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A CALL FOR FUNDING

WEST AND CENTRAL NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT.

KEY MESSAGES DEEPENING FOOD SECURITY AND NU- TRITION CRISIS IN West Africa is facing an unprecedented level of food insecuri- ty – 31 million people are projected to have insufficient food Greater West Africa (including all member states of ECOWAS, , stocks during the upcoming lean season (May – August), a , Chad and the ) is facing the highest level of figure which is 28% higher than 2020, which already marked a acute food insecurity since 2014. More than 31 million in the region will not record-high level of food insecurity. have sufficient food to meet their consumption needs1 during the upcoming lean 2 Without an immediate response, millions will face extreme season (May - August) . human suffering, in particular those already experiencing acute food insecurity or in hard to reach areas. Strong sup- Exacerbating the situation further, violence continues to rise in the region, port is needed now to avoid risks of further instability of the with a concerning trend of increased targeting of civilians and humanitarians, already fragile region. displacing populations from their communities and livelihoods. The Liptako Gourma (, , ), the Basin (northeast Nige- WFP is ready to assist – having scaled up its assistance signifi- ria), the Central African Republic and parts of Cameroon are particularly affect- cantly in 2020, WFP is taking all measures to avert the crisis ed. by deploying additional expertise, enhancing access negotia- tions, and prepositioning commodities in strategic locations. The region is also facing severe price hikes. The food prices were 39% higher in early 2021 compared to the five-year average, and 56% of the markets under Available resources are not matching the growing needs. WFP’s monitoring show alert or crisis levels3. The high food prices are adding to Across the region, an additional USD 717 million is urgently an early start of the lean season, as people’s purchasing power is eroded. needed for the next 6 months. and Burkina Faso are the top concerns as two countries are just one step away from catastrophe and facing the biggest funding gaps. Opera- tions in CAR, Chad, Mali and Niger also face critical funding gaps and need urgent support.

Please also see this SWAY for more information: Conflict and Soaring Food Prices Drive Up Hunger in West Africa.

Malnutrition is likely to worsen further in the region. A staggering 10 million children4 are estimated to be currently affected by acute malnutrition across the region. Especially worrying are the Sahelian countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and where 4.9 million children face acute Figure 1: Evolution of the number of food insecure population in RBD malnutrition and 3.3 million of them (70 percent) need immediate assistance5. region during lean season (million people)

1Equivalent of IPC (Integrated Phase Classification) phase 3 and above 2 Based on The Cadre Harmonisé update as of March 2021 3Based on the Alert for Price Spikes (ALPS) Indicator, which analyses the monthly price data against the long-term seasonal trend at each market. ALPS defines 4 phases (normal, stress, alert and crisis). WFP monitors more than 1000 markets in the region. APRIL 2021 4Aged 6 – 59 months 5Even before the current price hikes half of the households couldn’t afford a nutritious diet in the . Therefore with the ongoing price hikes, the malnutrition is likely to further deteriorate. HOTSPOTS NIGERIA, CENTRAL SAHEL (BURKINA FASO, MALI, NIGER) CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, CHAD, AND ARE FACING THE GREATEST RISKS.

Northern Nigeria is one step away from famine and the number of people in emergency acute food insecurity (CH Phase 4) is expected to double in the coming months. The Central Sahel remains very concerning, as the violence is likely to continue, leading to increased displacement and food insecurity, as well as access issues. In the Central African Republic, violence has led to new displacements; affecting markets and supply corridors. The crisis is likely to be protracted with possible Figure 2: Food insecurity projected (June - August 2021) further tensions during the upcoming legislative elections. In Chad, food insecurity increased by Sierra Leone and Liberia are projected to experience a drastic increases in food 44% compared to last year, while low insecurity in coming months due to the price hikes and economic difficulties; 15% of the availability of pasture for livestock is triggering population in Liberia and 23% in Sierra Leone are projected to be acutely food insecure 6 an earlier pastoralist lean season. this summer, a significant increase from just about 1-2% in 2019 . LEAN SEASON RESPONSE WFP is ready to respond. Based on its successful scale up in 20207, Based Transfers (CBT)11 to replace or complement in-kind WFP plans to assist up to 17.6 million people during the upcoming assistance where the conditions allow. To ensure speedy lean season. People with most acute needs will be prioritized, with commodity sourcing, WFP is prepositioning additional 46,000 attention on the areas with access challenges, such as Central metric tons of commodities along main supply corridors through its Sahel, Northern Nigeria, CAR and Chad. Global Commodity Management Facility (GCMF).

