I am deeply concerned about the recent attacks on humanitarian operations in Dikwa and Damasak, affecting humanitarian assets and personnel. We have temporarily suspended operations in these areas in order to safely relocate humanitarian staff and are closely monitoring the situation. We intend to resume operations as soon as possible, so that civilians affected by the conflict continue to receive the assistance they need. I condemn in the strongest terms attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure which may constitute violations on International Humanitarian Law.

Abuja, 16 March 2021- Ongoing conflict continues to be the main driver of humanitarian needs in northeast Nigeria, where millions of people have been displaced. Longstanding insecurity and violence, compounded by climate change, and the impact of Covid-19 are increasing the vulnerability of close to nine million people. Close to two million people are internally displaced, while millions of people depend on humanitarian partners for basic services, and up to 5.1 million people are facing hunger in the lean season – the worst outlook in four years. The humanitarian community and the Government of Nigeria officially launched the north-east Nigeria Humanitarian Response Plan for 2021 earlier today. The plan requests US$1 billion to enable partners to provide critical services to the 6.4 million most vulnerable people - amongst a total of 8.7 million people in need of some form of humanitarian assistance in 2021. “The humanitarian crisis in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states, unfortunately, remains one of the largest in the world and continues to have a profound impact on Nigeria and its people, causing untold suffering and deprivation for millions of vulnerable women, men and children. The year 2021 marks the twelfth year of the conflict and the sixth year of the international community working together with the Government of Nigeria to provide humanitarian support,” said the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon. “Last year was a challenging year for vulnerable people in north-east Nigeria.
It was a year marked by a new reality, the COVID-19 pandemic. The socio-economic impact of the pandemic has already diminished the resilience of millions of people, increasing the fragility of those who were already extremely vulnerable,” he added. “The requirements for this 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan reflect a growing need, while we know that the available resources will very likely not be commensurate with those needs”, said the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq. “We are facing additional challenges in terms of security and access for humanitarian partners, which is why we have developed the National Humanitarian Development Peace Framework”, she added.
A combination of escalating conflict, displacement, and disruption to and loss of livelihoods due to COVID19 restrictions, could lead to hunger for millions of Nigerians living in the north-east. As many as 5.1 million people are threatened by acute hunger during the upcoming lean season – the worst outlook in four years. The humanitarian community remains committed to working closely with the Government of Nigeria and local communities to reduce protection risks, provide basic services, including shelter, health, water and sanitation, education, as well as food and nutrition and, moreover, livelihood opportunities. The operation will increasingly seek to identify longer-term or durable solutions for those displaced, restoring dignity, self-reliance and hope for a better future, where possible. “The main thrust of the operation in 2021 will continue to be providing lifesaving and life-sustaining support to people who are displaced, host communities, and others that are affected by the humanitarian crisis”, said Mr. Kallon. “This includes improving the living conditions in camps through decongestion and enhancing the quality of services. We will continue to prioritize prevention, development where feasible and humanitarian assistance where needed. A durable framework to find solution to the crisis in north east Nigeria must promote and implement the humanitarian, development and peace nexus,” he added. “In 2020 the Government took major steps to strengthen its coordination and leadership role and structures at federal and state levels to bring better coherence to addressing humanitarian needs, while laying the foundation for stabilization and development of conflict-affected states,” said the Honourable Minister. “One of these steps includes the inauguration of the National Humanitarian Coordination Committee, which is the highest national advisory body to guide humanitarian activities in the country,” she added. In 2020, only 55 per cent of the required funding for the Humanitarian Response Plan was secured notwithstanding the additional needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic, recording the lowest funding level since the beginning of the joint response. Nevertheless, humanitarian partners reached over five million people with potentially lifesaving services despite funding shortfalls, security challenges and movement restrictions caused by the ongoing violence and the COVID-19 pandemic. Malnutrition was averted for over two million children through their provision with fortified nutritious foods to address or prevent malnutrition, and two million people were reached with protection services, including sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response, enhanced mine awareness, and support in addressing housing land and property concerns. For further information, please contact:
Sandy MAROUN, Public Information Officer, OCHA Nigeria, (+234) 906 227 7205, sandy.maroun@un.org

