Tag: UN

UN begs FG to swiftly bring perpetrators of its helicopter attack to book

The United Nations has condemned Boko Haram attack on one of its helicopters in the Damasak area of Borno State.

The incident, which occurred on July 2, led to the death of two persons including a five-year-old child.

The UN, therefore, called on the Federal Government to investigate the attack and “swiftly bring perpetrators to justice”.

In a statement on Saturday entitled ‘Statement on Attack in Damasak, Damage to Aid Helicopter’ and signed by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, the international body said bullets fired by insurgents damaged the chopper and has affected humanitarian works in the North-East.

Kallon said, “I deplore that a UN Humanitarian Air Service helicopter was hit by bullets during the attack. No aid workers were on board at the time and crew members are all safe. My thoughts are also with the crew and I commend them for piloting the chopper back to safety during this critical situation.

“The attack and damage to the helicopter severely affect the ability of aid actors to provide urgently needed assistance to vulnerable people in remote areas across Borno State.

“I strongly condemn any attack against civilians, humanitarian assets or aid workers and call on all armed parties to respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and ensure the protection of civilians, humanitarian property and personnel.

“I call on the Nigerian authorities to reinforce the safety and security of all humanitarian workers.

“I welcome the Government commitment to investigate the attack and swiftly bring to justice the perpetrators.

“I extend my sincere condolences to the families of the civilians who lost their lives in the attack and wish a prompt recovery to those injured.”

July 5, 2020
National Boundary Commission dispels reports of Nigeria, Cameroon ceding territories to create new country

The National Boundary Commission (NBC) on Monday refuted a report making the rounds in the social media on a purported United Nations (UN) arrangement, insinuating Nigeria will cede 24 councils from among some of her States to be merged with other territories in the Republic of Cameroon to form a new state

The commission made the refutal while interacting with newsmen in Abuja, said the report is mischievous and capable of causing panics in the minds of right-thinking Nigerians

Read the full statement from National Boundary Commission (NBC)

“The attention of the National Boundary Commission has been drawn to the news making rounds in the media especially in the social media that based on a purported United Nations (UN) arrangement, Nigeria will cede 24 councils from among some of her States to be merged with other territories in the Republic of Cameroon to form a new state to be known as Ambazonia or UNO State.

The Report is false and there is no iota of truth. It is very misleading, mischievous and capable of causing panics in the minds of right-thinking Nigerians; the National Boundary Commission wishes to make it categorically clear and in unambiguous terms state that there is no truth whatsoever in the report and that there is no arrangement among Cameroon, Nigeria and the United Nations to form any new state from the territories of Nigeria and Cameroon.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had made its territorial boundaries as defined by the delimitation instruments as at the time of independence sacrosanct and not amenable to any form of modification, alteration or adjustment as it is meant to exist as one indivisible nation.

As an update on the Cameroon-Nigeria international Boundary, it can be recalled that the boundary dispute, which culminated into the arbitration by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), was settled with the judgment on 10th October 2002. The boundary dispute that was originally largely on the sovereignty over Bakassi Peninsula was decided with respect to the entire length of the over 2000Km stretch from the Lake Chad Region in the North to the Bakassi Peninsula in the South and a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea.

To implement the judgment of the ICJ, Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the UN met with the President of Cameroon, H.E. Paul Biya and former President of Nigeria, H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo in November, 2002 and worked out modalities on the best ways to achieve the desired result. One of the decisions was to constitute the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC) to drive the process. The Mixed Commission had its maiden meeting in Yaoude, Cameroon in December, 2002 during which programme of activities including constitution of Sub-Commissions to implement each of the activities were constituted.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Head of Mission, United National Office of West Africa and Sahel (UNOWAS) heads the CNMC. Nigeria and Cameroon each have six (6) representatives as members of the CNMC. Presently, the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minster of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN leads Nigeria’s contingent to the CNMC.

