Welcome
UNICEF, WFP and GIZ are starting a new program phase to create perspectives in times of multiple crises
Berlin, July 15 - 16, 2024 - The Sahel Alliance is meeting in Berlin for a two-day general assembly.
With the start of the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance today under the presidency of Development Minister Svenja Schulze, the cooperation also comes into effect
- the UN World Food Program (WFP),
- the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and
- the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH
into a new phase in five countries in the region.
The measures of the so-called Sahel Resilience Partnership (SRP) target village communities in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
They help empower people in a region characterized by climate extremes, conflict and poverty.
As a first step, the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) wants to provide 130 million euros so that UNICEF, WFP and GIZ can expand and strengthen their joint work.
In this way, millions of people in the Sahel region are better arming themselves against multiple crises. By 2027, the aim is to reach around eight million people in 6,000 village communities and reclaim 450,000 hectares of wasteland.
Development Minister Svenja Schulze:
This partnership addresses the root causes of the crisis in the Sahel region:
By villages being able to provide themselves with food again, children going back to school and receiving meals there and young people having the prospect of jobs and income again.
Experience shows that this support works and that many villages are no longer dependent on outside help, even in times of crisis.
Background Information
The alliance has 18 members, including the European Union, the African Development Bank and the United Nations Development Program.
Since 2018, WFP and UNICEF, together with GIZ from 2020 and supported by the BMZ, have reached more than four million people in over 3,000 villages in the region. These efforts have helped to significantly reduce the need for expensive humanitarian assistance over time.
Studies and evaluations have also shown that resilience measures have strengthened social cohesion and reduced tensions over scarce natural resources – a major cause of conflict in the Sahel.
In the future, the three partners will invest more in local food systems.
Access to social services such as health centers and schools should also be improved.
The new elements to strengthen peaceful and inclusive coexistence, which also serve to prevent conflict, are crucial in the fragile region.