DAILY RENDEZVOUS

Daily Rendezvous  The abductions took place approximately 15 kilometers from the village of Arbinda, in the Sahel region, and are alleged to have been carried out by members of armed groups UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk today expressed alarm at the abduction of at least 50 women in Burkina Faso on 12 and 13 January and called for their immediate and unconditional release. I am alarmed that dozens of women out to search for food for their families were abducted in broad daylight, in what could be the first such attack deliberately targeting women in Burkina Faso, said Volker  I call for the immediate and unconditional release of all the abducted women and for the national authorities to promptly conduct an effective, impartial and independent investigation to identify those responsible and hold them to account. The abductions took place approximately 15 kilometers from the village of Arbinda, in the Sahel region, and are alleged to ha...

Daily Rendezvous  United Nations (UN) Report Calls for Re-thinking Social Protection as the World Ages  With the number of people aged 65 and over projected to more than double by the middle of the century, the rights and well-being of older persons must be prioritized in efforts to achieve a sustainable future, the UN said in a new report launched on Thursday   The World Social Report 2023 calls for concrete measures to support the greying global population, amidst escalating pension and healthcare costs.  Population ageing is a defining global trend of our time, according to the study, published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).   Countries can reap the benefits by giving everyone the chance to grow older in good health by promoting equal opportunities from birth.  “Together, we can address today’s inequalities for the benefit of tomorrow’s generations, managing the challenges and capitalizing on the opportunitie...

Daily Rendezvous  Since September last year, Indian medical staff have performed critical emergency surgeries that have saved the lives of five children There was something distinctly different about this year and medal award ceremony for the Indian peacekeepers in Upper Nile.  For the first time, the parade of the large contingent, consisting of infantry, engineers and medical staff, was led by a woman, Major Jasmine Chatthà It has been an honour to represent my regiment on this special day.  By positioning women as leaders, we are sending  a strong message to the citizens of South Sudan in general and its women in particular. In our work, for example when we repair roads or try to mitigate floods, we are in contact with the local population and they can see that we, women, are leading a team and we are both respected and listened to, she says. While it is true that India’s peacekeeping contingent in Upper Nile is almost all male, Major Chattha...

Daily Rendezvous   - 339 Million People Will Need Humanitarian Assistance in 2023 - US$51.5 Billion Needed to Save 230 million Vulnerable People   - Northeast Nigeria, Burkina Faso Could Slip into Famine if Conditions Get Worst -.  In 2023, millions of vulnerable people in Nigeria and beyond will continue to face a daily struggle to survive. Violent conflict, the climate crisis, disease, and other risks, according to the just launched Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) are putting their lives at risk.  The  GHO provides an annual assessment of global humanitarian needs and how best to respond to them. In 2023, 339 million people across the world will need humanitarian assistance - an increase of nearly 24 per cent from last year.  According to the GHO some US$51.5 billion - 25 per cent more than in 2022  -  is needed to assist the most vulnerable -  230 million people - in 69 countries, including in Nigeria. Humanitari...

Daily Rendezvous A child or youth died once every 4.4 seconds in 2021 – UN report  Another 1.9 million babies were tragically stillborn during the same period, according to a separate UN report.  A report by the United Nations stares that at least a child dies every 4.4 secs and that another 1.9 million Babies are tragically stillborn in 2921. thevreprt further states that, an estimated 5 million children died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million children and youth aged between 5–24 years lost their lives in 2021, according to the latest estimates released by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). In a separate report also released today, the group found that 1.9 million babies were stillborn during the same period. Tragically, many of these deaths could have been prevented with equitable access and high-quality maternal, newborn, adolescent and child health care. “Every day, far too many parents a...

Daily Rendezvous  $10 MILLION CERF ALLOCATION TO SUPPORT LIFE-SAVING NUTRITION RESPONSE IN NORTH-EAST NIGERIA As the people of north-east Nigeria struggle to endure a devastating food and nutrition crisis, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has released a US$10 million allocation to help save lives and get urgent aid to those who need it most.   Approximately 1.74 million children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition across the north-east in 2022. With a 34 per cent increase so far from last year the north-east recorded the highest burden of acute malnutrition since 2016, and, over 300,000 children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition. The consequences of inaction are a matter of life and death. If immediate action is not taken, more than five thousand children are expected to die. Those who survive will potentially face lifelong disabilities. Malnutrition puts children at greater risk of dying from comm...

Daily Rendezvous  A TRIBUTE TO AID WORKERS ON THE FRONT LINES IN NORTH-EAST NIGERIA Today on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, the humanitarian community in north-east Nigeria honors all aid workers stepping up to respond each day to the crisis in the region by providing life-saving assistance to millions of women, children and men. This year’s theme #ItTakesAVillage is built upon the metaphor, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ At an event commemorating World Humanitarian Day today in Maiduguri Mr. Matthias Schmale, United Nations (UN) Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria stated, “Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a whole community to help people in need; to provide urgent health care, shelter, food, protection, transportation, security, water and much more.” He noted that the humanitarian ‘village’ in north-east Nigeria proudly includes volunteers and paid staff from civil society, national and international NGOs,...

