ReliefWeb

About

The Humanitarian Needs Overview 2022 for the Central African Republic was consolidated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team and other humanitarian partners. It presents a common understanding of the crisis in the Central African Republic, including the most pressing humanitarian needs and the estimated number of people in need of assistance and protection. The report provides an important basis to help guide joint strategic planning of the humanitarian response in 2022. This document presents a summary version of the Humanitarian Needs Overview 2022 in English. The original report in French can be downloaded at: bit.ly/HNO2022

Part 1: Summary – A humanitarian emergency not seen since 2015

The humanitarian emergency in the Central African Republic has reached levels not seen since 2015 due to the new conflict dynamics observed since December 2020. In 2022, 3.1 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection, 63 per cent of the population. Of these, 2.2 million people have needs that are so complex and severe, that their physical and mental well-being is at risk. This is an increase of 16 per cent, or 300,000 more people in severe humanitarian needs compared to 2021.

Recurring violence, persistent shocks and the degradation of basic services have significantly worsened the living conditions of Central Africans in 2021. At the same time, people’s resilience continues eroding under the weight of successive crises and economic recession, forcing nearly the entire population to adopt negative coping mechanisms.

These are the findings of a joint multisectoral analysis and an unprecedented consultation effort undertaken by the humanitarian community with the people in need, published in the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) 2022 for the Central African Republic. The affected people were at the heart of the analysis, with 17,300 households interviewed, including in the most remote corners of the country. The interviews shed light on how the current crisis affects people’s living conditions, services and access, and inform about people’s priority needs.

Exacerbation of needs

The number of human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law has increased as their nature has changed, with new risks to civilians such as explosive devices or the stigmatisation of entire communities, significantly increasing protection needs. The constant sense of insecurity is startling: three quarters of people are concerned about the safety of their family members. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) has increased by 30 per cent compared to 2020 and sexual violence is considered the main security risk for women and girls.
The sectors with the largest number of people in need in 2022 are water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH); health care; protection; and food security, with between 2.4 and 2.8 million people needing assistance to access basic services and goods essential for survival. Of all sectors, the need for WASH has increased the most since 2021, with 12 per cent or 300,000 more people needing assistance to access clean water and sanitation facilities. The risk of diseases and malnutrition has risen as fast as access to water decreased. In the context of the conflict, food insecurity has worsened due to reduced access to fields, market disruptions and the decline in agricultural production, the main source of livelihoods.

Solid basis for the humanitarian response

To meet people’s needs in 2022, humanitarian actors in collaboration with the Central African government elaborate a common strategy to guide their interventions, based on the insights of the HNO 2022. This strategy is detailed in the Humanitarian Response Plan 2022 for the Central African Republic.

Thanks to generous donor contributions, as of 13 December 2021, the Humanitarian Response Plan 2021 was funded at 86 per cent of the US$ 444.8 million required. From January to September 2021, humanitarian partners provided lifesaving, multisectoral assistance to 1.7 million people – 94 per cent of the people targeted in the response plan despite the increasingly volatile security context. Humanitarian partners are counting on donors to remain committed and enable humanitarian workers to meet ever-growing needs in the Central African Republic in 2022.