is about to enter its eight year, has no end in sight, and many affected Nigerians can only hope that their much needed assistance arrives on time.

NRC would like to thank the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their generous contribution to the Food Security and Livelihoods programme in Maiduguri.

The Lake Chad Basin millions of people are facing one of the largest humanitarian crises. Since 2009 violence perpetrated by the Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram in Central and West Africa have never ended and attacks against local population became too usual.

The crisis became complex and unprecedented and today the humanitarian assistance is difficult and for this reason more necessary: food insecurity, loss of homes, weak infrastructure, limited resources, especially for hundreds of thousands people remain trapped by the conflict without access to humanitarian assistance.

Regional and multi-sectoral response

Since 2014, COOPI has responded to the crisis through different interventions in the countries situated in the Lake Chad Basin: Niger, Chad, Nigeria and in the near future Cameroun. More than 100.000 of households affected by the conflicts were reached in Yobe and Borno (Nigeria), Lake Region (Chad) and Diffa region (Niger).

COOPI is providing multi-sectoral emergency response focused on food security, nutrition, protection and education, even if every country required different kinds of needs. As in Niger, for example, where supporting refugees and displaced people means also recreational and psychosocial activities implemented by a team of international psychologists. Or in the case of Nigeria, where COOPI aims to reach 8,500 children under five suffering form acute malnutrition with a multi-sectoral intervention covering nutrition, food security and child protection. Or for example in Chad, where 1500 families received agricultural support, cash for work and/or livestock support.

A long-lasting field work

In the Lake Chad Basin, COOPI is constantly working with international partners – European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), UNICEF, UNHCR, the Swiss Cooperation, IOM and other UN agencies – in coordination with local stakeholders and in partnership with the United Nation system and the NGOs. Our aim is to provide humanitarian aid in these areas and to reach the highest number of communities affected by the crisis. A crisis that today, despite numerous alerts raised by the humanitarian community, still remains consistently under-funded.

MESSAGES CLES

1. Favoriser l’autonomisation des retournés et réfugiés à travers des solutions durables est essentiel dans un contexte sans perspective de retour immédiat pour ces personnes et de manque de financement. Il est nécessaire d’appuyer les retournés du site de Maingama et de la ville de Sido, et les réfugiés centrafricains du camp de Belom pour faciliter leur réintégration socio-économique et la reconstruction de leurs moyens d’existence, à travers la pratique d’activités agricoles et d’activités génératrices de revenus. Les retournés vivant dans les sites sont toujours dans des abris de fortune depuis leur arrivée en 2014 dont la majorité est détériorée. 4 000 abris ont besoin d’être reconstruits en matériaux locaux durables, tout en respectant l’environnement.

2. Actuellement 92% des retournés ne disposent toujours pas de document d’identité. Pour faciliter leur réintégration socio-économique, il est indispensable de favoriser l’accès à la documentation civile afin de garantir la libre circulation de ces personnes et faciliter leur accès aux services étatiques, au marché du travail et à la terre.

3. Les communautés hôtes et celles vivant autour des sites, déjà vulnérables, ont vu leur situation se détériorer davantage en raison de la pression exercée sur les services sociaux de base (santé, éducation et WASH) et sur les ressources naturelles (terre, bois de chauffe, etc.).
   Egalement, la présence de plusieurs milliers de bétail dans la région due au blocage de la transhumance liée à la fermeture de la frontière avec la RCA est source de tensions entre agriculteurs et éleveurs. Il est essentiel de renforcer les programmes de développement local en faveur des populations de la région et d’engager des interventions visant à renforcer la cohésion sociale.

4. Les standards humanitaires en eau, hygiène et assainissement ainsi qu’en santé ne sont plus atteints dans le site de Maingama. Le taux d’accès à l’eau potable dans le site est seulement de 38%. Seuls 55% des forages sont fonctionnels, portant à plus de 570 le nombre de personnes par forage alors que la norme minimale est de moins de 500 personnes. Egalement, jusqu’à présent, le personnel médical des centres de santé a été financé par les acteurs humanitaires avec des fonds de court terme qui ne permettent pas d’assurer des ressources humaines permanentes. En attendant la mise en place de solutions de long terme, il est nécessaire de maintenir les standards humanitaires minimums dans ces secteurs clés pour éviter que la situation ne se dégrade davantage.

Introduction

Lorsqu’une communauté est frappée par une catastrophe ou lorsqu’une crise survient, il faut réagir vite a fin de protéger ses moyens d’existence. Quand ceux-ci sont principalement agricoles, ce qui est le cas de 70 à 80 pour cent des personnes dans les pays en développement, c’est alors la survie même des populations qui est en jeu.

Les catastrophes et les crises n’ont pas seulement des effets à court-terme – elles érodent aussi les moyens d’existence et menacent les gains de développement accumulés des pays affectés. Avec l’augmentation de l’ampleur, de la fréquence et de l’impact des crises et des catastrophes, aggravée par le changement climatique et la surexploitation des ressources naturelles, les familles, communautés et gouvernements des pays en voie de développement ont de plus en plus de difficulté à absorber ces chocs, puis à récupérer et à s’adapter, ce qui entraine un cercle vicieux de pauvreté et de vulnérabilité accrue face aux menaces futures.

Les moyens d’existence de près de 2.5 milliards de personnes dépendent de l’agriculture. Ces petits agriculteurs, éleveurs, pêcheurs et les communautés tributaires des forêts génèrent plus de la moitié de la production agricole mondiale et sont particulièrement vulnérables aux catastrophes, bouleversements climatiques, conflits et autres crises de la chaine alimentaire, car ils sont dépendants de ressources naturelles fragiles, dif cilement renouvelables et difficilement transportables. Ils se trouvent donc souvent démunis faces à ces chocs qui détruisent ou endommagent les cultures, le bétail, les arbres, les équipements, les infrastructures, les provisions de semences, et les réserves alimentaires. Dans ces circonstances, reprendre immédiatement les activités agricoles productrices de nourriture et génératrices de revenus est une question de survie à moyen terme.

