Joint visit of the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Health and Social Development, in charge of Humanitarian Action, Solidarity, Refugees and Displaced Persons, Mr. Oumarou DIARRA, the Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development of the African Union, Ambassador Minata Samaté CESSOUMA and the Deputy Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Alain NOUDÉHOU, in Gao and Ménaka
(Bamako, February 8, 2023) – From February 6 to 7, 2023, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Health and Social Development, in charge of Humanitarian Action, Solidarity, Refugees and Displaced Persons, Mr. Oumarou DIARRA , the Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development of the African Union, Ambassador Minata Samaté CESSOUMA and the Deputy Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Mali, Mr. Alain NOUDÉHOU , made a joint visit to Gao and Ménaka. Also taking part in this visit were the National Director of Social Development, the First Secretary of the German Embassy in Mali, representing donors, representatives of national and international NGOs and heads of United Nations agencies.
This mission aimed to strengthen the coordination of the humanitarian response in these two regions, to create a synergy of action involving all actors to further facilitate humanitarian access to populations in need. It also involved evaluating the impact of projects funded by the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), allocated in June 2022 for the multisectoral emergency response in the regions of Gao and Ménaka.
The delegation had discussions with regional authorities, technical services, interim regional advisers and humanitarian actors. She also visited projects and sites of internally displaced people, with whom she discussed their living conditions and unmet humanitarian assistance needs.
“I am at the head of this strong delegation which left Bamako to come to Gao and continue to Ménaka, to be with you and share this difficult moment, in order to give us an account of the realities on the ground and confirm all the information on your living conditions” indicated the Minister DIARRA. “We are concerned by the situation of the populations, and we will do everything to work in synergy with all the partners in order to find lasting solutions,” he added.
For Ambassador Minata Samaté CESSOUMA, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development of the African Union, “women and children are the first victims of humanitarian crises”. For her, “solidarity must first and foremost be intra-African”. She added that “the participation of the African Union in this visit will enable it to remind Member States of the urgency of contributing to the humanitarian effort on the continent and particularly in the countries of the Sahel”.
For his part, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Mali, declared “that it is essential to continue the collaboration between the different actors in order to provide assistance to the displaced persons”. However, without sufficient financial resources and better identification of needs, the response cannot be efficient. This is why it is necessary “to strengthen needs identification activities with greater precision so that these available resources are directed towards the real beneficiaries”, added Mr. NOUDÉHOU.
The representatives of the communities, while welcoming the efforts of the State to improve the security situation on the ground, thanked the technical services of social development and all the humanitarian partners for their various contributions and assistance already received, but also reported that insecurity causes their displacement and exacerbates their vulnerability. They insisted on the priority of finding a solution to the insecurity for a return to their villages in a peaceful climate while ensuring the promotion of durable solutions.
Community representatives pleaded for humanitarian action to be supported by other development initiatives from now on to reduce their dependence on humanitarian assistance, considering that socio-professional activities are slowing down in these communities.
Source: African Union