- The funds include $9 million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and $11 million from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund
- Assistance includes ready-to-eat food, access to clean water, health care, and agriculture support.’’
- The $1.3 billion humanitarian response plan for Nigeria is only 26% funded.
In response to the pressing food security and nutrition crisis in northeastern Nigeria, the United Nations has taken swift action by allocating a substantial sum of $20 million.
UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq made this announcement in New York on Tuesday, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. The allocation follows the recent launch of a comprehensive $2.5 billion Country Strategic Plan (CSP) by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Nigeria, with the goal of addressing the escalating hunger problem in the country.
Allocation
Farhan Haq noted that nine million dollars will be donated from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and $11 million from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, saying:
- “With nine million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and $11 million from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, we will support the Government-led response efforts across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.
- “Assistance includes ready-to-eat food, access to clean water, health care, and agriculture support.’’
Humanitarian plan
They added that the emergency funding would help jumpstart the response, but humanitarian partners need more to prevent widespread hunger and malnutrition.
- “The $1.3 billion humanitarian response plan for Nigeria is only 26% funded,’’
In Sudan, the deputy spokesperson said the humanitarian community continued to deliver life-saving support to the people, adding that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had facilitated the movement of at least 388 trucks carrying life-saving assistance to various parts of the country.
- “This includes reaching more than 375,000 people in North, South, East, and Central Darfur.
- “People continue to seek refuge from the fighting in Sudan in neighbouring countries. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that more than 500,000 people have now fled across Sudan’s borders to escape the violence.
- “You may have seen that, yesterday, donors announced more than 1.5 billion dollars in support of the humanitarian response in Sudan.
Backstory
Recall Nairametrics reported last week, The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launched a $2.5 billion Country Strategic Plan (CSP) to combat rising hunger and malnutrition in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa.
The plan, unveiled by WFP Country Director David Stevenson, targets regions in the North East, North West, and other selected states.
The initiative aims to address the pressing food security and nutrition challenges faced by Nigerians. Stevenson made the announcement during a joint press conference with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, emphasizing the significance of this comprehensive plan in tackling the growing crisis.
The United Nations warned earlier this year that 700,000 children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition in Nigeria, with 2 million children under the age of five facing the most immediate and life-threatening form of malnutrition in specific states.
