The Federal Government has announced the development of a National Humanitarian Development Peace Framework.
The soon to be launched framework is geared towards making humanitarian interventions in Nigeria timely, effective, and coordinated between the government, as well as humanitarian and security agencies.
Sadiya Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, disclosed this on Monday at a virtual briefing to the United Nations Member States on the Humanitarian Situation in Nigeria.
She explained that the National Humanitarian Coordination Technical Working Group, as directed by the National Humanitarian Coordination Committee (NHCC), came up with the initiative aimed at restoring peace and stability in Nigeria.
“The framework is a national and innovative home-grown approach to proactively address critical humanitarian and development challenges at the community, state, and federal levels,” the minister said.
Farouq noted that the framework developed with the support of UNOCHA and other critical international and national humanitarian stakeholders would address root causes of conflict, by coherently addressing socio-economic vulnerabilities, to ensure sustainable peace, stability, and development in the country when launched.
She added, “We will expect that all critical humanitarian, peace, and resilience programmes and plans key into or are derived from the National Humanitarian Development Peace Framework and Strategy”.
The minister, however, lamented that the humanitarian landscape in Nigeria has been impacted by non-state armed groups in the North East, environmental factors, the farmer-herder conflict, banditry, as well as the recent COVID-19 pandemic that has led to displacement, loss of livelihoods, and food insecurity.
She gave an assurance that the Federal Government was determined to keep working with the international humanitarian community to ensure safe and efficient access to humanitarian workers, as agreed by the National Humanitarian Coordination Committee chaired by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
With Nigeria focused on early recovery of the north-east region, through re-integration and rehabilitation of affected communities, Farouq promised that other regions would be reintegrated with the aim of developing programmes and interventions to positively engage women and youths who were likely targets for radicalisation or criminal recruitment.
She listed the Rural Women’s Cash Grant Programme, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, and N-Power Programme as some of the initiatives of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
According to the minister, 70,000 metric tonnes of grains from the National Strategic Grains Reserve and non-food items were distributed through state governments to vulnerable individuals and households across the country, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and the World Food Programme.
She restated the government’s commitment to partnering with stakeholders to ensure food security for all Nigerians, assist Internally Displaced Persons, and return refugees to reintegrate in dignity.
“There is need for urgent and concerted efforts from the government and the humanitarian community to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable, with nobody left behind,” Farouq said.