WFP’S LEAN SEASON RESPONSE PLAN FOR KEY OPERATIONS9 WFP is working to improve affordability and availability of nutritious WFP Re- Total WFP Net Funding foods, both by providing assistance in crisis situations and Population sponse plan require- Require- strengthening systems for longer-term solutions. Across the Central facing food for crisis ments, US$ ment, US$ Sahel, Chad and Nigeria, WFP plans to assist almost 2.2 million Country insecurity response million million - 8 (IPC phase 3 activities (May – (May – young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women with a -4), million (pop mil- October October package of nutrition treatment and prevention interventions. ) 2021) 2021) Burkina 2.9 1.4 191.1 144.4 Faso Amid escalating insecurity, WFP will continue addressing access CAR 2.3 0.9 107.9 61.3 challenges, focusing on 1) enhanced information gathering and analysis, 2) community acceptance and 3) enhanced local capacities Chad 1.8 1.3 153.4 78.7 for humanitarian negotiations, in partnership with CCHN10 and Mali 1.3 1.0 148.2 87.4 strengthened civil-military coordination. Niger 2.3 1.29 165.8 100.8 Nigeria 4.4 1.7 200.0 135.2 (Northeast) To mitigate commodity supply challenges, WFP will use Cash- TACKLING THE ROOT CAUSES While urgent humanitarian assistance is vital to address the immediate needs, WFP has been actively addressing the root causes of hunger and instability. WFP’s integrated resilience building projects enable communities to resist future shocks. WFP also contributes to strengthen national social protection mechanisms and local food systems, for example by supporting local farmers’ groups and processors in the Sahel to strengthen their capacity in producing and supplying nutritious commodities.

6% pf the food insecure population in 2019 was 1% in Liberia and 2% in Sierra Leone as of the Cadre Harmonisé analysis. 7In 2020, WFP successfully assisted 18.2 million people, a significant increase from the 10.6 million reached in 2019. 8This plan is likely to be updated following the March 2021 Cadre Harmonisé results. 9CAR IPC data is from the preliminary results of the ongoing April 2021 analysis. 10The Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation is a joint initiative of ICRC, UNHCR, WFP, MSF , and HD. The Centre specializes in humanitarian negotiation and Aprilfacilitates 2021 multiagency | WFP West dialogue and to supportCentral a Africamore systematic approach to frontline negotiation. 11CBT assistance was already scaled up by 70% in 2020 in West Africa, representing about 35% of WFP’s assistance.

URGENT SUPPORT IS NEEDED NOW. Needs are growing fast while available resources are not sufficient to maintain assistance during the upcoming lean season.

Across West Africa, WFP urgently needs an additional USD 717 million for the next six months (May – October 2021). As of April, only 40% of operational needs are met for the entire region. Burkina Faso and Nigeria, both facing extremely severe food insecurity, are the ones least funded with only 24% and 32% of their resource needs met respectively.

The consequence of non-assistance will cause immense human suffering and will likely further destabilize the already fragile region. WFP is calling for the international community to renew its commitment and to step forward with any assistance possible.

FUNDING STATUS OF WFP’S OPERATIONS IN THE REGION (AS OF 16 APRIL 2021, FOR THE PERIOD OF MAY – OCTOBER 2021)

PIPELINE REQUIREMENTS NET FUNDING REQUIRE- % OF NET FUNDING COUNTRY (USD Million) MENTS (USD Million) REQUIREMENTS

Grand Total 1,180.7 717.6 60% SAHEL G5 Burkina Faso 191.1 144.4 76%

Chad 153.4 78.7 51% Mali 148.2 87.4 59% Mauritania 24.6 11.8 48% Niger 165.8 100.8 61% NIGERIA, CAR, CAMEROON Nigeria 200.0 135.2 68%

Cameroon 73.2 37.8 52%

Central African Rep 107.9 61.3 57% COASTAL COUNTRIES

Benin 13.74 2.20 16%

Côte d'Ivoire 6.57 - 0%

Gambia 8.21 4.57 56% 10.57 9.01 85%

Guinea 16.52 11.65 70%

Guinea- 5.22 1.99 38%

Liberia 7.76 2.96 38%

Sao Tome and Principe 0.19 - 0%

Senegal 11.65 6.16 53%

Sierra Leone 32.77 19.48 59% 3.23 2.14 66% April 2021 | WFP West and