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Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP): Appeal 2007 for West Africa

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Benín
+ 14
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OCHA
Fecha de publicación


1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Far too many of the 250 million citizens of the West African sub-region continue to live in high levels of vulnerability, subjected to a range of natural and man-made disasters. While the overall humanitarian situation has improved over the past year, particularly in areas where problems no longer amount to a humanitarian crisis such as Liberia, Togo and Niger – not least due to increased capacities to respond – there are still unacceptable levels of human distress and suffering caused by malfunctioning political systems, under-nutrition, forced displacement, floods, epidemics, and more.

It is widely understood that many of the threats to the human security environment in West Africa easily cross borders. The complexity, diversity and trans-national nature of issues at stake require strong efforts in regional coordination and cooperation among humanitarian agencies as well as specific outreach to non-humanitarian actors involved in development, conflict mitigation and post-conflict activities.

Devoting resources and time to promote system-wide and coordinated response with a region-based perspective has slowly become the modus operandi of the humanitarian community in West Africa. Since 2000, the donor community has invested US$ 25 million in facilitating humanitarian coordination in West Africa alone. This continuous and sustained support is starting to pay off as key humanitarian stakeholders have reached a strategic agreement on three priority trans-national humanitarian issues that must be addressed in West Africa in the years to come:

  • Food Security and Nutrition in the Sahel;
  • Rapid Response to Health Crises;
  • Protection and Population Movements.


Food Security and Nutrition in the Sahel: The situation and the future of children in the Sahel continue to be critical with an estimated 300,000 children dying every year from causes related to under-nutrition. External shocks of a scale that might have only minor effects elsewhere, such as floods, locust invasions or slightly sub-normal rainfall, in the Sahel can significantly damage livelihoods and increase vulnerability for years to come. From a humanitarian standpoint it remains imperative to continue to save lives and strengthen livelihoods in 2007, while developing appropriate exit strategies in consultation with development actors, and finding ways to implement them as quickly as possible.

Rapid Response to Health Crises: West Africa's epidemiological profile is marked by the predominance of endemic and epidemic communicable diseases such as cholera, meningitis and yellow fever, which every year claim scores of lives and cause extensive human suffering and distress. With very weak capacities to address the issue at both national and international levels, the risk of outbreak is high and conditions for rapid spread of communicable diseases are often present. A range of international organisations provide extensive support to national health systems. But access to and availability of performing and affordable health care services, as a basic human right, are not granted to large numbers of most vulnerable people from rural communities. As such, the recurrent health emergencies in West Africa need considerable and sustainable efforts both in terms of coordination and resource mobilisation.

Protection and Population Movements: West Africa continues to witness interdependent conflicts and humanitarian crises which erupt simultaneously or fuel each other and cause movements of populations in need of assistance and protection. Developments in the Casamance and in Guinea-Bissau in 2006 again underlined the importance of being able to quickly provide efficient and targeted humanitarian aid to those fleeing armed conflict. The volatile situation in Côte d'Ivoire is of particular concern in this regard as it impacts surrounding countries already facing other crises or fragile recovery processes. During the Protection of Civilians Workshop held in Côte d'Ivoire on 12-13 October 2006 it was underlined by participating governmental, civil society and international organisations that the existing political stalemate has given rise to a steadily deteriorating situation of protection of civilians which is worse than during times of open conflict, not least due to the lack of access to justice. Similarly, in the Mano River Union (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia), years of conflict and instability have led to a situation rife with impunity, trafficking, youth unemployment, deficient local governance, weak health and other basic infrastructures and services, lack of access to land and shelter, and social insecurity; children, women and men are exposed to lawlessness and increasing disregard for human life and human rights.

The West Africa Consolidated Appeal Process is slowly but steadily becoming a system-wide regional humanitarian framework for stronger collaboration among key actors actively addressing human suffering in one of the poorest regions in the world. Increased commitment at all levels to the elaboration of the most useful and efficient ways forward for cost-efficient, flexible and strategically guided solutions is reflected in the growing engagement and pro-active participation of agencies, donors and West African governmental structures in the process.

Addressing the challenges that lie ahead for 2007 will require continued commitment not only from the donor community – which with increasing generosity has been giving to vulnerable populations in West Africa – but from all stakeholders throughout the year to follow through on strategic monitoring and ensure:

  • Early warning of impeding crises;
  • Further strengthening of preparedness and facilitation of joint programming and response;
  • Sharpening evidence based advocacy; and
  • Sustaining policy dialogue with non-humanitarian partners.

This year's consolidated appeal for West Africa includes projects from 21 international United Nations and non-governmental organisations and has been developed with the participation of over 30 different organisations, including the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and donor representatives. Following consultations in Dakar in September 2006, regional thematic working groups have in consultation with country teams consolidated response plans and reviewed projects to ensure coherence in the strategic framework. This has led to a total of 65 projects presented by the 21 organisations which amount to a total of $309 million.

