UN unfolds humanitarian response plan for 2020

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Edward Kallon, has said that the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is to maintain strategic directions to achieve three objectives in Northeast.

According to him; the objectives include saving lives, equitable access to multi-sector assistance and protection to strengthened resilience of victims of armed conflicts.

Kallon in a statement Wednesday in Maiduguri disclosed: “The 2020 HRP; is to save lives by providing timely and integrated multi-sector assistance and protection intervention to the most vulnerable.”

He added:  there will be unhindered and equitable access to multi-sector assistance and protection interventions through principled humanitarian action.

He said the response plan, will also promote early recovery and voluntary and safe solutions to displacement and support social cohesion.

While lamenting operational constraints, Kallon warned: “The humanitarian community anticipates that the operational constraints that hampered effective response in 2019 will continue or worsen in 2020.”

He noted that populations living in inaccessible areas in Borno and Yobe states; will be targeted in line with risk analysis and monitoring framework of plan.

“We’re therefore targeting 5.9 million people out of 7.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states,” he said, adding that this indicated a reduction of five per cent from last year’s target.

Continued; “Of the 5.9 million, over 71 per cent need short-term assistance to address their acute physical and mental well-being and living standard needs.”

Kallon assured that the response will adapt to the dynamic, complex, and rapidly evolving operational environment in the insurgency affected states of northeast.

He also expected the Federal Government the responsibility of providing urgent life-saving assistance to victims of conflict.

According to him, the three insurgency affected states, are characterised by rising insecurity, driving waves of new displacements, deepening food insecurity and malnutrition.

He said that there are widespread protection concerns and rights violations; adding that; “the constricted humanitarian space has also reduced access that hampered effective delivery of humanitarian assistance.”