The CNMC is expected to amongst others protect the rights of the affected populations and demarcate and delineate the Land and Maritime boundary respectively between the two countries in accordance with the ICJ judgment,

To ease its work, the CNMC established Sub-Commissions to handle the various facets of its assignments as follows:-

SUB-COMMISSION ON AFFECTED POPULATIONS {SCAP}
WORKING GROUP ON WITHDRAWAL OF CIVIL AND MILITARY AUTHORITIES IN THE LAKE CHAD
SUB-COMMISSION ON DEMARCATION {SCD}
In addition to the Sub-Commissions, other Committees established included:
THE JOINT TECHNICAL TEAM {JTT}
WORKING GROUP ON MARITIME BOUNDARY
MIXED COMMISSION OBSERVER GROUP TO LAKE CHAD AREAAND BAKASSI

All the various Sub-Commissions and various Committees have since completed their assignments except the Sub-Commission on demarcation.
As an update, the Sub-Commission on demarcation has constructed a total of 1,344 International Boundary Pillars along the Nigeria-Cameroon boundary between 2009 to date. There are approximately 1,354 remaining pillars to be built.

As it is presently, Their Excellencies, President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and President Paul Biya of Cameroon have approved and remitted sum of $6million to the Trust Fund Account on the Nigeria-Cameroon Boundary Demarcation exercise domiciled with the UN Headquarters in New York to further support the continuation of the demarcation exercise. The United Nations Procurement Department is on the verge of awarding contract on Lot 5 for the construction of additional 355 pillars along the Gotel Mountains of the Nigeria-Cameroon International Boundary, which is scheduled to commence as soon as the two countries have finalized security and safety arrangements, agreed upon at Geneva in 2017.
Nigeria and Cameroon have since outlived the dispute and have in the spirit of African brotherhood collaborated in trans-border activities for the benefit of the populations living along their common boundary.

The National Boundary Commission wishes to call on the Nigerian Press Council and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to investigate the reportage with a view to sanctioning the culprits. It was quite unfortunate and sad that the purveyors chose to deliberately cause the unnecessary anxiety and panic instead of first verifying the authenticity of the story.

It is important to also confirm that the United Nations has since confirmed that it was indeed a fake Report and reiterated that the UN does not and cannot create any State or alter the boundaries of any nation.

June 8, 2020
Christian group calls on ICC, UN to investigate Southern Kaduna ‘genocide’

… says Southern Kaduna now like Rwanda of 1994

A Christian group known as the Christian Rights Agenda (CRA) has called on the United Nations (UN) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague to investigate alleged ongoing killings in Kaduna State.

CRA in a statement by Tom Chiahemen, Interim Director of Publicity, after a consultative meeting in Abuja on Saturday, likened the development to the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

The Christian group lamented the alleged continuous killings and annihilation of indigenous Christians in Kajuru, Chikun and other local government areas of Southern Kaduna.

According to CRA, the attitude of both the federal and the Kaduna state government regarding the situation has been nonchalant, stressing that they cannot be absolved of complicity.

“This is heightened by the fact that both the President of the county and Governor of Kaduna are not only Muslims but have presided over government policies that did not protect the interest of Christians.

“It is time for the Prosecutor of the ICC Ms Fatou Bensouda, to set up a fact-finding panel in order to end the pogrom before it is too late. What is obvious is that the Nigerian state has failed to protect the Southern Kaduna indigenous Christian communities and the situation is deteriorating on daily basis.

“In some instances, villagers have reported sighting helicopter dropping strange people and parcels in the bush which they believed to be weapons for the terrorist ahead of attacks.

“The killings in Southern Kaduna has all the semblance of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The time for the ICC to act is now before it is too late,” the statement read.

The CRA said it had taken Judicial notice of the fact that the Kaduna State Government, under Administration of Governor Nasiru Elrufai, has not only been silent over these killings, neither has he visited any of the destroyed villages nor visited those taking shelter in various Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camps in the area.

The CRA recalled that in February 2019, Governor Elrufai was quick to announce alleged killings in the area where he reeled out unsubstantiated figures that were later disputed by the Police and Army.

“Yet, the same Governor, who, some months ago, visited victims of Banditry in Birnin Gwari and even apologized for his government’s inability to protect the people as the chief security officer of the state, has not found it worthy to do same to Christian dominated Southern Kaduna where indigenous Christians are being killed almost on daily basis, the statement noted.

“Against this background, the CRA is forced to believe or view the ongoing pogrom as nothing but a deliberately orchestrated genocide aimed at exterminating indigenous Christians from their ancestral lands and taking it over by a certain armed ethnic and religious group.

“CRA commends the efforts of the leadership of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union who have been proactive in responding to the needs of these hapless communities by rallying support and distribution of relief materials to the victims.

