ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HUMANITARIAN / RESIDENT COORDINATOR ON THE USE OF CERF GRANTS. Burundi. Mr. Youssef Mahmoud

Transcription

1 Country Humanitarian / Resident Coordinator ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HUMANITARIAN / RESIDENT COORDINATOR ON THE USE OF CERF GRANTS Burundi Mr. Youssef Mahmoud Reporting Period January- June 2007 I. Executive Summary Increasing stability in Burundi continues to provide momentum for progress towards the consolidation of peace and economic recovery. Talks about implementing the ceasefire agreement reached on 7 September 2006 between the Government of Burundi and the National Liberation Forces (the last remaining rebel faction/ Forces Nationales pour la Liberation Palipehutu- FNL) have convened several times. So far, these talks have resulted in an improvement in the security situation leading to greater access by humanitarian actors to populations in the western provinces of Bubanza, Cibitoke and Bujumbura Rural. The United Nations reviewed the security situation in March and has subsequently downgraded the security from phase four to phase three in these three provinces (Bujumbura capital remains phase three) and from phase three to phase two in the rest of the country. The humanitarian situation in the country was exacerbated by torrential rains at the end of 2006 and early 2007, jeopardizing food supplies. A rapid joint assessment (conducted with the participation of Government of Burundi officials, United Nations agencies and international non-governmental organizations) revealed that basic subsistence crops including beans, maize, rice, sweet potatoes and vegetables were most affected. In response to the needs of victims, the Government of Burundi set up a solidarity fund to support affected populations in the provinces of Muramvya, Bubanza, Karuzi, Kayanza, Cibitoke, Ngozi and Ruyigi for four months. The World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners, in close coordination with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), developed an emergency response plan to cater for people in selected vulnerable areas affected by the floods. Beneficiaries included refugees, repatriated and expelled persons from Tanzania. In response to the influx of Burundians expelled from Tanzania, the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) received the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) funding for its multisector project which aimed to meet their needs upon arrival. UNICEF worked in close collaboration with the Government project for the reintegration of war-affected persons (PARESI) and the Burundi Red Cross, among other humanitarian actors against this backdrop, the Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated a total of $8,500,000 to Burundi from CERF from the under-funded emergencies window in

2 II. Coordination and Partnership-building Total amount of humanitarian funding required and received $8,500,000 (per reporting year) Total amount of CERF funding received by underfunded window $8,500,000 Total amount of CERF funding for direct UN agency/iom implementation $8,500,000 and total amount forwarded to implementing partners Approximate total number of beneficiaries reached with CERF funding Total number of vulnerable persons targeted and reached (disaggregated by sex/age if 2,142,000 possible) Geographic areas of implementation Provinces of: Cankuzo, Muyinga, Kirundo, Ruyigi, Rutana, Kayanza, Ngozi, Karuzi, Bururi, Cibitoke, Bubanza, Bujumbura Rural and Makamba In compliance with CERF guidelines, the Humanitarian Coordinator convened meetings with Government counterparts, United Nations (UN) agencies, and their implementing partners. Representatives from donor organisations were kept duly informed of the results of assessments and identified priorities. The UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) played a vital role in ensuring the coordination of this decision making process. Several joint assessment missions were carried out by OCHA, WFP, FAO, World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and to a lesser extent the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in close collaboration with the DPAE (Direction provinciale de l agriculture et de l élevage) and Government structures in each province. Following each mission and for each specific area of expertise, reports drafted by the relevant agency were collated and circulated by OCHA. Final reports generally reflected a consensus position among the partners. The assessment criteria used were based on the agency s specific methods of assessment, in conjunction with inputs from relevant ministries. All projects which benefited from these funds focused on life saving activities. In summary, the needs of affected populations were jointly identified by humanitarian actors and consensus on the priorities quickly achieved during the identification process. The inclusion of partners was ensured through UN agencies which have a number of national and international non-governmental organizations (NGO) as implementation partners. The main WFP partners for its project Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation in Burundi, include various Government ministries, FAO, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF as well as the NGO community and the Red Cross. Prior to the flooding, different coordination mechanisms, such as the cluster approach, were already in place to facilitate interagency coordination. The successful functioning of these mechanisms during the crisis proved to be fundamental to a rapid response. UNICEF received CERF funding for its Reintegration of expelled Burundians from Tanzania project. The main implementing partners were WFP (food kits), Solidarités and the Burundi Red Cross (distribution of food and non-food items), the Norwegian Refugee Council (protection. the International Medical Corps (IMC) and Africa Humanitarian Action (AHA) assisted in the health sector while the Transcultural Psycho-social Organisation (TPO) gave psychosocial support. The Government, through the Ministry of Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender and PARESI were involved in the registration of expelled persons upon arrival in entry points and transit centres. They ensure the transportation of these persons to their communes of origin

