CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

OVER 70,000 DISPLACED BY FRESH UNREST More than 70,000 people have been displaced since the resurgence of violence in parts of the country in September 2016, President Faustin-Archange Touadéra said on 12 January. The attacks and fighting between armed groups have caused further devastation to people already struck by recurrent conflict, which also impede humanitarian access. The president also voiced concern over insufficient funding that risks halting WFP’s food assistance by the end of this month. More than 400,000 people, including 140,000 displaced and 9,900 refugees, are likely to be affected by the shortfall to the agency’s US$21.5 million budget. Many of the 70,000 were displaced several times.

THOUSANDS RETURNING HOME AFTER VIOLENCE Around 3,000 of the 15,000 people who sought refuge at the base of the UN peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, in the northern Kaga-Bandoro town have returned home. They had been forced to flee for safety following armed violence that rocked the area in October 2016. Humanitarian organizations are providing shelter, water, health and sanitation services to the returnees. Social cohesion and community dialogue efforts are also underway.

NIGER

DECREASE IN MIGRATION FROM WEST AFRICA Since July 2016, IOM monitoring points registered a decreasing trend of migrants from the West Africa region including Niger passing through the northern region of Agadez. From 48,000 migrants registered at the borders with Libya and Algeria in July, the number dropped to 1,525 in November.
According to IOM, the decrease could be attributed to the implementation of measures taken by the Government to prevent the passage of the borders by people without valid travel documents.

NIGERIA

VISIT OF RC/HC TO BORNO AND YOBE STATES
From 12 to 18 January, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Edward Kallon is visiting Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. In Maiduguri, he met with Borno Governor Kashim Shettima who thanked the humanitarian community for its work. RC Kallon stressed that while the immediate humanitarian needs of the people were being met, efforts had to be made to provide support to people and communities to recover and rebuild in the long term. He also explained that the region was grappling with a protection and food security crisis compounded by the depletion of livelihood opportunities and destruction and devastation of economic infrastructure in the region.

THE GAMBIA

MEDIATION FAILS TO CONVINCE PRESIDENT TO STEP DOWN
The latest efforts from ECOWAS on 13 January by West African leaders to convince President Yahya Jammeh to step down bore no fruit. After attending the France-Africa summit in Bamako, President-elect Barrow arrived in Dakar on 15 January. The African Union said it will cease to recognize Jammeh as the legitimate President as of 19 January, the date he is due to hand over power. Many civilians have reportedly moved from the greater Banjul area to villages up-country, and UNHCR reports several thousands of people, mainly children, crossing into neighbouring Senegal. Schools throughout the country remain closed.

RÉPUBLIQUE CENTRAFRICAINE

PLUS DE 70 000 DEPLACES PAR DE NOUVEAUX TROUBLES Le 12 janvier, le président Touadéra a déclaré que plus de 70 000 personnes ont été déplacées depuis la résurgence de la violence dans certaines parties du pays en septembre 2016. Les attaques et les combats entre les groupes armés ont causé une nouvelle dévastation aux populations déjà frappées par des conflits récurrents, entravant également l'accès humanitaire. Le président a également exprimé sa préoccupation face à l'insuffisance des fonds qui risquent d'interrompre l'aide alimentaire du PAM d'ici la fin du mois. Plus de 400 000 personnes, dont 140 000 déplacés et 9 900 réfugiés, risquent d'être affectées par le manque de fonds du budget de 21,5 millions de dollars de l'agence. Plusieurs des 70 000 personnes ont été déplacées à plusieurs reprises.

DES MILLIERS DE PERSONNES RETOURNENT CHEZ ELLES APRES LES VIOLENCES Environ 3 000 des 15 000 personnes ayant trouvé refuge dans la base de la mission de maintien de la paix de l'ONU, la MINUSMA, dans la ville de Kaga-Bandoro, au nord, sont rentrées chez elles. Elles ont été forcées de fuir pour leur sécurité après la violence armée qui a secoué la région en octobre 2016. Les organisations humanitaires fournissent des services d'abris, d'eau, de santé et d'assainissement aux retournés. Des efforts de cohésion sociale et de dialogue communautaire sont également en cours.