3 March 2021 BRAZZAVILLE – Africa’s regional know-how, assets and policy expertise will be more systematically channeled to the Resident Coordinators and United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) across the continent as they help countries ensure an inclusive and sustainable transition out of the COVID-19 crisis, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group Amina J. Mohammed stressed as she joined the first annual meeting of the new Regional Collaborative Platform on 2 March 2021. “Today marks the start of the next-generation collaboration approach for the regional UN entities to support African countries to respond and recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic and reignite the Decade of Action for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is aligned with the Africa Union Agenda 2063,” Ms. Mohammed said. The United Nations has been making progress on its sweeping reforms to strengthen its support to countries, leveraging its capacities at all levels. The new Regional Collaborative Platform has responded to the growing need for enhanced UN coordination and regional collaboration in the face of the pandemic and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. It brings together UN regional expertise, capacity and data to provide analytical, policy and operational support to countries. Yesterday’s discussion, attended by regional representatives from the Africa UN development system, focused on high-priority issues for the African continent to recover better from the pandemic and move toward the Sustainable Development Goals. These included accelerating the implementation of the continental free trade agreement; investing in youth and women’s empowerment to help countries reap the benefit of their demographic dividends; advancing home-grown sustainable and scalable technologies and digital solutions; building climate and disaster resilience; and continuing to support the African Union’s “Silencing the Guns” initiative. Across the continent, Resident Coordinators and UNCTs are supporting countries in their access to COVAX vaccines and their socioeconomic response plans. In addition to the pandemic recovery, UN entities will work together to support sustainable development efforts in the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin and the Horn of Africa, and address the resurgence of Ebola, and climate crises with severe damage caused by deadly droughts, cyclones and locust outbreaks. “We are still in a recovery phase for the continent. We need additional resources. Our low- and middle-income countries, as well as small island states, have lost a lot of their resources. They need more fiscal space. They need more revenues. They need additional liquidity to ensure we build forward better,” said Under-Secretary-General Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Although it was a transitional year, the regional UN entities demonstrated evidence of enhanced system-wide collaboration at the regional level. For example, last year, all of them joined forces to launch the Knowledge Management Hub on COVID-19 and shared a business continuity plan with governments to support their e-governance, e-justice and e-commerce for livelihoods, while the Africa e-education strategy was introduced to Resident Coordinators to provide emergency education to more than 100 million African children out of school. “The African region is at a strategic juncture with COVID-19 recovery programmes and investments that we are making to enhance trade. All our efforts will yield desired results only if Africa’s people – our most important resource – feel productive, if they feel valued, if they feel safe, and if they feel secure,” said Assistant Secretary-General Ahunna Eziakonwa, Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa at the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The new platform will engage with the African Union in April and accelerate its effort to deliver on its promise with an impact-oriented focus on implementations. The Regional Collaborative Platform is chaired by the UN Deputy Secretary-General with two Vice-Chairs: Ms. Songwe and Ms. Eziakonwa. Its joint secretariat is comprised of UNECA, UNDP and the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO).                                                                                      ### Notes for correspondents Agenda 2063 is Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future. It is the continent’s strategic framework that aims to deliver on its goal for inclusive and sustainable development. The UN Resident Coordinator system encompasses all organizations of the United Nations system dealing with operational activities for development, regardless of their formal presence in the country. Screenshots of the meeting can be downloaded here (©UNDCO).   Media contacts Hiroyuki Saito, Regional Communications Officer Regional Office for Africa, UN Development Coordination Office saitoh@un.org Maleele Choongo Regional Bureau for Africa, UN Development Programme Maleele.choongo@undp.org    

Abuja, 02 February 2021. The Federal Government of Nigeria in collaboration with the United Nations system in Nigeria, has announced plans to organize series of dialogues across the country towards ensuring resilient, inclusive and sustainable food systems in Nigeria by 2030. This was preparatory to the September 2021 UN Food Systems Summit (FSS) convened by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The National Convenor of Nigeria Food Systems Summit Dialogue (FSSD), and Permanent Secretary, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Olusola Idowu, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday 1 February 2021, during a multi-sectoral, inter-Agency planning meeting for the dialogue. According to her, the food systems dialogues, the first of which holds on 23 February, are based on five action tracks which align with the current developmental priorities of Nigeria, and therefore, immensely contributory to an improved food systems in the country. “The five action tracks”, Mrs. Idowu explained, “include to ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all; Shift to sustainable Consumption Pattern; Boost nature-positive production; Advance equitable livelihood; and build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress.” The National Convenor emphasized that the Nigeria FSSD would be organized at three levels: The Inception National Dialogue, aimed at identifying food systems challenges from multiple perspectives; the Exploratory Dialogues, planned to hold in the six geo-political zones and major cities in Nigeria to harness promising approaches from diverse stakeholders that contribute to food systems in the country; and the Consolidatory Dialogues, aimed to exchange views on the pathway towards sustainable national food system, identify intentions and commitments of different food system actors. Providing some insights, Mrs. Idowu explained that in Nigeria, the Food Systems Dialogue would create more inclusive, healthier food systems, and encourage a collaborative approach towards building a sustainable food systems and enhance the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Edward Kallon, observed that the COVID-19 pandemic had worsened the Nigeria food systems and the food systems dialogues would provide a critical opportunity to tackle the weaknesses that were exposed by the crisis. “We must mobilise human and material resources across the country, and come together to dialogue on how to build back better, the ailing food systems.” He emphasized, “We are all members of the global food system, and we all have a responsibility to act.” Mr Kallon informed that the UN Secretary-General’s Food Systems Summit was designed to galvanise new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems. “It will also enhance food security and sustainability of eco-based Agriculture and food systems around the world.” He added. In November 2020, the Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Food Systems Summit, Amina J. Mohammed, had invited all Member States to engage in the preparation of the Summit through encouraging action-oriented Dialogues, discussing ways to achieve sustainable food systems by 2030.                                                                                                 ####