UNITED NATIONS LAUNCHES $92 MILLION APPEAL FOR SAHEL

 

DAKAR/GENEVA/ NEW YORK, 28 March (OCHA) -- The United Nations today launched an appeal for nearly $92 million to meet food and nutritional requirements in the Sahel, which is one of the world’s poorest regions.

This new request covers the four Sahelian countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and the Niger, and includes 22 projects in the areas of agriculture, food, nutrition and health.  The programmes will be implemented by seven United Nations agencies -- the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) -- and the non-governmental organization Afrique verte.

“We cannot wait for thousands of people, the majority of them women and children, to die of hunger or malnutrition to react”, stated Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa.

In spite of a good harvest, the countries of the Sahel, which experienced a food and nutrition crisis in 2004/2005, are preparing for a difficult new lean season this year (April to October).  Many households are already vulnerable due to the impact of past crises; for example, many are still paying off debts incurred during last year’s crisis.

“2005 was one of the most difficult years the Sahel has experienced.  The countries affected will not be able to recover immediately, but we must do everything possible to ensure that the vulnerable populations do not experience yet another period of misery,” said Christine Van Nieuwenhuyse, Deputy Director of WFP’s regional office in West Africa.

In the countries of the Sahel, the first victims of malnutrition are the children; according to studies conducted by UNICEF, children under three years of age are the most vulnerable.

“This year, malnutrition will be the cause of death for more than 300,000 children in the Sahel if the necessary measures are not taken in time.  We know what must be done, but we need the resources to do so immediately”, declared Théophane Nikyema, Deputy Director of UNICEF’s regional office.

Today’s appeal revises the 2006 Consolidated Appeal for West Africa, originally launched in November 2005, which requested $145 million.

For further information, contact:  OCHA, Dakar:  Maya Siblini, e-mail:  siblini@un.org; or Katy Thiam, e-mail:  thiamk@un.org, at tel.:  +221 867 2750;  OCHA, New York:  Stephanie Bunker, e-mail:  bunker@un.org, tel.:  +1 917 367 5126, mobile:  +1 917 892 1679; or Kristen Knutson, e-mail:  knutson@un.org, tel.:  +1 917 367 9262; OCHA, Geneva:  Elisabeth Byrs, e-mail:  byrs@un.org, tel.:  +41 22 917 2653, mobile:  +41 79 473 4570; WFP:  Marcus Prior, e-mail:  marcus.prior@wfp.org; or Stefania Trassari, e-mail:  stefania.trassari@wfp.org, at tel.:  +221 842 7248; and UNICEF:  Yves Willemot, e-mail:  ywillemot@unicef.org; or Kent Page, e-mail:  kpage@unicef.org, at tel.:  +221 869 5858.

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For information media • not an official record