Some International donors across the world have promised a donation
of $670m for relief operations in the North East of Nigeria affected
by Boko Haram devastation.
This was revealed in Oslo capital of Norway on Friday at the United
Nations Humanitarian Conference on Northeast Nigeria and the Lake Chad
Region.
The United Nations have expressed appreciation to donors for their
pledges aimed at addressing the humanitarian crisis brought about by
years of Boko Haram activities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that donors pledged more than
670 million U.S. dollars at the UN-backed conference, hosted by Norway
in conjunction with Nigeria and Germany to support aid operations in
the region.
At the conference, 14 donors pledged 458 million U.S. dollars for
relief operations in 2017 and an additional 214 million U.S. dollars
was announced for 2018 and beyond.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the pledges and
stressed the need for sustained support to humanitarian, human rights,
development and security needs in the region.
Expressing appreciation for the contributions, the UN Emergency Relief
Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, said apart from devastation left by the
Boko Haram terrorism, the region is also threatened by famine, with
children at high risk of severe acute malnutrition.
“The resources pledged at the conference will help scale up responses
to reach the most vulnerable people with a special attention focused
on the protection needs of women, children and youth, as well as the
need for longer-term support and durable solutions for the displaced
populations.
“Without increased support, affected communities will face a life of
hunger, disease, gender-based violence and continued displacement.
“The UN and our partners are ready and mobilised to further scale up
our life-saving response – the people in the region have no time to
wait,” O’Brien said.
He added that as the international community scales up support, “we
can stop a further descent into an ever-deepening crisis with
unimaginable consequences for millions of people”.
“It is of critical importance also to enhance the protection of women
and girls and ensure that women are involved in processes related to
peace and development in the region, Borge Brende, Foreign Minister of
Norway, also stressed at the conference.
“With today’s pledges, humanitarians can now concentrate on saving
lives and help those in urgent need.
“In the long run, we have to strengthen our partnership with the
countries involved to address the root causes of terror, displacement
and poverty, Sigmar Gabriel, Foreign Minister of Germany, said.
NAN reports that Nigeria’s delegation at the conference was led by the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.
The conference witnessed the participation of no fewer than 170
representatives from 40 countries, UN, regional and civil society
organisations.
It was co-hosted by Norway, Nigeria, Germany and the UN and followed a
civil society meeting with large participation from local
organisations working in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
Stephane Dujarric, the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said
the 672 million U.S. dollars pledges has narrowed the one billion U.S.
dollars humanitarian funding appeal launched for Nigeria’s Northeast
for 2017, which is being revised to about 1.5 billion dollars.
“We’ve now gotten some pledges in Oslo which obviously cover part of
what we talked about earlier this week which does cover northeast
Nigeria,” Mr. Dujarric said. (NAN)
