Urgent Appeal for the Sahel Region
Mr. Chairman,
Mr. Director General,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honor to take part in the "Urgent Appeal for the Sahel
Region." This is an excellent initiative by the Africa Group and
its current Chairman, the Egyptian Permanent Representation in
Geneva.
On a personal note, I have had the great good fortune to spend a
good portion of my diplomatic career either in or surrounding the
Sahel; and so, I feel a strong obligation to do whatever I can do
to draw attention to the desperate plight of Sahelians. We should
bear in mind that people are dying across the Sahel as we
deliberate.
The challenge we face is that of multiple simultaneous complex
humanitarian emergencies — and, after the initial crisis and
our initial own shock ebbs, a crisis such as the Sahel quickly
lapses in our memory. For example: Over this past week until this
Monday, I spent 3 days back in Haiti. There too is a crisis in
danger of being forgotten — yet 400,000 persons still have no
home following the earthquake. Cholera stalks the country and job
creation is stagnant.
I will be joining the governments of ECOWAS and the Sahel region
in Dakar, Senegal, in two weeks to deliberate on inter-state and
intra-regional cooperation on migration issues in the region as
part of a regional and comprehensive approach to addressing the
humanitarian crisis in the Sahel. I will then visit another of the
Sahel States.
I. The Crisis
Coupled with high population growth, environmental degradation,
and recurrent natural disasters, the food and nutrition crises in
the Sahel are growing in frequency and severity. Conflicts –
previous and ongoing – are having a visible and enduring
impact on already high levels of vulnerability of people in the
Sahel.
Complex population movements, prompted by the conflict in Mali,
have spread the effects of the humanitarian crisis internally and
across borders which also have political and security implications
for governments in the Sahel region and neighbouring countries.
Countries such as Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger are facing a
"double emergency" — the displacement of 200,000 Malian
refugees to other parts of the Sahel already severely affected by
the food and nutrition crisis.
Wide-ranging humanitarian needs persist in Mali itself; 167,000
IDPs and their host communities all require critical food, health,
shelter, water and sanitation, and livelihood support. Humanitarian
access is a particular obstacle in the North where 20% of the
affected population resides.
Sahelians furthermore, are victims of recent regional crises in
Libya and Cote d’Ivoire. These crises have compounded the
chronic state of vulnerability in the Sahel, the loss of
remittances and large population influxes are placing additional
strain on weak economies with limited basic social services and
livelihood opportunities.
Governance in the Sahel, and the provision of aid, is further
challenged by the presence of criminal networks and proliferation
of arms throughout the region. With particular reference to the
security context in the country and in the Sahel region, key
concerns include the need to strengthen border management systems
and to facilitate the reintegration of the ex-combatants and
at-risk youth.
These overlapping elements have elevated the Sahel’s food
insecurity and nutrition needs to a critical level; this all
warrants a robust and coherent response of humanitarian assistance
and recovery aid. If left unaddressed, the nutrition crisis in the
Sahel can evolve into a protracted crisis with long-lasting
humanitarian implications.
Governments and the international community are currently
focusing on life-saving interventions for those in greatest need,
and, importantly, on supporting communities to build resistance to
future shocks and stresses that continually heighten vulnerability.
Creating sustainability, and an enabling environment for
sustainable growth, depends upon our helping communities acquire
adaptive capacities to resist, absorb, and recover from future
shocks and stresses. Alongside the promotion of sustainable
livelihoods, well-managed migration can be one important mechanism
in diversifying the livelihood opportunities of those in greatest
need, and extending the benefits to their communities of
origin.
II. IOM's modest role in the Sahel
I should like to be able to tell you that IOM is a major player
in the Sahel crisis. Rather, IOM's role is a modest one, but we are
seeking to scale-up and increase our support. IOM has an office in
virtually all the nine Sahel States.
IOM is still continuing to lead humanitarian operations in
support of migrants from the Sahel who fleeing the Libya conflict
and its aftermath. Here, we should bear in mind that of the 250,000
migrant workers that IOM and UNHCR evacuated from Libya, more than
half were returned to countries in the Sahel. In other words, these
migrants returned to the same joblessness that drove them to Libya
originally. And the Sahel states have limited capacity to receive
them.
Humanitarian partners, including IOM, are supporting a regional
approach to the crises in the Sahel. In this regard, Consolidated
Appeals Processes (CAPs) were recently announced for Burkina Faso,
Mauritania, and Mali; and revised CAPs for Niger and Chad. The $1.6
billion (about the budget of IOM) appeals outline the resource
requirements needed to address critical humanitarian needs.
IOM is appealing for USD 5.6 million of the 1.6 billion dollar
appeal. As part of the appeal, IOM Mali is currently addressing the
emergency, humanitarian, and protection needs of newly displaced
populations by providing safe and dignified emergency transport.
IOM is working in close cooperation with UNHCR to transport
refugees.
A core component of IOM's assisted transportation assistance is
to ensure that conflict affected IDPs and refugees in Niger and in
Mali have access to health care services before, during travel and
upon arrival. The programme also seeks to address the protection
needs of unaccompanied minors and children separated from
families.
IOM and its health NGO partner, AmeriCares, are currently
organizing the shipment and distribution of much needed water
purification sachets, medicines, medical supplies and equipment to
Mali, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania in coordination with
local health authorities and partners.
In Chad and Niger, IOM is supporting projects to increase the
stability of communities of high return by improving community
infrastructure and enhancing social interaction between returnees,
host communities and local officials. In Niger, IOM projects focus
on strengthening communities through capacity building of local
entrepreneurs, NGOs and community members, and through the
socio-economic reintegration of returnees with vocational training
and other income-generating activities.
Within its planned response, a key concern for IOM is the need
to assist the most vulnerable groups, including un
accompanied/separated minors, victims of gender based violence as
well as population groups particularly vulnerable to smuggling and
trafficking in persons.
In a wider regional context, IOM is providing support to enhance
the capacities of governments for effective migration and border
management resulting from cross-border migration including IDPs,
UAMs and TCNs.
With an EC funding of 25 million Euros under the 10th EDF, IOM
is working with its partners in the West Africa region to support
the ECOWAS member States and governments in the Sahel region to
enhance their law enforcement capabilities to better deal with the
threat and provide improved security for migrants and citizens
alike.
Conclusion
IOM is committed to the Sahel for the long-term. Addressing
simultaneous crises in the Sahel requires that we:
- Maintain the funding momentum;
- Focus on addressing immediate needs and saving lives, given the
acute food and institution need; - Link humanitarian and development programming to help affected
populations make the transition from vulnerability to security.
Provide support to livelihoods, increase social protection, improve
access to basic services, assist vulnerable groups, and help
affected populations diversify income through migration which will
allow them to send remittances home; - Strengthen and diversify partnerships to address the broad
range of risks and vulnerabilities facing communities in the Sahel.
No single actor can tackle the challenges of the Sahel alone;
and - Strengthen institutional capacities for preparedness and
response to complex humanitarian issues including intra-state and
intra-regional cooperation on migration and border management
issues.