NIGER

BAISSE DU NOMBRE DE MIGRANTS D’AFRIQUE DE L’OUEST Depuis juillet 2016, les points de contrôle de l'OIM enregistrent une tendance à la baisse des migrants de la région de l'Afrique de l‘Ouest, y compris du Niger, passant par la région d'Agadez, dans le nord. Le nombre de migrants enregistrés aux frontières avec la Libye et l'Algérie en juillet, est passé de 48 000 à 1 525 en novembre. Selon l’OIM, cette baisse pourrait être attribuée à la mise en œuvre des mesures prises par le gouvernement pour empêcher le passage aux frontières de personnes dépourvues de documents de voyage valables.

NIGERIA

*VISITE DU CR/COH DANS LES ETATS DE BORNO ET YOBE *
Du 12 au 18 janvier, le Coordonnateur résident et Coordonnateur de l’action humanitaire, Edward Kallon, se rend dans les états d'Adamawa, de Borno et de Yobe. À Maiduguri, il a rencontré le gouverneur de Borno, Kashim Shettima, qui a remercié la communauté humanitaire pour son travail.

M. Kallon a souligné que même si les besoins humanitaires immédiats de la population étaient satisfaits, des efforts devaient être déployés pour aider les populations et les communautés à se rétablir et à se reconstruire sur le long terme. Il a également expliqué que la région faisait face à une crise de protection et de sécurité alimentaire aggravée par l'épuisement des possibilités de subsistance et la destruction et la dévastation des infrastructures économiques dans la région.

GAMBIE

LA MEDIATION ECHOUE A CONVAINCRE LE PRESIDENT DE DEMISSIONNER
Les derniers efforts déployés par la CEDEAO le 13 janvier pour convaincre le président Yahya Jammeh de démissionner n'ont pas abouti. Après avoir assisté au sommet Afrique-France à Bamako, le président élu Barrow est arrivé à Dakar le 15 janvier.
L'Union africaine a déclaré qu'elle cesserait de reconnaître Jammeh comme le président légitime à compter du 19 janvier, date à laquelle la passation de pouvoirs doit avoir lieu. De nombreux civils auraient quitté la région de Banjul pour des villages dans le pays, et le HCR a signalé que plusieurs milliers de personnes, principalement des enfants, traversaient la frontière vers le Sénégal voisin. Les écoles du pays restent fermées.

KEY FIGURES

1,843
Voluntary returns to Mali facilitated in 2016

4,780
New arrivals from Mali in 2016

4,881
Malian refugees with specific needs (as of 1 January 2017)

13, 118
Malian households in Mbera camp (as of 1 January 2017)

30L
of potable water available per person per day

FUNDING 2017

USD 19 M
Requested for the operation
Funded 0%
Gap 100%

PRIORITIES

• Maintain protection and assistance for all Malian refugees in Mbera camp.

• Strengthen support to refugees’ self-reliance.

• Maintain peaceful coexistence between the refugees and host communities.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Since end of September 2016, more than 4,500 people crossed the Mali-Mauritania border to seek refuge in Mbera camp; influx continues in January at a slower pace. It is the largest influx of Malian refugees observed in Mauritania since 2013. New arrivals are assisted with emergency food, shelter and basic items.

• There is an urgent need for shelters and latrines – 50% of latrines in Mbera camp have reached their maximum storage capacity. This is particularly crucial considering the unstable situation in northern Mali, with unlikely massive return and recent waves of arrivals to the camp.

UPDATE ON ACHIEVEMENTS

Operational Context

In collaboration with the Mauritanian Government which has kept its borders open to new influxes, UNHCR with UN organizations and national and international NGOs, continues to lead the humanitarian response for 46,640 Malian refugees and any new arrivals in Mbera camp. In addition, the organization ensures the protection and assistance of 1,518 urban refugees and 426 asylum seekers, mainly from the Central African Republic, Syria and Côte d’Ivoire.

UNHCR works closely with Mauritanian authorities to enhance the protection environment for refugees and asylum seekers in Mauritania, notably through the development and implementation of a national asylum law. Pending the adoption of a national refugee legislation, UNHCR advocates for further integration of refugees by improving access to basic services, such as health, economic opportunities but also to documentation and birth registration.

The majority of Malian refugees living in Mbera camp arrived in 2012: violent clashes in north Mali triggered important waves of displacements into Mauritania, where a refugee camp was established 50 Km from the Malian border in the Hodh ech Charghi region. Following the military intervention in northern Mali in January 2013, new influxes of Malian refugees were accommodated in Mbera camp.