Daily Rendezvous The UN Residents Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, has expressed concern over the spate of violence by Non State Armed Groups (NSAGs) in Northeast Nigeria leading to the killing of about 30 Civilians, injuring 57, destroying over 500 homes and displacing over 10, 000 locals in Guyuk and Lamurde local governments of Adamawa state. The Humanitarian Coordinator said, some 32 Internally Displaced Persons have also been killed in Mudu village in the outskirts of Dikwa, all between the months of May and June, 2022. This is contained in statement issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Schmale said, these strings of violence are endangering the lives of civilians and hampering humanitarian efforts at securing and delivering assistance to millions who are in need in  northeast Nigeria. The statement reads, "I am gravely concerned about the recent waves of violence affecting civilians in north-e...

Daily Rendezvous The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martins Griffiths has allocated US$15 million emergency funding from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support urgently needed humanitarian assistance in north-east Nigeria.  “The food security and nutrition situation is deteriorating, with more and more families pushed towards vulnerability, and forced to resort to negative coping mechanisms including child labour and early marriage,” said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (a.i) for Nigeria Mr. Matthias Schmale.  “As desperation pushes extremely vulnerable people to the edge, food and nutrition assistance is critical for their survival. The $15 million CERF allocation comes right on time to respond to the most urgent needs of people at extreme risk as we appeal to Member States to provide the resources we urgently need.”  The CERF allocation will enable humanitarian...

Daily Rendezvous US$351 million is urgently needed by the UN and partners to intervene  and save lives in North-East Nigeria as underlined by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) at a Joint Advocacy Event on Food Security and Nutrition in North-East Nigeria in Abuja on 8 April 2022.  The initiative aimed to raise awareness and advocate for urgent resource mobilization from both the international community and the Nigerian Government. The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Matthias Schmale called to leverage the resilience of local communities and partners and to work to move beyond emergency assistance and help people grow their own food, build livelihoods and strengthen their resilience.  He stated that 4.1 million people in...

Daily Rendezvous Since its deployment in July 2018 at the request of the Resident / Humanitarian Coordinator, UNMAS Nigeria has provided critical life-saving assistance. The main objectives are to develop the national capacities to protect the civilians from the threats of mines and explosives, and to mitigate immediate threats for the vulnerable population in the North-east. The activities include coordination, risk reduction, victim assistance, nontechnical survey, and capacity development for the national and state authorities as well as a civil organization.   As of 28th February 2022, UNMAS Nigeria has achieved the following outputs.    - Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE). EORE is designed to raise awareness on explosive hazards and enhance safe behaviour. UNMAS has coordinated EORE for 1,251,155 (242,225 men, 280,903, women, 394,960 boys and 331,976 girls) beneficiaries across northeast Nigeria.  - UNMAS has also conducted EORE tra...

Daily Rendezvous At a time of unprecedented humanitarian needs, funding shortfall, COVID-19, and climate shocks, the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF) is allocating $23.8 million to 75 eligible humanitarian partners, including national non-governmental organisations, to help them address critical humanitarian needs and ensure that essential assistance reaches people affected by conflict, food insecurity, inclement weather  and disease outbreaks in north-east Nigeria. According to Trond Jensen, Head of Office for United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Nigeria, "It is my sincere hope that this next round of funding allocated to partners will support remote education activities, reduce protection risks, improve shelters, and ensure food assistance is provided to communities." Forty per cent of the fund for each sector will be allocated to the humanitarian response in Adamawa and Yobe, and 60 percent to response in Borno, t...

Daily Rendezvous Voice of Disability Initiative (VDI) says the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has excebated pre-existing inequalities and systemic barriers facing women and vulnerable groups in Nigeria and that there is an urgent need for governmnent at all levels to device and implement plans and strategies to empower women and the physically challenged persons in the country. Voice of Disability said the Covid-19 pandemic has deepen the social and economic distress faced by people with disability including the demand for social distancing which has drastically compounded the already distressed and challenged life of people living with disability and government must act fast to make their lives better. This is contained in a press statement issued by the Chief Executive Officer of the Voice of Disability, Edeh Catherine, at an event marking the International Women's Day, in Yola, Adamawa state. Edeh maintained that the federal government need to scale up its...

Daily Rendezvous The United Nations has condemned in totality, the killing of about 110 farmers in Koshobe, in Jere Local government of Borno State, North East Nigeria. United nations states that, about 110 farmers who were harvesting their crops were ruthlessly murdered by non state armed groups and that several women might have been kidnapped. This is contained in press statement issued by the UN humanitarian coordinator, Edward Kallon and made available to Daily Rendezvous, Sunday. Kallon said, "I am outraged and horrified by the gruesome attack against civilians carried out by non-state armed groups in villages near Borno State capital Maiduguri.  "At least 110 civilians were ruthlessly killed and many others were wounded in this attack.     "In early afternoon of 28 November, armed men on motorcycles led a brutal attack on civilian men and women who were harvesting their fields in Koshobe and other rural communities in Jere Local Government A...