3 Within the framework of WFP s project, there were positive examples of partner collaboration which included a rapid joint assessment carried out by members in the Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG). In December 2006 these groups quickly identified specific regions and food crops which were most affected by torrential rains. More detailed analysis, including number of people in need of food assistance, was later presented in the context of the 2007 joint Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM). CFSAM was essential in raising the red flag as an early warning to donors and stakeholders. International NGOs provided extensive experience in terms of food management while national NGOs contributed invaluable expertise on Burundian cultural habits and coping mechanisms, which are all critical to needs assessments. UNICEF organised coordination meetings twice a month in order to coordinate activities with the Government, NGOs and UN agencies on the ground. Through these meetings a common action plan was developed to ensure that beneficiaries received regular assistance to improve their living conditions; coordination of activities ensured better coverage while avoiding duplication. Furthermore, the greatest advantage of this collaboration was that it gave partners a comparative advantage since each organisation had specific skills and expertise. FAO project entitled Rehabilitation of traditional production and trade mechanisms for seeds and high-yield plants through the strengthening of associations of producers, which benefited from CERF funding, involved the active participation of a variety of partners including; the DPAE, WFP, the Ministry of Agriculture, NGOs and various community-based organizations. The transportation of a bulky material such as cassava cuttings and their planting in time required good preparation and a network of many partners. This synergistic approach ensured better identification of beneficiaries and monitoring of activities. III. Implementation Under-funded emergency projects Food aid Thanks to the $5.8 million CERF funds allocated to the WFP Country Office, during the peak of the flood crisis, some 10,000 metric tons per month were distributed to two million people, including returning refugees and expelled persons. Also included in these two million beneficiaries were other core activities such as nutrition and school feeding programmes. During the crisis, WFP assistance through these programs became particularly important because children were abandoning schools and admissions to therapeutic and supplementary feeding centres increased. WFP was able to provide assistance to some 220 therapeutic and supplementary feeding centres throughout the country, including Mother-Child and health services. These activities contributed to reduce the level of malnutrition among targeted children under the age of five (as well as improving the nutrition level of their mothers). Furthermore, some 265,000 children received WFP rations in six of the most food insecure areas of the country. Among these, girls between grades four and six received a take home ration as an incentive to their parents to continue sending them to school (in Burundi, by the age of 11 girls represent an important labour force for daily farming and household chores, making them likely not to be sent to school; the take home ration thus increases their chances of staying in school after grade four). Agriculture and Food security With CERF funding of the project Rehabilitation of traditional production and trade mechanisms for seeds and high-yield plants through the strengthening of producers associations, FAO aimed to improve on overall food production and restore production capacities; particularly towards ensuring a quick and effective reintegration of returnees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) through existing and operational community structures and associations. The project was initiated in response to the significant reduction in the availability of foodstuff including cassava and cassava products both at the community and market levels. It is worth mentioning that cassava ranks high among major staple crops in the Great Lakes region. Because of its high yields, it constitutes the main component of the daily food intake of the poor as well as much of the middle class in rural areas and in cities. Together with sweet - 3 -

