The ECOWAS Emergency Response Team (EERT) in Mali has successfully completed its three-month mission of providing social and humanitarian assistance to populations adversely affected by the country’s recent security and political crises.
“Within three months (November 2013-January 2014) the EERT members have contributed significantly to the overall humanitarian assistance programme in Mali, in total synergy with the Government and partner organizations,” said the report of a just-ended post-deployment validation Workshop organized by the ECOWAS Commission in Bamako, the Malian capital for the 19-member team
Addressing the meeting which ended on 14th February 2014, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, Dr. Fatimata Dia Sow, said the achievement of the last three months represented “another milestone in the policy of mutual assistance and solidarity between our peoples.”
Dr. Sow, who was performing her first official duty since assuming office a week ago along with six other new Commissioners, expressed gratitude to ECOWAS’ key partners in the humanitarian intervention efforts in Mali, namely, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
She also commended ECOWAS staff on the ground, the trainers and experts deployed in the field, particularly “those who gave the best of themselves,” and reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to continue to support Mali overcome the consequences of the crises.
Apart from the adoption of a comprehensive report on the conduct of the humanitarian operation, as well as a summary of the constraints and recommendations for improvement on any future deployment, the Workshop, which was attended by the 19 EERT members, ECOWAS staff and representatives of partners, also featured the award of Certificates of Appreciation to some stakeholders, including the trainer/facilitator Mr. Alphonse Malanda, and the ECOWAS Director of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Daniel Eklu.
The three-day workshop was followed by a debriefing session to discuss lessons from the deployment of the EERT in Bamako, Gao, Mopti and Timbuktu, as well as in the UNHCR local offices, in support of efforts at rehabilitating essential services in Mali and the provision of assistance to populations affected by crises.
The EERT members were from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