Note: The increase in the amount requested for the West Africa CAP 2007 is in part explained by the integration of remaining humanitarian needs in Liberia and Guinea which were covered last year by their respective country appeals. The $309 million requested for 2007 for humanitarian actions in West Africa are only complemented by the Côte d'Ivoire appeal and cover response, coordination and advocacy activities for saving lives and strengthening livelihoods in West Africa along the strategic objectives outlined in the above mentioned themes.


Table: Requirements and Contributions per year of earlier Regional CAPs in West Africa
Year
Requirements $
Contributions $
% Covered
Other Humanitarian Funding $
2006
245,603,282
212,569,839
87%
10,110,450
2005
202,225,088
140,149,648
69%
58,608,584
2004
97,321,303
57,527,765
59%
12,212,821
2003
90,891,786
49,321,836
55%
7,272,354
Total
636,041,459
459,569,088
72%
88,204,209

TABLE I. SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS BY THEME
Consolidated Appeal: West Africa 2007
List of Appeal Projects (grouped by Theme), with funding status of each
as of 15 November 2006
http://www.reliefweb.int/fts
Compiled by OCHA on the basis of information provided by the respective appealing organisation.
Theme
Original Requirements (US$)
Cross Thematic
5,740,510
Food Security and Nutrition
102,275,006
Integrated Rapid Response to Health Emergencies
10,640,652
Protection and Population Movements
190,425,507
Grand Total
309,081,675
The list of projects and the figures for their funding requirements in this document are a snapshot as of 15 November 2006. For continuously updated information on projects, funding requirements, and contributions to date, visit the Financial Tracking Service (www.reliefweb.int/fts).

TABLE II. SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS BY SECTOR

Table III: Consolidated Appeal for West Africa 2007
Summary of Requirements -by Sector
as of 15 November 2006
http://www.reliefweb.int/fts
Compiled by OCHA on the basis of information provided by the respective appealing organisation.
Sector Name
Original Requirements (US$)
AGRICULTURE
24,926,460
COORDINATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES
14,029,260
FOOD
125,026,018
HEALTH
39,267,819
MULTI-SECTOR
91,596,988
PROTECTION/HUMAN RIGHTS/RULE OF LAW
14,035,130
WATER AND SANITATION
200,000
Grand Total
309,081,675
The list of projects and the figures for their funding requirements in this document are a snapshot as of 15 November 2006. For continuously updated information on projects, funding requirements, and contributions to date, visit the Financial Tracking Service (www.reliefweb.int/fts).

2. 2006 IN REVIEW

Developments in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger in 2006 showed again that while the well-being of young children is an extremely difficult and complex issue in the Sahel which must be addressed within the framework of a longer-term strategy, it is indeed possible to respond in the short term to the needs of those suffering from under-nutrition and to save scores of young Sahelian lives with targeted and high-quality actions. In spite of the good results of the 2005-2006 harvest and the positive outlook for the 2006-2007 harvest, many of the structural problems will take years to resolve. Moreover, key food insecurity and under nutrition indicators continue to confirm an emergency is ongoing in young children in the Sahel, the area in the world with the highest child mortality and malnutrition rates in the world.

2006 has been an important year for the young children of the Sahel to the extent that attention has continued to be drawn to the issue of under nutrition and although current efforts are only part of a long history of addressing development issues in the Sahel, there is less and less willingness to accept the situation as normal. Alongside extremely high prices in 2005 and consequently limited purchasing power of households, there was little to no signs of a significantly different situation in terms of the nutrition situation of young children in the Sahel in 2006 compared to 2005. Early warning analysis in Niger were showing vulnerability levels almost as critical as last year and pockets of severe food insecurity reappeared, as the peak of the lean season proved difficult in localised areas across all four countries.

However, the rising attention to the situation in the Sahel and the increase in funding and in humanitarian capacities in Niger from July 2005 to July 2006 has allowed for a more appropriate and effective response than that seen in 2005, and over 300,000 children have so far been taken care of in nutrition feeding centres throughout the country.

In Burkina Faso the latest Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) from 2003 showed a prevalence of wasting (acute malnutrition) of 19% and a prevalence of stunting (chronic malnutrition) of 39% among children under five years old. Support to the Government in addressing the issue has been provided within the framework of the CAP, but from a regional perspective it remains clear that Burkina Faso is among the priority countries in this regard given the high levels of under nutrition, the scarcity of surveillance and assessments, and the inadequacy of program response.

