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Foreword by the Federal Minister

The people affected by conflict in north-east Nigeria have endured hardship and displacement over the years. The conflict has eroded living conditions, especially for women and girls, who are experiencing protection issues when trying to secure their basic needs such as food, shelter, and access to healthcare.

In some cases, some of them experience sexual and gender-based violence in a way that no woman or girl should. The impact of COVID-19 and climate change is further deepening the sufferings of the people affected by this conflict. They were successful, hardworking farmers, artisans and tradesmen, who were robbed of their livelihoods and their homes.

The 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan is prioritized to address vulnerable people’s most critical needs, such as access to food, water, and healthcare services. Importantly, it also addresses the protection needs of affected people – especially women and girls. Women and children, particularly girls, are identified in the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) as amongst those most in need in north-east Nigeria. This is accordingly reflected in the humanitarian plan.

We are appealing for resources to meet the immediate lifesaving needs of some 8.3 million people in the three most-affected states, Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, and provide multi-sectoral assistance. We understand that this is a Herculean task, given the current global economic environment impacted by COVID-19, and access constraints, insecurity and the growing impact of climate change.

The international community, the United Nations and humanitarian partners have shown unwavering commitment in ensuring effective humanitarian response and charting the course for durable solutions to end the prolonged crisis in the north-east. Our priority as a Government is to combat and end the insurgency, restore peace in north-east Nigeria and create pathways to recovery and development.

We have reviewed this plan jointly developed with the humanitarian community and donors, which prioritizes women and girls’ needs holistically and aims to keep crisis-affected people and communities at the center of the response, while maximizing synergies among humanitarian clusters for a more effective response.

As part of our priorities in 2021, we launched the National Humanitarian-Development-Peace Framework derived from the UN triple nexus principles, aimed at boosting humanitarian action and making the response more practicable and impactful. This is a step towards greater coherence, and envisions stronger collaboration and coordination among humanitarian and developmental actors, jointly striving towards sustainable peace.

The Humanitarian-Development-Peace Framework will improve the operational capacity of all actors to match the scale, complexity, and urgency of addressing the situation in north-east Nigeria. Secondly, the localization framework, an initiative adopted after the commitment of stakeholders at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, will re-energize the concept, enhancing local actors’ role in the delivery of aid by strengthening their capacity and making funding available. Of course, the true test of the Humanitarian Response Plan lies in the implementation.

Effective delivery of the humanitarian plan will require an environment where humanitarian actors have consistent and unimpeded access – and are not targeted by violence. Continued collaborations among humanitarian partners and the Government will play a vital role in the safe delivery of assistance where needed most.

I am confident that the humanitarian activities outlined in this plan and the Ministry’s continued efforts will foster the longer-term durable solutions that we all yearn for, in the interest of the people we serve. This will give them the opportunity to rebuild their lives and become self-reliant.

As we request the support and assistance required to tackle the crisis efficiently, we are at the same time, able to demonstrate leadership in coordination and coherence of action by providing additional resources which support efforts to address the conflict.

On behalf of the Government of Nigeria, I express our commitment to supporting the humanitarian community in their efforts and appreciate and profoundly thank donors for their support provided to the Government and people of Nigeria.

Madam Sadiya Umar Farouq,
Honorable Minister, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian
Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development
Crisis Context and Impact

The conflict stemming from the insurgency of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) in north-east Nigeria continues as intensely as ever. The attacks and insecurity have displaced millions of people, devastated agricultural production and other livelihoods, cut off essential services, and caused a crisis of protection. Some 8.4 million people in the north-east states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY states) will need humanitarian aid in 2022, only slightly fewer than a year ago. Of these, 2.2 million are internally displaced; 1.5 million are returnees who lack essential services and livelihoods; and 3.9 million are members of communities affected by their hosting of internally displaced people. This figure also includes the majority (an estimated 733,000) of the 1 million people in areas currently inaccessible to international humanitarian actors. (See the 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview for full details.) The conflict and insecurity make humanitarian operations difficult and dangerous. Most main supply routes and secondary roads in Borno State are highly risky for humanitarian staff or materials to traverse. Helicopter transport is often the only option for staff movements. Where other options exist, they are usually costly.

Hundreds of thousands of IDPs are concentrated in ‘garrison towns’ where the Nigerian Armed Forces defend perimeters that are risky to venture beyond. This creates congested, unhealthy living conditions, and constrains displaced farmers’ livelihood options. A major cholera outbreak in the BAY states in 2021 has underlined affected people’s vulnerability and the difficulty of precluding grave threats to life and well-being.

No early end to the conflict is foreseen. The Nigeria Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) has adopted a two-year humanitarian strategy for the BAY states for 2022-2023 (see section 1.2 below), the first year of which is operationalized through this Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).

Response by Strategic Objective

S01:
Affected people receive life-saving assistance to remedy and avert the most severe threats to life and health, in order to reduce (excess) mortality and morbidity.

S02:
Crisis-affected people enjoy a safer and healthier environment for living, with adequate access to essential services.

S03:
Some people’s need for recurrent multi-sectoral humanitarian aid declines in accessible areas by the end of 2023.

S04:
The affected population enjoys adequate protection of their rights including safety and security, unhindered access to humanitarian assistance, and solutions that fulfil norms and standards.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
To learn more about OCHA’s activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.