4 potatoes and plantains, cassava is regarded as one of the most important subsistence crop by at least 70 percent of the population. Unfortunately, the appearance of the Uganda variant of the East African Cassava Mosaic Virus in 2002 dramatically affected the production of cassava in major producing areas throughout the country, particularly in the provinces of Kirundo, Muyinga, Cibitoke, Karuzi, Cankuzo and others. Cassava yield losses as high as 80 percent were observed in some areas, leading to serious food insecurity for the affected populations. A major activity which is being carried out is the multiplication of disease-free cassava cuttings. During 2008, 8,564,400 cassava cuttings from varieties which are tolerant to cassava mosaic virus were produced under FAO control and were distributed as to be multiplied under the direct control of DPAE (Ministry of Agriculture) in collaboration with FAO. A total of 68,000,000 cuttings were further harvested and distributed to 136,000 vulnerable household to boost their food production. The second FAO funded project entitled Emergency agricultural assistance to most vulnerable and disaster affected populations and to specific chronically vulnerable groups aimed to alleviate suffering for a high number of households affected by conflict, erratic climate conditions or plant diseases. A total of 190,000 vulnerable farming households received a total of 1,900 MT of bean seeds, 1.9 MT of assorted vegetable seeds and 120,000 hoes without handles to assist vulnerable families at the beginning of the agricultural seasons 2007C and 2008A. Results of the WFP joint evaluation on the flood response was highlighted as a good example of the use of early warning information for decision making purposes. The joint assessment missions were effectively coordinated and as a result, very little negotiation was required during the allocation of CERF funds. Expelled persons CERF funds enabled UNICEF to construct a transit site in Munzenze and Cankuzo province in addition to the existing one in Kinazi and Muyinga province. Since the beginning of this year, 4,000 expelled persons from Tanzania have been received in these sites. These 4,000 persons of whom 48 percent are children and 26 percent women were registered and transported to their regions of origin by PARESI. Health services were initially provided by the closest health centre to the site but it was later deemed necessary to open a small medical structure to receive patients and deliver basic medical services such as immunization and deworming in each transit site. A mental health programme was also introduced in order to screen expelled persons and evaluate their psychological state. These activities were accomplished through CERF funds. Through CERF funds allocated to UNICEF, the Norwegian Refugee Council opened a counselling centre in the Kinazi transit site. This pilot project which began in July, aims to collect information in relation to the living conditions of expelled persons and also to assist persons in need of protection (family separation, loss of goods). Monitoring and evaluation was undertaken through joint field visits in collaboration with Government officials, UN agencies and implementing partners. Weekly coordination meetings were held in Bujumbura and the provinces

5 IV. Lessons Learned All recipient agencies were very pleased with the speed with which funds were disbursed. The prompt release of CERF funds as soon as projects were approved by CERF Secretariat enabled them to start projects as scheduled. Given the importance of cassava in the national diet, disease free cassava multiplication is a program of paramount national importance. Multiplication sites supervised by FAO with CERF funds are frequently visited by officials at the highest level. Examples of these visits include; a visit made by the second Vice President of Burundi, the Belgian ambassador and the UN Executive Representative of the Secretary General to the Mparambo and Cibitoke province site as well as the Burundi President s visit to the Buzimba in Rumonge commune and Bururi province) site. The funding of UNICEF s project filled a huge gap which existed with regards to assisting expelled persons from Tanzania. Without CERF funds, the activities mentioned above would never have been implemented while Burundians continued to be expelled from the neighbouring country. Assistance to expelled persons is a priority in terms of humanitarian crisis which has been classified as under- funded. In summary, funds allocated to the project Reintegration of expelled Burundians from Tanzania have enabled humanitarian partners to assist expelled persons towards reintegration into their communities of origin under favourable conditions and in respect of their basic human rights. While CERF funds did not solve the problem of scarce in-country stocks, they did allow the WFP country office to start the procurement process early enough in order to ensure that sufficient stocks were available for the April to June cycle of targeted distributions

6 V. Results Sector / Cluster Agriculture CERF projects per sector (Add project number and title) 07-FAO-006 Emergency agricultural assistance to most vulnerable and disaster affected populations and to specific chronically vulnerable groups Amount disbursed ($) 1,895,000 Number of Beneficiaries (by sex/age) 190,000 households Implementing Partners DPAE (Direction provinciale de l agriculture et de l élevage), WFP, the Ministry of Agriculture, NGOs and various communitybased organisations Expected Results/Outcomes Strengthened capacities of vulnerable households to resume farming activities to improve their food security Actual results and improvements for the target beneficiaries Identification of beneficiaries according to the criteria established by the Food security technical group; Purchase of agricultural material Distribution of a total of 1,900 MT of bean seeds, 1.9 MT of assorted vegetable seeds and 120,000 hoes without handles to assist vulnerable families at the beginning of the agricultural seasons 2007C and 2008A 150,000 vulnerable households received a kit of agricultural inputs to resume farming activities during the 2008 agricultural rain-fed season. 40,000 vulnerable families provided with agricultural assistance during 2007C season to set up agricultural activities in marshland areas