“Statistical information at the disposal of CRA indicates that from 2018 to date, no fewer than 15,000 Christian children, women, old and young have been maimed and killed by armed groups alleged to be Fulani terrorists in Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue and Taraba states while the Federal and State governments have been unable to protect them.

“This is in addition to another 620 people who have been brutally murdered, according to documents obtained by CRA from The International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law (ISCLRL).

“No fewer than 32,000 Christians have been killed in the last 10years.

“The report also warned that militant Fulani herdsmen and the Boko Haram have intensified their anti-Christian violence in the Middle Belt and Northeast regions of Nigeria with the burning or destroying of Christian centers of worship and learning. In addition, hundreds of homes have been destroyed.

“It is time for all Nigerians, all men and women of goodwill to rise up and speak against this evil which, if left unchecked, will set this country on fire,” the statement noted.

June 8, 2020
SERAP drags Buhari, NASS to UN over cuts in health, UBE budgets, N27bn for renovation

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an urgent appeal to three UN special rapporteurs urging them to use their “mandates to urgently request the Nigerian government and the leadership of the National Assembly to immediately reverse the unlawful, disproportionate and discriminatory budget cuts to education and healthcare, and to stop the authorities from spending N27bn to renovate the National Assembly complex.”

The special rapporteurs are: Ms. Koumbou Boly Barry, Special Rapporteur on the right to education; Mr. Dainius Puras, Special Rapporteur on the right to health; and Mr. Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.

In the revised 2020 budget approved yesterday, the Federal Government reportedly gave the National Assembly N27bn for the renovation of its complex, and cut health, Universal Basic Education budgets by over 50 percent. While the health budget is reduced from N44.4bn to N25.5bn, the UBE budget is reduced from N111.7bn to just N51.1bn.

In the urgent appeal dated June 3, 2020, and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Nigerian authorities are putting politicians’ allowances and comfort before citizens’ human rights. The budget cuts show failure to address the growing economic and social inequality in the country, and to genuinely address the consequences of COVID-19 on the poor and marginalized groups.”

According to SERAP: “Nigeria’s budget deficits are caused by excessive expenditures on politicians’ allowances and mismanagement. Nigerian authorities would only be able to commit to fiscal discipline if they prioritise cutting the allowances of lawmakers and the costs of governance in general, rather than cutting critical funding for healthcare and education.”

SERAP said: “We believe that alternative policies and measures, such as reducing the costs of governance, including the excessive allowances for high-ranking public officials and the lawmakers, would have been a more appropriate solution to addressing budget deficits, as this would increase the available resources for healthcare and education, which in turn would contribute to reducing socio-economic inequality.”

The urgent appeal, read in part: “Nigerian authorities also ought to show that the budget cuts to healthcare and education are necessary and proportionate, in that they must be justifiable after the most careful consideration of all other less restrictive alternatives, for example excessive allowances for Nigerian lawmakers, and excessive costs of governance, in general.”

“According to SERAP’s information, criteria established in international standards have not been duly justified in the implementation of the budget cuts to healthcare and education. Instead, the cuts appear to be discriminatory against those most vulnerable to poverty and exclusion, and are not protective of the minimum core content of several human rights.”

“One of the pillars of the protection of the rights to healthcare and education is the obligation to progressively realize the rights set out in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, making use Nigeria’s maximum of available resources.”

“The budget cuts by Nigerian authorities are therefore of special concern as they directly affect the minimum core content of these rights, and impact directly or indirectly and disproportionally on those individuals already discriminated against or living in most vulnerable situations.”

“The number of Nigerians living in extreme poverty has increased since May 2015. The reduction in healthcare and education budgets would exacerbate the prevailing inequalities, poverty, and create a vicious circle of reduction in spending, and increments in socio-economic inequalities.”

“Without your urgent intervention, the Nigerian government and National Assembly would continue to spend the country’s maximum available resources to satisfy the opulent lifestyles of politicians rather than complying with Nigeria’s international human rights obligations to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights to healthcare and education the poor and marginalized groups.”

“In compliance with article 2.2 of the Covenant, and the provision on progressive realisation of the rights to healthcare and education, States including Nigeria government and the National Assembly should not adopt impermissible retrogressive measure, unless strictly justifiable.”

“Retrogressive measures, meaning taking steps that would reduce the enjoyment of the rights to healthcare and education, are only permissible under certain strict circumstances.”

