UN in Central African Republic releases $9 million to respond to urgent needs

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the allocation will fund projects that respond to critical and urgent humanitarian needs to improve access to basic services, and contribute to reducing violence in and among communities.

“Our priority through this CHF funding is to bring life-saving assistance to the people mostly affected by the crisis,” said Aurélien Agbénonci, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in CAR, in a press release.

“This funding will help humanitarian organizations to provide clean water and sanitation, camp management of [internally displaced persons] sites, education, healthcare, food and immediate livelihoods support, nutrition, protection and shelter and non-food items,” he added.

The inclusion of gender considerations and the mainstreaming of protection in each and every funded project will reportedly be required.

“It is vitally important that the international community is able to respond rapidly to the most urgent humanitarian needs in CAR,” stressed Agbénonci. “Thanks to donors who have contributed to this CHF allocation that allows partners to help alleviate suffering and continue providing live-saving assistance to thousands of displaced people and host families in desperate need.”

The multi donor funding mechanism CHF was established in 2008 and is managed by OCHA. As of end of January 2016, the Fund had received $ 2.9 million in contributions from Belgium and Sweden. In 2015, a total amount of $24.9 million was funded from the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Photo: UNICEF/Sebastian Rich