NIGER Situation Report 29 November 2005 WFP 1. HIGHLIGHTS WFP has announced that the commitment of the international community will be required to prevent another year of suffering and hardship in Niger. Working groups for the Niger After Action Review began on Monday; conclusions will be presented in the plenary session beginning on Wednesday, attended by WFP’s Executive Director. WFP’s Niger EMOP has a shortfall of nearly 37% of its resourcing requirements. 21.8 million US dollars are still needed to cover all activities of the operation. 2. SECURITY Niger is under security phase 0, with the exception of Agadez region which is under phase 1. 3. OPERATIONAL ISSUES Due to structural shifts within the budget, the final figure for the EMOP is a few percent higher after the revision, thereby affecting the shortfall figures. 4. PROGRAMMING ISSUES 4.1 Target populations/beneficiaries Emergency Operation Activities through March In order to meet immediate needs in the country and to bridge supply through to the upcoming PRRO, WFP extended its EMOP in time through March. Planned activities through this period will reach a total of over 1.3 million and will include supplementary feeding, a protection ration, and a family ration along with rural development activities including support to cereal banks and Food for Work. Upcoming PRRO Based on the growing body of data projecting continuing vulnerability in Niger for the upcoming year, WFP is positioning itself to launch its PRRO, which will begin in April 2006 and last two years. The project will contain primarily Nutrition, Food for Work, and Cereal Bank activities. Together with partners and the GoN, the results of current assessments will be discussed to determine the most appropriate course of action. Implementation of the project will also be closely coordinated with the programs of the Dispositif and other partners. Cooperating Partners In order to effectively implement its operations, WFP needs to collaborate closely with cooperating partners. There has thus been some concern about which partners will remain operational in Niger in 2006. Although, it is not yet fully clear, it appears that the majority of EMOP partners undertaking nutrition activities will continue their activities in Niger at least 1 through March 2006 and it is hoped that a significant number will continue beyond this date. Supplementary feeding activities Working with close to 20 cooperating partners, WFP continues to provide corn-soya blend, oil, and sugar to approximately 500 centers across the country. The food is used to support malnourished children and their families, as well as malnourished pregnant or lactating women. Targeted blanket feedings through MSF (Belgium, Spain and Holland) and in collaboration with UNICEF will be finishing up the second and final round of distributions in the coming days. Assistance to Nomads The Tahoua sub-office reports that distribution to vulnerable nomadic populations in the Department of Abalak will begin on December 3rd. Over the following week a total of 350 MT of cereals will be distributed in the villages of Akoubounou, Azeye, Abalak and Tamaye. 4.2 Assessments and Food Security Situation WFP-UNICEF-WHO-Government of Niger Integrated Nutrition Mission WFP, UNICEF and WHO in coordination with the Government of Niger are currently undertaking a tripartite mission in Niger to elaborate an integrated nutrition strategy to ensure a complimentary and comprehensive treatment of malnutrition in Niger in the medium term. Some members of the mission were able to visit various CRENIs, CRENAS and CRENAMs in the regions of Tillaberi and Zinder last week, a meeting with partners was held on Saturday 26 November, and this week the team has been in contact with various nutritional partners in preparation for the document elaboration. It is expected that the document will be finalised in the coming week. Assessments Reports from the UNICEF/Center for Disease Control nutritional survey will be delayed. Preliminary results are now expected for the end of the month. The FAO/GoN/WFP joint crop and livestock assessment mission is out, and should be presented to cooperating partners within the coming weeks. CC/SAP Preliminary Vulnerability Forecasting Meeting A WFP team attended the CC/SAP (GoN Early Warning System) meeting in Maradi last week, from the 22nd to the 25th of November. The main objectives of this meeting were to determine overall vulnerability on a national level, to identify vulnerable zones to be monitored, and to formulate recommendations for the improvement of continuous monitoring, including organization and coordination. In the discussion on causes of the crisis, it was