The situation in Côte d'Ivoire remains volatile and as it becomes increasingly clear that the deadline for holding free and fair elections will not be met, hope is dwindling for a return in 2007 of the estimated 700,000 persons who remain displaced within the country, and the many more that have fled to neighbouring countries since late 2002. The increasingly UN-hostile environment in Côte d'Ivoire was in 2006 underlined by the incidents in January in Guiglo in western Côte d'Ivoire where some 500 UN peacekeepers and humanitarian staff were forced to leave the town during riots which targeted UN, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and NGO offices and staff. The Toxic Waste Crisis in August and September that led the Government to step down, the disruption of political dialogues and disarmament processes also highlights the high levels of risk and vulnerability that the populations of Côte d'Ivoire are subjected to after four years of crisis.

On a more positive note, changes in the humanitarian environment in Côte d'Ivoire also include the activation of the cluster approach in late August 2006 for the protection of the estimated 700,000 internally displaced persons under the leadership of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This is expected to lead to clearer division of roles and responsibilities and allow for better monitoring and response related to the considerable protection issues on the humanitarian agenda in Côte d'Ivoire.

The situation in the Mano River Union (MRU) is marked by cautious optimism and 2007 will be the first year in 11 years where neither Guinea, Sierra Leone nor Liberia launches a consolidated humanitarian appeal to the international community. In particular Liberia's humanitarian situation and political climate has witnessed significant improvements in 2006. A new Government has been installed following free and fair elections, former President Charles Taylor is in the Hague facing charges of war crimes, over 100,000 ex-combatants have been demobilised, former armed factions disbanded, parliamentary elections completed, and well over a quarter of a million Internally Displaced People (IDPs) have been given assistance to return home in safety and dignity. However, despite these positive developments, the majority of the Liberian population remains without access to adequate basic services including healthcare, drinking water, shelter and education and high levels of vulnerability and insecurity persist.

With the expiration of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) in December 2005, the mission was transformed into the United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) composed of 250 solders in charge of protection of the Special Court in Sierra Leone. In Guinea, with the gradual departure of Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees, the majority of humanitarian organisations are in the process of phasing out. Concerns are, however, being raised over increased vulnerability among the general Guinean population and humanitarian actors are drawing attention to the many social indicators very similar to countries emerging from a prolonged war which only seem to be getting worse and worse: 52% of the population lived below the poverty line in 2005 compared to 40% in 1995 (Common Country Assessment [CCA] 2006–2011); Mortality is as high as in 1999; maternal mortality is high: with 524 deaths (Enquête Démographique et de Santé [EDS]) per 100,000 live births. Morbidity and malnutrition rates are also on the increase and 28% of the population is at risk of becoming food insecure while an estimated 16% can hardly afford a meal per day.

Slight progress has also continued in relation to the situation of Togolese refugees who fled to neighbouring Ghana and Benin in April 2005. As of August 2006 some 16,500 refugees remain in Ghana and Benin, including 6,000 at the Agame refugee camp near the Benin-Togo border, according to the UNHCR and the Togolese High Commissioner for Repatriation and Humanitarian Action (HCRHA). An estimated other 4,000 are living with relatives in Cotonou, Benin.

In Guinea Bissau and Senegal the fragile human security environment took a turn for the worse in March 2006 when armed confrontations between a faction of the Mouvement des Forces Démocratiques de la Casamance (MFDC) and the Guinea Bissau army unfolded along the western part of the border with Senegal. Since national and international capacities to respond were quickly depleted, a Flash Appeal was launched to address the needs of IDPs and host communities over a period of six months. Since, fighting has moved north to the Senegalese side of the Gambian border and humanitarian partners are assisting both internally displaced in Senegal and refugees who have fled across the border to The Gambia.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  • TABLE I. SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS BY THEME
  • TABLE II. SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS BY SECTOR
  • TABLE III. SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS BY APPEALING ORGANISATION


2. 2006 IN REVIEW

  • ILLUSTRATION: FUNDING LEVELS OF CONSOLIDATED APPEALS IN WEST AFRICA IN 2006


3. THE 2007 COMMON HUMANITARIAN ACTION PLAN

  • 3.1 THE CONTEXT AND ITS HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES
  • 3.2 SCENARIOS
  • 3.3 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
  • 3.4 RESPONSE PLANS


4. STRATEGIC MONITORING PLAN

5. CRITERIA FOR PRIORITISATON OF PROJECTS

6. SUMMARY: STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

  • TABLE IV. LIST OF APPEAL PROJECTS BY THEME
  • TABLE V. LIST OF PROJECTS BY APPEALING ORGANISATION


ANNEX I. DONOR RESPONSE TO THE 2006 APPEAL

ANNEX II. ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

Note: The full text of this appeal is available on-line in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format and may also be downloaded in zipped MS Word format.

Volume 1 - Full Original Appeal [pdf* format] [zipped MS Word format]
Volume 2 - Projects [pdf* format] [zipped MS Word format]

* Get the Adobe Acrobat Viewer (free)

For additional copies, please contact:

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Palais des Nations
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
CH - 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

Tel.: (41 22) 917.1972
Fax: (41 22) 917.0368
E-Mail: cap@reliefweb.int

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.