“SERAP believes that the onus is on the Nigerian government and the National Assembly to demonstrate that their proposed budget cuts will meet all their human rights obligations, notably by ensuring that measures during times of acute economic distress are legitimate, with the ultimate aim of protecting the totality of human rights.”

“SERAP believes that the budget cuts undermine the minimum core content of the rights to healthcare and education, and are discriminatory, in so far as they would increase socio-economic inequalities and undermine the rights of disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups, who will be disproportionately affected by the cuts.”

“The budget cuts are also inconsistent with Nigeria’s commitments to implement Sustainable Development Goals.”

June 4, 2020
Only tough decisions can stop spread of COVID-19 in Africa – UN

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday African countries needed to take difficult decisions to stop the coronavirus pandemic in the continent.

Guterres stated this in an article titled, “Global Solidarity with Africa is an Imperative”, published on the UN news website.

“Many difficult decisions will need to be taken as the pandemic unfolds, and it will be essential to retain the trust and participation of citizens throughout.

“These are still early days for the pandemic in Africa, and disruption could escalate quickly,” he said.

While the pandemic is slowing in parts of Europe and Asia, it is still very much growing globally.

About 106,000 new cases of coronavirus were reported to the World Health Organisation in the past 24 hours – that’s the most since the outbreak began.

Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed the numbers at the WHO regular briefing. Two-thirds of those cases came from just four countries, he said.

The global tally of cases is nearing five million, with more than 324,000 deaths, according to figures collected by Johns Hopkins university.

The U.S. currently has the most cases, with 1.5m, followed by Russia, Brazil and the UK.

The Secretary-General stated that although the continent had responded swiftly to the pandemic and reported fewer cases than feared, “much hangs in the balance”.

According to him, vigilance and preparedness are important, with no fewer than 2,500 lives already claimed by the disease in Africa.

He warned that the virus was a threat to recent progress in the continent in the areas of economic growth, digital revolution and the free trade area agreement.

He predicted that the pandemic would “aggravate long-standing inequalities and heighten hunger, malnutrition and vulnerability to disease”.

Guterres said: “Already, demand for Africa’s commodities, tourism and remittances are declining.

“The opening of the trade zone has been pushed back and millions could be pushed into extreme poverty.

“I commend what African countries have done already, together with the African Union.”

May 21, 2020
COVID-19: Over 25 million Nigerians risk infection; over 900k deaths projected

Except for the flattening of the epicurve of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria, given the frequency of new cases in the country, over 25 million people are at risk of contracting the dreadful virus, with about 900 thousand among those infected projected to die from the disease.

As the COVID-19 continues the rapid spread across the country, data released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) indicate that as of 2nd of May, a sample population of 16,588 have been tested since the outbreak of the virus in the country on 27th February.

Between February and March of COVID-19 outbreak in the country, there were 139 confirmed cases of the disease in the country. However, by the end of April, that number more than quadrupled. With the 238 and 220 cases confirmed on 1st and 2nd of May respectively, there are now 2,388 confirmed cases from the sample population of 16,588.

The sample population tested and the cases that turned out positive show an infection rate of 14.4% in the population. Of the 2,388 positive cases, 3.6%, being 85 cases ended up dying; 16.1%, being 385 cases have been discharged, with 80.3%, 1,918 cases actively receiving attention in facilities across the country.

With the population of Nigeria currently pegged at over 200,000,000 based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data and given the 14.4% frequency of new COVID-19 cases in the country, the spread of the virus could reach over 25 million Nigerians.

The alarming projection means that, regardless of whether the government is easing lockdown or not, Nigerians should observe measures put in place to curb the disease.

Even, governments have said not because the disease stopped spreading was the reason for the easing of lockdown measures, but for economic reasons.

So, Nigerians had better understand what is at hand and be very careful.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 (PTFCOVID19) had said improved capacity for testing and contact tracing is responsible for the growing number of new cases, but with community spread already ongoing viz a viz the easing of lockdown measures, there are fears that the situation could worsen.

According to Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General of NCDC, two million Nigerians have been targetted for testing in the next three months. He disclosed that the two million targets would come to about 50,000 per state which he said was a very ambitious target.

Ihekweazu, however, warned that Nigerians should avoid all non-essential travel because the virus was now in more States across the country. He called on Nigerians to limit transmission in the country by discouraging inter-State travels.