On 16 June 2016, Mauritania, Mali and UNHCR signed a Tripartite Agreement to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Malian refugees. The tripartite agreement reiterates the voluntary nature of repatriation and reconfirms the commitments of the Mauritanian and Malian states to protect refugees. However, despite the signing of a peace agreement in Mali in June 2015 and the voluntary return of more than 1,800 refugees from Mbera camp in 2016, the security conditions in northern Mali remain volatile. Large-scale returns of refugees are therefore not yet envisaged and UNHCR and its partners maintain their presence in Bassikounou to sustain the humanitarian response in Mbera Camp.

JANUARY 17, 2017— At least 52 people were killed and 120 wounded today when the Nigerian Army bombed an internally displaced camp in Rann, Nigeria, according to the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which has teams in the area.

“This large-scale attack on vulnerable people who have already fled from extreme violence is shocking and unacceptable,” said Dr. Jean-Clément Cabrol, MSF director of operations. “The safety of civilians must be respected. We are urgently calling on all parties to ensure the facilitation of medical evacuations by air or road for survivors who are in need of emergency care.”

MSF medical teams are currently providing first aid to 120 wounded patients in its facility in Rann. The organization’s medical and surgical teams in the region are preparing to treat evacuated patients.

MSF first started working in Nigeria in 1971 and is one of the few organizations still able to operate in hard-to-reach areas of the country.

OVERVIEW

The ongoing conflict in northeastern Nigeria has left an estimated 1,770,444 people (approximately 313,923 households) displaced in almost 2,000 locations across the 6 most affected states in the region:
Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, etc. The Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) conducted a series of assessments in 1,948 locations in the six states in order to gather information regarding the situation of IDPs in the locations.

(Maiduguri, 17 January 2017): The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) today dispatched a helicopter with four medical personnel, 400 kg of emergency medical supplies and airlifted eight Nigeria Red Cross workers injured following a military airstrike that hit Rann locality of Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state.

“This is an unfortunate tragedy that befell people already suffering the effects of violence,” said Edward Kallon, the UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria. Mr. Kallon said that the Nigerian army has also deployed a medical team and “is working with humanitarian partners to ensure maximum support to the affected people.”

Rann is one of the localities in north-eastern Nigeria that have recently become accessible to humanitarian organizations. Emergency assistance is gradually being ramped up in areas that were previously unreachable. In Rann, around 43,000 people are internally displaced and struggle with serious food shortages and severe acute malnutrition. Humanitarian access to the area has been difficult due to insecurity and bad roads.

The humanitarian community expresses its profound sympathy and solidarity with those affected by today’s incident. Additional assistance and personnel are to be deployed to Rann in the coming days.

“It is indeed an unfortunate and sad event… we continue to do our best to assist those wounded,” Mr. Kallon said.

Further updates will be issued as information becomes available.

For further information please contact:
Lucky Musonda, Office of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, + 234 812 949 2749, lucky.musonda@one.un.org
Otto Bakano, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs, + 234 903 781 0095 bakano@un.org OCHA press releases are available on www.unocha.org/rowca and www.reliefweb.int

We regret that among the casualties of today's air strikes in Ran, there are 6 Nigerian RC members killed and 13 wounded. They brought desperately needed food for over 25 000 displaced persons

We are profoundly saddened with the news of casualties among the Red Cross staff and volunteers in Ran. Our thoughts are with the families of the dead and wounded Red Cross colleagues.

The Red Cross is deeply concerned about reported casualties among civilians and humanitarian workers in today's air strikes on Ran, North East Nigeria.

We are in contact with the relevant authorities and have organised medical assistance and evacuations, Though it is very unfortunate that some of our Volunteers lost their lives while some were injured, the Red Cross will continue to offer humanitarian service in the North East.

We are monitoring the situation closely for more information.

Boko Haram-related conflict has led to a severe humanitarian emergency in the Lake Chad Basin region and potential famine in inaccessible areas of northeastern Nigeria. At least 7 million people in the region are in need of food assistance. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) and trapped populations are at greater risk due to insecurity and poor or degraded infrastructure which impede aid delivery. There are currently 2.6 million people displaced across the region. The 2017 UN humanitarian appeal for Nigeria and regions of Niger, Cameroon, and Chad in the Lake Chad Basin is approximately $1.5 billion dollars.

Le Niger a enregistré un déficit fourrager global de l’ordre de 12,2 millions tonnes de matières sèches (TMS) soit environ 48 pour cent des besoins. Sur des besoins globaux théoriques de l'ordre de 25,6 millions TMS, le disponible fourrager est de l'ordre de 13,3 millions TMS.

