WHD: Nigeria requires $1.3bn for humanitarian assistance in North East- UN

By

 



By Hadiza Abdulrahman

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Mathias Schmale has appealed for $ 1.3 billion to provide assistance for vulnerable people in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria.

Mr Mathias Schmale during an occasion to commemorate the World Humanitarian Day stated that the agency and its partners have assisted six million people in the northeast through the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and called for additional funding for the programme.

The UN General Assembly in 2018 set aside August 19 as World Humanitarian Day (WHD) to recognizing the efforts of humanitarian workers who risk their lives to help those in need around the world. According to the United Nation, the 2023 WHD campaign marks the 20th anniversary of the attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, that led to the commemoration of the day.

The organization pledged its unwavering commitment to supporting those in need of humanitarian assistant across the world and appealed to humanitarian workers to remain dedicated and commitment to their work even in the face of adversity.

“humanitarian work is difficult and dangerous, but we don’t give up on our commitment to overcome the challenges and deliver life-saving assistance to people in need, #NoMatterWhat.”

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria Mr Mathias Schmale noted that “Humanitarians on the frontline in northeast Nigeria work each day to ensure assistance is accessible to the most vulnerable women, men, and children, no matter who they are or where they are.

Deteriorating food security and nutrition situation is one of the most alarming aspects of the crisis in the region with an estimate of 4.3 million people and some two million children under five are likely to face acute malnutrition this year, according to the Cadre Harmonise assessment in March 2023.

The UN Coordinator added that “No Matter What” the humanitarian community would continue to work together in support of government and other key actors to save, protect, and improve lives.

Facts and Figures from United Nations

The 2023 Mid-Year Update of the Global Humanitarian Needs Overview estimated that 362 million people in the world need humanitarian assistance.

According to UN, in Ukraine last year, aid workers ramped up deliveries to support 15.4 million people, another 17 million people in Afghanistan, 2.8 million in Nigeria and 2.5 million in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have received humanitarian aid since the beginning of 2023. 

This feat is not without its challenges, figures from the United Nations indicates that in 2022, 444 aid workers were attacked, out of which 116 were killed, 143 wounded and 185 others were kidnapped. Out of the aid workers who died, 96% were national staff and 4% were international (expatriate) staff – more than half (47%) were staff of national NGOs. The statistics also indicated that Most of the violence took place in South Sudan, Mali and Myanmar.

Similarly, Data for 2023 in the Aid Worker Security Database showed that South Sudan has been the most dangerous place for aid workers for several consecutive years while five major attacks have been recorded in Nigeria. Since 2016 according to the data, 37 aid workers have been killed in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states with 24 wounded and kidnapped.


Solidarity Walk in Commemoration of the 2023 Humanitarian Day in Abuja on Friday


Nigeria’s Response

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo said policies and strategies formulated over the year had fostered an enabling environment for humanitarian coordination and operation in Nigeria.

He quoted the UNHCR Operating Data, saying a staggering 3,578,966 internally displaced people were recorded as of June 2023 in the North East, North West, and North Central regions of Nigeria.

”Families, venerable and resilient, find themselves navigating dire circumstances, often contending with acute needs such as sustenance, shelter, water, protection, and livelihoods”, he said.

Dr Sani-Gwarzo said in the face of these challenges, both the Government of Nigeria and the entire humanitarian community have redoubled their efforts to provide meaningful responses in addressing food security, pricing, and sustainability.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Water Scarcity Threatens Maternal Health in FCT Communities

By
Image
  A woman washing at a stream in Wassa IDP Camp in the FCT. Photo: Hadiza Abdulrahman Nigeria faces significant challenges in guaranteeing the human right to water for its population. A 2022 World Bank report reveals that  60 million  Nigerians lacked access to basic drinking water, and in 2021, over 100 million lacked basic sanitation. This deficiency leads to waterborne diseases like cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid, causing millions of deaths annually, especially among children under five.  women and girls are disproportionately affected , spending hours collecting water and facing risks, leaving them little or no time for education, work, or other activities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Maternal health is also severely impacted, with expectant and new mothers facing increased risks without clean water. In Takushara, Abuja, young girls collecting water from a canal. Photo: Hadiza Abdulrahman TAKUSHARA In Abuja, the nation’s capital, some commun...
Read more

UN, Media Executives Sign MoU to advance Gender Equality

By
Image
Ms. Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Representative in Nigeria The UN Women in Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding  with several media organizations in Abuja to advance gender equality and women's empowerment.  On September 8, media executives from the southern part of the country signed a similar undertaking in Lagos. Ms. Beatrice Eyong, the UN Women representative in Nigeria, noted that the meeting presents an opportunity to examine and explore opportunities where the media could make impact in addressing challenges faced by women and girls. She pointed out  that the MoU would provide a framework for collaboration and collaboration to strengthen partnership in escalating media advocacy to promote women's economic empowerment, prevention of violence against women and girls and increasing women's representation and leadership along humanitarian, development and peace nexus. "Media is a tool that has been used over time in educating the society and accelerati...
Read more

Experts Advocate Increased Women Leadership in Biodiversity

By
Image
  Hadiza Abdulrahman  Experts have advocated increased inclusion of women’s leadership in biodiversity to strengthen sustainable and effective conservation strategies. This was the focus of a roundtable on Women and Biodiversity Leadership, held under the Scientific Diplomacy Programme organized by the Embassy of Spain and the Spanish Cooperation Office in Nigeria, with support from the European Union. The roundtable on women’s leadership in biodiversity highlighted the crucial role of women in biodiversity conservation and discussed strategies to close the gender gap in biodiversity science. It also explored innovative approaches to integrating gender considerations into biodiversity policies. They called on stakeholders to address gender inequalities and ensure women's full participation in the sector, while also urging the government to provide adequate funding, inclusive policy development processes, strengthening network for knowledge sharing, enhance access to reso...
Read more