(Dakar, 17 December 2012): The 2013 Humanitarian Sahel Strategy was presented today in Dakar. Humanitarian actors request US$1.6 billion in 2013 to respond to the needs of millions of people in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, The Gambia and the northern parts of Cameroon and Nigeria.
Despite good harvests in 2012, the consequences of last year’s acute food and nutrition crisis, compounded by the continuing high food prices, will continue to affect millions in the Sahel. The current Mali crisis, which has resulted in significant internal displacements within Mali and an exodus of refugees to neighbouring countries, has created considerable humanitarian needs, including for the host communities. The even higher frequency of the shocks has eroded the resilience of the people of the Sahel, who are affected by underlying, chronic food insecurity and malnutrition. It is estimated that 8.5 million people will be food insecure in 2013, while some 4 million children under 5 will suffer from severe to moderate malnutrition.
“What we learnt from repeated, massive humanitarian interventions in the region is: it is imperative to change the way we respond to the crises in the Sahel”, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel David Gressly said.
The Strategy aims to ensure a coordinated and harmonized approach for humanitarian response both at the national level and together with the regional partners. It includes a shared regional analysis of the context and situation; common regional strategic goals and objectives; and agreed performance indicators for delivery and systematic monitoring that provides evidence-based needs and gaps analysis.
In 2012, the total of humanitarian appeals for the region amounted to US$ 1.65 billion, out of which $1.162 billion, or 70 per cent, have been received as of 17 December. Another $370 million were provided to the region outside of the framework of the UN appeals, bringing the total available funding for the Sahel to $1.532 billion.