L’écart entre le disponible fourrager et les besoins réels de consommation montre que ce déficit est plus accentué dans les régions de Diffa, Tahoua, Tillabéry et Zinder. Selon les autorités du Niger, la situation pastorale de cette année nécessite une attention particulière.

In January, the polio programme is contributing to the protection of more than 4 million children against measles.

A mass vaccination campaign to protect more than 4 million children (4,766,214) against a measles outbreak in conflict-affected states in north-eastern Nigeria started on 13 January. The polio eradication infrastructure has been on hand to help with this feat of logistics from data management to training, social mobilization, monitoring and evaluation, supportive supervision and waste management.

“Nigeria’s well-established polio vaccination programme provides a strong underpinning for the campaign,” says Dr Alemu. “Population data from the polio programme has been essential to guide planning for the measles campaign. We are also able to make use of staff that have vast experience in providing health services in very difficult and risky areas.”

One third of more than 700 health facilities in Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria, have been completely destroyed, according to a report released in December by WHO. Of those facilities remaining, one third are not functioning at all. This is leaving the health of communities vulnerable.

WHO has a strong presence in the community in these areas thanks to a well-established polio programme which includes teams of health workers trained to work in areas of high insecurity and reach communities that no other partner can reach.

Aid workers in Borno state say displaced people living in camps have no plans to go back home despite government claims that insurgents have been defeated

By Ben Quinn

The homecoming of tens of thousand of Nigerians displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency has been prevented by enduring fear of the Islamists and reluctance to return to areas of the country’s north-east devastated by the campaign against the militants, according to aid workers.

Read more on The Guardian

18 January 2017 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the suicide-vehicle attack earlier today perpetrated against a military camp in the northern Mali city of Gao that reportedly left at least 50 people dead and dozens injured.

According to the UN Integrated Multi-Dimensional Stabilization Mission, shortly before 9:00 a.m., a sucide vehicle exploded inside the OMC (Operational Coordination Mechanism) camp in Gao. The camp is home to the elements of the Armed Forces of Mali, the Platform and Coordination of Azawad Movements (600 in total) which are tasked with leading the joint patrols envisaged by the 2015 Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Guterres offered his heartfelt condolences to the Government of Mali and the bereaved families, the Coordination of Movements of Azawad and the Platform. He also wished a speedy recovery to the injured and called for swift action to bring those responsible for this attack to justice.

Mixed patrols are one key interim security measure of the peace agreement aiming at curtailing insecurity in northern Mali pending the full restoration of State authority. “The Secretary-General urges the parties to continue to work to fully implement the provisions of the peace agreement and to do all they can to prevent such attacks,” said the statement.

“This despicable act reinforces the United Nations' determination to support the people of Mali, the Government and the signatory armed groups in their quest for peace, their fight against terrorism and their efforts to uphold the peace agreement,” it concluded.

Meanwhile, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, at the opening of a regularly scheduled briefing to the UN Security Council, also condemned the bombing,which he denounced as a “direct attack” on the peace process and an attempt to undermine recent progress on security arrangements,

“We condemn with the utmost firmness this cowardly and ignoble attack […] which was clearly aimed at derailing the peace process by undermining trust between the signatory parties and the people, “as well as counteracting recent progress in implementing the security arrangements of the peace accord, he stated.

Yet he stressed: “This incident underlines once more that accelerating the implementation of the [agreement] remains the only avenue possible for achieving peace and reconciliation in Mali and I once again urge all signatory parties to fully engage in its implementation. We do not have much time left.”

Progress in implementation of the Peace Agreement

Continuing his briefing, Mr. Ladsous said that more than 18 months after the signing of the peace accord, “very little significant progress has been made,” despite some positive steps.

“The implementation of the interim institutional and security arrangements has stagnated and remains undermined by persistent disagreements and lack of trust between the signatory parties,” he added. “Fragmentation of armed groups, especially within the Coordination of Azawad Movements, and the repeated attempts by dissident groups to undermine the peace process, also hampered the implementation.”

With only five months remaining until the end of the interim period, he said that the absence of tangible results is of major concern “and leads me to wonder about the real will and commitment of the signatories of the peace process.”

As such, it is of paramount importance to restore the confidence of the Malian population in the peace process. He noted that MINUSMA continued to receive reports of serious violations of human rights “committed by armed groups and State actors.” Mr. Ladsous also stressed that the implementation of the development strategy for northern Mali, more than a year after the international conference for the economic recovery and development of Mali, had not yet begun.