Pourtant, ces petits agriculteurs, s’ils sont adéquatement épaulés, peuvent en quelques semaines replanter leurs champs et espérer une récolte salvatrice en trois ou quatre mois, selon les cultures et les régions du globe. Il est donc essentiel de leur apporter un appui rapide, adapté et efficace pour protéger et restaurer leurs moyens d’existence, éviter une dépendance vis-à-vis de l’aide extérieure et retrouver leur autonomie et leur bien-être dans la dignité.

A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding. Northeast Nigeria is currently facing one of the worst humanitarian crises on the African continent. Nearly 400,000 children are severely malnourished, which is life-threatening without treatment and nearly 3 million conflict affected children are in need of education humanitarian assistance.

The number of food insecure people – those without enough food to grow and develop normally, and stay healthy – has increased by around 50 per cent since March to more than 4.4 million.3 Deadly diseases have followed, with cases of acute watery diarrhea and measles reported. Two years since the last case in Nigeria, polio has returned. Children have suffered grave violations of their rights, not only being deprived of education, but being killed, abducted and sexually abused. Over 2.7 million children are in need of protection, including more than 20,000 children separated from their parents or guardians in the chaos.

As new areas become accessible, the true and devastating scale of the crisis is becoming clear. However, it receives very little attention, knowledge of it is not widespread and it is currently overshadowed by other serious emergencies in the world.

UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephan O’Brian has called the Lake Chad Basin crisis the most under-reported and most under-funded and least addressed of the big crises the world is currently facing. 5 The crisis needs urgent attention and action from all actors, and education must be at the heart of the response and the long-term change desperately needed for the children of north-east Nigeria.

Faits saillants :

• Riposte à l’épidémie de Rougeole dans le DS de Mora toujours attendue;

• Poursuite de la riposte aux cas de PVS de Borno au Nigéria

• Vingt-neuf décès dus à une consommation d’alcool de fabrication traditionnelle à l’Est du Cameroun

ÉPIDÉMIES ENREGISTRÉES DANS LE PAYS

EPIDEMIES DE ROUGEOLE

Une seule épidémie de rougeole est en cours dans le district de santé (DS) de Mora, dans la région de l’Extrême Nord.

Elle a été déclarée à la 36e semaine épidémiologique (SE) et la riposte n’a pas encore été menée. Cette épidémie est toujours active dans ce DS comme le montre la figure 1 ci-dessous. Ce retard accusé dans la riposte augmente le risque de propagation de l’épidémie de Mora vers les districts voisins comme ce fut le cas entre les DS de Kolofata et Mora. En effet, l’épidémie de Mora résulte des déplacements internes de populations réfugiées nigérianes non vaccinées entre les 2 districts et du retard pris dans la riposte de Kolofata.

Highlights

• Juba’s food insecure population has more than doubled since July 2015.
  
• Conflict and displacement in parts of South Sudan are adversely affecting HIV treatment and response.
  
• Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in Unity.
  
• Since the beginning of the crisis in December 2013, gender-based violence has been a major protection concern in South Sudan.
  
• Bureaucratic impediments and access constraints negatively impact humanitarian organizations’ ability to assist people in need.

Figures

• No. of Internally Displaced Persons: 1.87 million
  
• No. of refugees in neighboring countries (post 15 Dec 2013): 1.15 million
  
• No. of people assisted in 2016: 4.1 million

Half of Juba’s households face food insecurity

Juba’s food insecure population has more than doubled since July 2015, with hikes in the cost of food and fuel rendering 51 per cent of households food insecure, according to a new survey by food security and nutrition partners.

An estimated 260,280 people in the country’s capital city are now estimated to be food insecure. Given the stress households are facing, more than 80 per cent have resorted to crisis or emergency coping strategies. Over 90 per cent of households have reduced the number of meals they eat per day and 53 per cent have spent entire days without eating.

Limiting the size of meals was reported by 98 per cent of the households, and in 88 per cent of households, adults had reduced their own food consumption in order for small children to eat. Borrowing of food, eating unusual wild foods and skipping days without eating more than tripled compared to 2015.

The deteriorating food security situation in Juba is mainly attributed to the unprecedented rates of inflation, deteriorating South Sudanese pound, loss of employment opportunities, asset stripping and eroded purchasing power. In October 2016, South Sudan’s inflation rate was 836 per cent; the highest in the world. The situation has been exacerbated by poor access to basic services, the crowded living environment, the July 2016 conflict and insecurity around Juba impeding trade.

The price of food has sky-rocketed due to hyperinflation, with the cost of a typical urban expenditure basket quadrupling between August 2015 and September 2016.

Households now spend some 67 per cent of their overall expenditure on food, up from 31 per cent a year ago. Around 98 per cent of households in Juba depend on the market for food, and poor households – particularly those who host an orphan or have a disabled or chronically ill member - are finding it extremely difficult to afford food.

Rising food insecurity in Juba is indicative of the unprecedented food insecurity now faced across large swathes of the country. Some 3.7 million people in South Sudan are estimated to be severely food insecure from October to December 2016, the highest levels experienced at harvest time and an increase of 1 million people compared to the same period last year. Food insecurity is likely to worsen from January to April 2017 and is expected to peak during the lean season from May to July 2017 to the highest levels ever seen in the lean period.