“The NCDC Laboratory Strategic Group has set itself a target of testing two million people across Nigeria in the next three months. We are lagging behind in testing in Nigeria but now we have to catch up. We will need the support of all the States. It doesn’t fly about on its own from State to State; it is carried by humans,” the NCDC DG said.

The DG had also disclosed that about 90 per cent of all COVID-19 patients would recover irrespective of medical intervention. He noted that a larger percentage of infected persons actually recovered from the infection than many other viral illnesses, saying “so, there is no reason to be despondent”.

According to an Abuja-based Public Health Specialist, Dr Laz Eze, recorded cases in Nigeria were still rising and yet to peak.

He urged Nigerians to adhere to preventive measures as the Federal Government eased the lockdown directives.

He said the measures had been prescribed to minimise person to person contact to avoid an explosive spread of the virus.

“Nigerians need to understand that the virus has altered the way we live and things may never be the same again in the near future.

“The virus is probably in every state of the country; though two states are yet to report cases probably due to no testing. So everyone everywhere in Nigeria is at risk,” Eze told NAN on Sunday in an interview.

He, however, said that Nigerians should continue to adhere strictly to the guidelines made available by the PTFCOVID-19 and the NCDC.

He urged those who should keep working from home to continue to do so.

“People should avoid crowded taxis, buses or places. Regular hand washing with soap and running water should be sustained. Offices and markets should make hand washing facilities available. Everyone leaving their homes should use a face mask.

“I feel schools and religious houses should remain closed. Government should keep providing palliatives especially to the most vulnerable in the society. Small businesses should be supported to get back on track,” he said.

He called on Nigerians to believe and spread only information from official channels in order to avoid misinformation.

Eze added that everyone should take personal responsibility and play their parts so as to help end the pandemic.

May 3, 2020
COVID-19: UN sounds alarm of global hunger

The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.

The impact of lost tourism revenues, falling remittances and travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic are expected to leave some 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to around 135 million already in that category.

“COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread,” said Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the World Food Programme (WFP).

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have hit nearly 2.5 million globally.

Businesses are coping with lost revenue and disrupted supply chains as factory shutdowns and quarantine measures spread across the globe, restricting movement and commerce.

Unemployment is skyrocketing, while policymakers across countries race to implement fiscal and monetary measures to alleviate the financial burden on citizens and shore up economies under severe strain.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 9 April said the coronavirus pandemic had instigated an economic downturn the likes of which the world has not experienced since the Great Depression.

On 15 April, the IMF warned economies in Asia would see no growth this year, for the first time in 60 years, with the service sector particularly under pressure.

April 21, 2020
COVID-19: FG receives medical equipment from UN

The Federal Government has taken delivery of the various medical equipment donated by the UN to aid Nigeria’s efforts at combating coronavirus scourge in the country.

Mr James Odaudu Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation who made this known in a statement issued in Abuja, said the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika took delivery of the equipment on Tuesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.

Sirika took delivery of the equipment on behalf of Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.

The minister expressed the appreciation of the Nigerian government to the UN and Allied Air Cargo for transporting the equipment free of charge to Abuja.

Sirika said the equipment, which included, among other things, 50 ventilators, will go a long way in boosting the nation’s capacity to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic

April 15, 2020
UN quality COVID-19 humanitarian aid is Americans’ generosity -Secretary Pompeo

By Dayo Benson Editor Politics, Law&Human Rights New York

United States has described the high quality COVID-19 aid being delivered around the world by the United Nations, UN,humanitarian and relief agencies as the generosity ofAmerican people.

This revelation came as the U.S. and other countries around the globe continue to combat the contagious Coronavirus disease. Already, U.S. has the highest infection rate in thee world.

Department of State Office of Spokesperson, stated this in a Fact Sheet titled “The U.S. Role in International Organizations’ Response to COVID-19.”

The UN humanitarian and relief agencies agencies that received such assistance from the U.S. include WHO, UNICEF, WFP and UNHCR.

The Fact Sheet added that U.S. monetary assistance and in-kind contributions were indispensable to the effort to combat COVID-19.

“Whenever you see high quality, effective COVID-19 aid being delivered around the world by UN humanitarian and relief agencies, what you are seeing is the generosity of the American people and those who share our humanitarian values. We are by far the largest contributors to organizations like the UN Children’s Fund and the World Food Program because we believe in effective multilateralism that is focused on helping those in need, not scoring political points. This is what true global leadership looks like” , said Secretary of State, Micheal Pompeo, in the statement.