CONTEXTE

La région de Kayes est confrontée à des défis humanitaires notamment l'insécurité alimentaire avec plus de 333 000 personnes affectées, la malnutrition qui touche plus de 38 000 enfants et des problèmes d'accès à l'eau. La région est également confrontée à des inondations, des épidémies comme la rougeole, la méningite et des cas de fièvre jaune.

La région de Kayes a reçu 15 264 réfugiés mauritaniens, ces personnes continuent de bénéficier de l'appui du HCR. Mais le bureau régional du HCR ferme ses portes en fin 2016 ce qui exigera un monitoring de la situation de ces réfugiés en 2017.

Luxembourg, 18.01.2017 – La signature d’un accord-cadre sur trois ans entre le département international de la Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise et la Direction de la coopération au développement du ministère des Affaires étrangères permettra d’améliorer l’habitat de communautés dont le cadre de vie et le milieu sont menacés et de réduire l’impact des aléas naturels et socio-économiques.

Le programme habitation résiliente sera conduit dans six pays dans lesquels la Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise déploie ses actions humanitaires depuis des années : le Burkina Faso, le Burundi, le Mali, le Niger, le Sénégal et le Népal. L’objectif est de renforcer à long terme les capacités de résistance locales aux catastrophes et autres aléas naturels et socio-économiques des populations, particulièrement exposées, par une sensibilisation aux risques existants et potentiels, une amélioration des pratiques de construction et par l’identification de solutions durables dans le domaine de l’habitat.
Ce programme sur trois ans sera financé à hauteur de 1 200 000 euros par an grâce à l’accord-cadre et à hauteur de 300 000 euros par an par des dons à la Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise. La Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise se réjouit de ce soutien précieux et de la confiance témoignée par le Gouvernement luxembourgeois dans la conduite de ses actions humanitaires.

Les individus les plus vulnérables tels que les femmes, les enfants et les jeunes, les personnes handicapées, les personnes âgées, voire les migrants sont ciblés en priorité. « Chacun des bénéficiaires détient un savoir-faire et une expérience uniques pouvant contribuer positivement aux actions mises en place. », explique le Dr Christian Huvelle, directeur du département international de la Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise. « Dans une approche participative et d’autonomisation, nous inclurons et améliorerons les techniques de construction autochtones pour valoriser ce savoir-faire local et impliquer dès le début les membres des différentes communautés au processus. Grâce à leurs expériences en matière des risques et des événements passés, ils seront à même d’identifier des solutions potentielles et de choisir celles qu’ils jugeront les plus appropriées. »

La Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise

La mission de la Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise est « d’améliorer les conditions d’existence des personnes vulnérables ». Ses milliers de bénévoles et ses plus de 1900 professionnels en font un acteur majeur dans les domaines de la Santé, du Social, de la Jeunesse et de l’Humanitaire.

La Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise est ainsi engagée dans des activités aussi diverses que l’aide humanitaire internationale d’urgence, les soins à domicile, la transfusion sanguine, la convalescence, l’accueil de personnes âgées ou dépendantes en centres de jour ou intégrés, l’assistance sociale, l’accueil des migrants et réfugiés, l’aide individuelle aux personnes en difficulté, les maisons relais et les maisons de jeunes ou encore les services thérapeutiques socio- familiaux.

Contact Presse

Service Communication Rachel Vieira / Chloé Kolb (+352) 27 55 – 2100 media@croix-rouge.luwww.croix-roug

Addis-Abéba, le 19 janvier 2017 : La Présidente de la Commission de l’Union africaine, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a appris avec profonde consternation et une vive émotion, l’odieux attentat terroriste perpétré, le 18 janvier 2017, contre un camp abritant des éléments des forces armées maliennes et des Mouvements armés, signataires de l’Accord pour la paix et la réconciliation au Mali issu du processus d’Alger, qui a fait plusieurs dizaines de morts et des blessés parmi ces éléments regroupés en vue de patrouilles mixtes dans le cadre du Mécanisme opérationnel conjoint prévu par l’Accord.
La Présidente de la Commission présente ses plus sincères condoléances aux familles éplorées, ainsi qu’au peuple et au gouvernement de la République du Mali, et souhaite prompt rétablissement aux blessés.

