USD 7 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to meet the needs in Gao, Kidal, and Mopti in northern Mali

Andrew Steffens in Mali

Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, on December 30 approved an allocation of $7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to emergency responders in central and northern Mali.

The funds will help provide life-saving assistance to 423,000 people in need, including displaced persons, refugees and host communities in the Gao, Kidal and Mopti areas affected by the loss of life. security and multifaceted conflict.

From January to December 2022, northern Mali faced increasing population displacements, with more than 72,500 people newly displaced as a result of clashes between rival armed groups, conflicts between groups community and military operations of the armed forces. mainly in the Central (Mopti and Ségou) and Northern (Gao, Ménaka, Timbuktu, Taoudénit and Kidal) regions and parts of the South.

An update to the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in August 2022 found that of the 263 IDP sites assessed, the living conditions of IDPs have deteriorated and their accessibility to social services has deteriorated. Poor basic opportunities make them very vulnerable.

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Mali, Mr. Alain Noudéhou, appreciated this emergency allocation as “the expression of a renewed commitment by the international community to mobilize and act promptly so that vital humanitarian assistance reaches the people in the need “.

As climate change has accelerated the vulnerability of the conflict-affected populations for the past decade in Mali, the Humanitarian Coordinator said he will continue “to plead for donors and partners to remain committed in Mali by granting more flexible funds to help bridge financial gaps for the humanitarian response and development programmes”

This new CERF allocation for 2022 will help fund five projects for one-year multisectoral assistance in education and protection, access to water and hygiene and sanitation for displaced children affected by the crisis and victims of violations (implemented by UNICEF), holistic and integrated assistance for Gender-Based Violence (GBV) survivors and the promotion of sexual and reproductive health in the regions of Center and North (implemented by UNFPA), multidimensional support for the restoration of civil documentation for internally displaced persons (implemented by IOM), access to improved emergency shelter and non-food items for internally displaced persons (implemented by UNHCR), and medical and psychological assistance to the flood-affected populations and violence-hit communities in the regions of Gao, Kidal, and Mopti (implemented by WHO).

The CERF allocation of 7 million arrives to increase the emergency humanitarian response in the context of exacerbation of the human impact of the crisis, with only 38% of the funding required for the humanitarian response plan 2022 received as of December 2022. In 2022, humanitarian partners reached over 3,5 million people in need with multisectoral assistance, in mutualizing their resources and efforts.

The CERF is a humanitarian funding mechanism established in 2006 by the United Nations General Assembly and is managed by OCHA to enable a more rapid and effective response to the vital needs of populations affected by natural disasters, armed conflicts, or underfunded crises.