Full text of the Fact Sheet read:

“The United States is by far the most generous and reliable contributor to crisis response and humanitarian action through the United Nations and dozens of international organizations. U.S. assistance, monetary and in-kind contributions, expertise and technology, are indispensable to the effort to combat COVID-19. Examples include:

U.S. Support to the World Health Organization (WHO)

The United States has been the largest supporter of the World Health Organization since its creation in 1948. U.S. contributions to WHO in 2019 exceeded $400 million, almost double the 2nd largest member state contribution. China, in contrast, contributed $44 million.

WHO is coordinating the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is on the ground in 149 countries around the world. This broad-based effort would not be possible without U.S. support. The United States and other significant partners, such as Great Britain, Germany, Japan, and the Gates Foundation, have invested for decades in WHO’s emergency preparedness, response capacity, and expertise.

U.S. Support to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF was one of the first organizations to provide aid to the Chinese people during the COVID-19 pandemic. On January 29, for instance, UNICEF delivered 6 metric tons of respiratory masks and protective suits for health workers to Shanghai, for distribution in Wuhan.

This effort would not have been possible without U.S. support. In 2019, the U.S. contributed more than $700 million to UNICEF, compared to China’s $16 million for UNICEF programs.

UNICEF is engaged in emergency actions in dozens of countries across the globe to provide critical medical supplies, expand water, sanitation and hygiene services, and educate about means of preventing the spread of the virus.

The United States continues to work vigorously with UNICEF to promote the health and well-being of children around the world.

U.S. Support to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)

Refugee populations are uniquely vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, and U.S. support to UNHCR is unmatched.

In 2019, the United States contributed nearly $1.7 billion to UNHCR, making it clear that we care about human suffering no matter where it occurs. China contributed $1.9 million.

U.S. Support to the World Food Program (WFP)

The World Food Program, through its Humanitarian Response Department, has sent more than 85 shipments to 74 countries to assist in COVID-19 responses, including 1.4 million units of personal protection equipment such as health kits.

In 2019, the United States provided 42% of WFP’s $8 billion in resources, making the U.S. the largest contributor, and four times the next largest member state donation. The PRC provided just $30 million.

Even in the midst of the pandemic, WFP maintains its goal to reach 86 million food insecure people this year – thanks to American funding and food grown by American farmers.”

April 3, 2020
COVID-19: UN launches emergency response in North East, IDPs camps

The United Nations (UN) has announced plans to begin an emergency response in the North East region of Nigeria to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the region.

A statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, quoted Mr Edward Kallon, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria as saying that the displaced persons had already suffered enough and should not be left to suffer the effect of the pandemic.

He said the response would focus on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, adding that the UN office said that it wanted to be ready to curb the pandemic in the event that it spreads to any of the states.

“We will not wait for COVID-19 to reach camps for internally displaced persons before we act.

“They have already suffered enough from the decade-long conflict and our priority is to ensure the continuous delivery of life-saving assistance, especially health services, to the most vulnerable women, children and the elderly who need special attention.

“More than ever, it is crucial for vulnerable people to have access to not only water, soap, shelters, but also food, education and protection,” he said.

Kallon noted that the UN in Nigeria was supporting the governments of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states in developing emergency response plans that take the reality of the living conditions in many communities and IDP camps into account.

The mitigation measures, according to the UN body would also focus more on overcrowded camps and camp-like settings where the risk of disease outbreaks is higher.

Kallon said that the UN and its humanitarian partners, were actively involved in Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) in IDP sites across the three states in support of both the national and state emergency management agencies.

“Humanitarian partners are installing hand-washing stations in IDP camps, ensuring supply of clean water, distributing soap and teaching women how to produce their own.

“The United Nations is also planning to bring in vital health equipment and tools to prevent and treat the respiratory virus, which is now affecting over 12 states across Nigeria.

“The UN has developed awareness-raising and prevention messages, leaflets, posters, animations and videos specific for IDPs and other vulnerable people in the north-east.

“In partnership with major TV and radio channels, it has launched sensitization campaigns across various Nigerian states, reaching millions of Nigerians,” Kallon said.

He disclosed that the UN was also launching a survey tool with the Network of People Living with HIV (NEPWHAN) to gather specific and arising challenges for people living with HIV on continuous access to quality treatment, care and support in the midst of the response to the outbreak of COVID-19.

April 1, 2020