La Présidente de la Commission réaffirme le ferme soutien de l’UA au Gouvernement et aux autres parties à l’Accord pour la paix et la réconciliation au Mali et les exhorte à poursuivre leurs efforts visant à mettre en œuvre, de bonne foi, ses dispositions, en particulier celles relatives à la défense et à la sécurité. Elle souligne que cette attaque terroriste lâche contre des troupes appartenant aux parties maliennes ayant opté pour la paix et la réconciliation, est la preuve de l’isolement croissant des groupesterroristes opérant au Nord du Mali. Elle réaffirme l’impératif pour l’UA et la communauté internationale de la mise en œuvre de l’Accord issu du processus d’Alger en vue d’une paix durable, de la sécurité et de la stabilité au Mali et au-delà, dans la région.

La Présidente de la Commission réaffirme la disponibilité et la détermination de l’UA à accompagner le Mali et les pays de la région en général dans leurs efforts de prévention et de lutte contre les groupes terroristes sévissant dans l’espace du Sahel, en particulier à travers les initiatives régionales, comme le processus de Nouakchott. Elle souligne, à cet égard, la nécessité de renforcer et de coordonner davantage les efforts nationaux, régionaux et internationaux, y compris à travers la mise en place d’une force africaine au sein de la Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations unies pour la stabilisation au Mali (MINUSMA), pour ainsi permettre la neutralisation des groupes terroristes, afin que la Mission puisse continuer à assumer plus efficacement son rôle de stabilisation, conformément à son mandat.

La Présidente de la Commission appelle, une fois encore, la communauté internationale à intensifier son appui aux efforts africains de lutte contre le fléau du terrorisme et de l’extrémisme violent

Renewed commitment for protecting agriculture-based livelihoods in emergencies

19 January 2017, Rome - Belgium, a long-time supporter of FAO's work in emergencies, has deepened its commitment to protecting agriculture in countries struck by disaster with a €14-million contribution. This boosts FAO and its member countries' capacity to respond immediately to disasters and crises, and to strengthen the long-term resilience of vulnerable farmers and herders.

The lion's share of the contribution is aimed at building farmers' ability to withstand shocks through multi-year programmes - an innovative approach to funding humanitarian responses. Commonly, humanitarian projects are funded in six-months or one-year cycles, leaving limited time to rehabilitate agriculture production and to improve risk-sensitive practices.

These longer-term project cycles are particularly important for agriculture, as they allow support through multiple seasons and harvests. They were among the recommendations of the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, which focused on reducing human suffering and delivering better aid for people facing crises around the world.

"We strongly appreciate Belgium's efforts to "walk the talk" of the World Humanitarian Summit by providing flexible and multi-year humanitarian funding," said Dominique Burgeon, Director of FAO's Emergency and Rehabilitation Division and Strategic Programme Leader for Resilience. He added that, "Belgium's donation recognizes the critical role that farming plays in the lives of millions around the world."

"Saving agriculture livelihoods helps people affected by a crisis in a sustainable way and allows them to stay on their land if they feel safe enough to do so," said Bruno van der Pluijm, Director-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid.

Among the crisis areas benefiting from the Belgium funding are the Sahel (€ 4 million), Mali (€ 2 million), Haiti (€ 3 million) and Iraq (€ 2 million). Another € 3 million went to FAO's Special Fund for Emergency Activities (SFERA). The latter allows FAO to release money quickly for rapid on-the-ground interventions - even before an emergency appeal is launched - when natural disasters or conflicts threaten the livelihoods, food security and nutrition of farming families.

Belgium's support to SFERA is critical for rapid distributions of cereal and short-cycle quality vegetable seeds, which are often part of FAO's emergency interventions. These ensure that communities struck by crisis don't miss the upcoming planting season and are able to grow food fast and recover their livelihoods.

Protecting valuable livestock with emergency feed and vaccinations is another important early action in many crises, so animals continue to provide protein, milk and income to pastoralist communities. In conflict zones, supporting backyard gardening, with poultry and small crops, and fishing activities are also essential lifelines for families forced to abandon their land or who have limited access to functioning markets. A new FAO publication, Partenariat humanitaire FAO-Belgique [in French], illustrates some of the most successful agriculture emergency interventions across the world.

Its latest contributions places Belgium among FAO's top 10 humanitarian donors.

FAO, together with the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Norwegian Refugee Council, is undertaking a study on the effects of multi-year financing and will use Belgium as an example of best practice in international aid.