emphasized that due to the complex nature of the situation, causality is difficult to establish. The necessity of distinguishing between structural and situational causes, however, was highlighted. Structural causes in Niger were seen to be the strong povertization of the population, particularly in rural areas, along with the terms of exchange and lack of public investment in health and education sectors. Of the situational causes considered, market failure was cited as a determining factor in the 2005 crisis. WFP presented the preliminary results of the its Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA) to the assembly, explained its methodology and the interpretation of the results. Although there was some discrepancies in the pictures of vulnerability presented and no official final figures were reported, all actors agreed that the situation was highly precarious, and should be carefully monitored, involving all actors in the area of food security. A final report from the meeting will be issued by the end of this week. 2 The EFSA recommends that interventions begin as early as December. WFP is already in place implementing activities under the current EMOP, and will continue through to the PRRO provided that urgent resourcing needs are met and new stocks can be purchased. 4.3 Food Distributions To date, the WFP Niger EMOP has reached nearly 3 million beneficiaries, having distributed 53,948 Mt. 5. RESOURCING AND PIPELINE Niger EMOP 10398.0 is 63% funded, having received 37.3 million US dollars in contributions. The current shortfall is of 21.8 million US dollars, which includes 12 Million US dollars in IRA funds that were advanced to the EMOP. WFP is urgently seeking cash contributions amounting to a minimum of 9.8 million US dollars to avoid a break in the pipeline. Pipeline warning Niger’s EMOP will face serious pipeline breaks in February if new funding is not obtained. Cereals are needed for family support rations, food for work programs and to replenish exhausted cereal banks. Transport lead-times required to bring food into the country make these resourcing needs extremely urgent. 6. LOGISTICS The MV CLEVELAND arrived in port on Tuesday, 29 November, carrying on board 700 MT of urgently needed CSB. 500 of the tons are on loan from Mali, and 200 MT is a transfer from Sierra Leone. In addition to the 32,432MT already received at EDPs, the following tonnages are currently in arrival, making a total of 63,935MT expected for EMOP 10398.0 to date. Stock currently arriving will be used for post-harvest EMOP activities. Commodities In-Transit for EMOP at 29 November 2005 Mode of At point of Received at Origin / Port Forwarder Commodity In transit Total MTs transport origin EDP Lome SDV Niger Rice Truck 565 2,450 0 3,015 Lome GETMA Togo Sorghum Truck 0 50 1,950 2,000 Lome GETMA Togo Veg Oil Truck 0 15 495 510 Lome GETMA Togo Rice Truck 0 300 13,500 13,800 Lome GETMA Togo Rice Truck 0 50 9,900 9,950 (TBD) CSB 778 0 778 Cotonou Sugar 86 0 0 86 Cotonou Oil 22 0 0 22 Lome CSB 200 0 0 200 (TBD) Rice 738 0 0 738 (TBD) Oil 43 0 0 43 (TBD) Sorghum 361 0 0 361 Total 565 2,865 25,845 31,503 Commodities Shipments Previously Received at EDP 32,432 Total Commodities 58,277 63,935 3 7. COORDINATION AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS After Action Review Working groups took place on Monday and Tuesday for the After Action Review (an analysis of the response to the Niger 2004/2005 food crisis) at Niamey’s Palais des Congrès. Close to 120 participants were present, representing the Government, the United Nations, the Donor Community and NGOs. The participants were divided into three working groups, each with representatives of the various bodies present, covering the topics of early warning systems and needs assessments; co-ordination mechanisms and partnerships; and response to the crisis. On Wednesday and Thursday, syntheses of the material covered in these groups will be presented to the assembly. Visit of WFP Executive Director 28-30 November WFP’s Executive Director Mr. James Morris arrived in Niamey on Monday evening and was greeted at the airport by the Niger government and WFP staff. On Tuesday, Mr. Morris met with the President and the Prime Minister of Niger, and visited a feeding center in the outskirts of Niamey. In the afternoon, he met with WFP Niger Staff before heading on to a UN Country Team Meeting and a visit with Donors. The ED spoke at After Action Review plenary session on Wednesday. He will finish his official visit with a press conference on that afternoon before continuing on to Pakistan. WFP Executive Director Mr. James Morris addressing WFP Niger Staff, with Country and Regional Directors. 4.