The ECOWAS Commission is to hand over 410 tons of rice valued at US$500,000 to the Government of Mali to help ameliorate the sufferings of citizens affected by the country’s political and security crises.
The locally produced rice, procured with the assistance of the World Food Programme (WFP), will be presented on behalf of the Commission by the Commissioner for Human Development and Gender, Dr. Adrienne Diop, on Thursday 19th December 2013.
The donation, which is within the framework of the implementation of the ECOWAS Humanitarian Assistance Plan for Mali, which includes the deployment of an ECOWAS Emergency Response Team (EERT) and the secondment of an EERT officer to assist the Office of the ECOWAS Special Representative in the country.
The EERT officer will help coordinate field operations and support the activities of other EERT members to enhance the country’s emergency response capacity and facilitate the delivery of ECOWAS assistance to the affected Malian population.
The food donation will be received by the Malian Ministry of Labour, Humanitarian and Social Affairs, while the ECOWAS delegation is also expected to meet with Malian officials on strategies for boosting ECOWAS presence and support to the country.
The humanitarian assistance complements ECOWAS’ diplomatic and political initiatives to help Mali out of crisis through a political transition programme facilitated by the regional bloc, which has led to recent successful presidential and legislative elections in the country.