Summary:
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From $259 million in 2018 to a projected $1.8 billion, more money is now needed to fund the emergency response in the Basin.
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The governments of Niger, Germany, and Norway, as well as the United Nations, are co-hosting the conference, which runs from January 23 to 24, at the Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Centre in Niamey, Niger.
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The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Musa is among the speakers.
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But the deputy relief coordinator warned that the region’s wounds wouldn’t heal until we deal with what caused the crisis in the first place.
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In the face of an uncertain future, he called for a long-term plan to help people become more resilient.
The UN says that the meeting is an important international forum for solving the problems in the region right now. Some of these are increased insecurity, lack of development, humanitarian needs, issues getting to essential social services, production systems, and humanitarian aid.
Armed groups continue to spread bloodshed in the four nations that border the lake despite a nearly 13-year battle (Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon). About 2.9 million people have moved within their own country, and 5.6 million people, including 2 million in Nigeria, are at risk of having very little food.
Boost cooperation and deal with the climate emergency
Due to rising instability, the COVID-19 pandemic’s long-term impacts, the effects of climate change, and economic shocks, all of which have worsened the humanitarian situation, these numbers have increased since the last conference, which was held in Berlin in 2018. From $259 million in 2018 to a projected $1.8 billion, more money is now needed to fund the emergency response in the Basin.
The governments of Niger, Germany, and Norway, as well as the United Nations, are co-hosting the conference, which runs from January 23 to 24 at the Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Centre in Niamey, Niger. The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Musa is among the speakers.
The conference’s goals include a concentration on better coordination between the various actors engaged in humanitarian, stabilization, and development activities in the region; better access to humanitarian assistance for all segments of the population; and dealing with the negative effects of climate change as part of peacebuilding and humanitarian efforts.
“Gordian knot” of issues
On the first day of the conference, Ms. Msuya reminded the people there that the Lake Chad area used to be prosperous and a good place for cross-border trade.
She said that a “Gordian knot” of problems, such as extreme poverty, poor access to essential public services, a lack of trust, rising inequality, corruption, mistrust between religious groups, the fast loss of natural resources, and climate change, had broken the spirit of cooperation.
“There needs to be immediate humanitarian help to save lives and ease the pain caused by this disaster.” But the deputy relief coordinator warned that the region’s wounds wouldn’t heal until we dealt with what caused the crisis in the first place. In the face of an uncertain future, he called for a long-term plan to help people become more resilient.