7 Agriculture Food 07-FAO-007 Rehabilitation of traditional production and trade mechanisms for seeds and highyield plants through the strengthening of associations of producers 07-WFP-013 Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation 505, ,000 households 20 percent of beneficiaries were returnees from Tanzania 5,800,000 2,000,000 DPAE (Direction provinciale de l agriculture et de l élevage), WFP, the Ministry of Agriculture, NGOs (ACF, LVIA, Caritas Belgique, Concern, Réseau Afrique 200+) and various communitybased organisations. Various Government ministries, the FAO, UNHCR, OCHA, UNICEF and the NGO community Increased accessibility to quality seeds and cuttings as well as of basic tools, pesticides and fertilizers) to vulnerable households in order to boost food production Improve de food security of target population through the distribution of Food Aid During 2008A season, 8,564,400 cassava cuttings from varieties which are tolerant to highly cassava mosaic virus were produced under FAO control and were distributed as to be multiplied under the direct control of DPAE (Ministry of agriculture) in collaboration with FAO. A total of 68,000,000 cuttings were further harvested and distributed to 136,000 vulnerable household as to boost their food production 10,000 metric tons per month were distributed to 2 million people including returning refugees, expelled persons; beneficiaries of WFP core activities such as nutrition and school feeding programmes 220 therapeutic and supplementary feeding centers throughout the country, including Mother-Child and health services were supported 265,000 children received WFP rations in 250 schools of the seven most food insecure provinces of the country. Among these, girls between grades four and six received a take home ration as an incentive to their parents to continue sending them to school - 7 -

8 Non-food items (NFIs) 07-CEF-016 Reintegration of expelled Burundians from Tanzania 300,000 7,710 including 3,609 minors and 2,204 women UNHCR, OCHA, WFP and various NGOs including: SOLIDARITES, the Burundi Red Cross, CNR, IMC, AHA, TPO, the Ministry of Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender and PARESI To facilitate the reintegration of expelled Burundians from Tanzania to Burundi and thus to minimize internal displacement Construction of a transit site in Munzenze / Cankuzo province Construction of a medical structure to receive patients Delivery of basic medical services such as immunization and deworming in each transit site Introduction a mental health programme was also in order to screen expelled persons and evaluate their psychological state open a small medical structure to receive patients Fund the Norwegian Refugee Council s counseling center in the Kinazi transit site. This project allowed the collection of information in relation to the living conditions of expelled persons and provide assistance to persons in need of protection (family separation, loss of goods, etc.) - 8 -

9 ANNEX 1: CERF 2006 Statistics with Implementing Partners CERF Project Agency Project Title Implementing Partners Sector Amount Received USD 07-FAO-006 FAO Emergency agricultural assistance to most vulnerable and disaster affected populations and to specific chronically vulnerable groups DPAE (Direction provinciale de l agriculture et de l élevage), WFP, the Ministry of Agriculture, NGOs and various community- Agriculture 1,895, FAO-007 FAO Rehabilitation of traditional production and trade mechanisms for seeds and high-yield plants through the strengthening of associations of producers 07-WFP-013 WFP Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation 07-CEF-016 UNICEF Reintegration of expelled Burundians from Tanzania based organisations. DPAE (Direction provinciale de l agriculture et de l élevage), WFP, the Ministry of Agriculture, NGOs and various communitybased organisations. Various Government ministries, the FAO, UNHCR, OCHA, UNICEF and the NGO community UNHCR, OCHA, WFP and various NGOs including: SOLIDARITES, the Burundi Red Cross, CNR, IMC, AHA, TPO, the Ministry of Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender and PARESI Agriculture 505,000 Food 5,800,000 NFIs 300,000 Total 8,500,

10 List of Acronyms AHA -Africa Humanitarian Action CERF -Central Emergency Response Fund CFSAM -Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission CHAP- Common Humanitarian Action Plan DPAE -Direction provinciale de l agriculture et de l élevage FSNWG -Food Security and Nutrition Working Group IASC - Inter-Agency Standing Committee IMC -International Medical Corps NGOs -Non-governmental organizations OCHA -Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs TPO -Transcultural Psycho-social Organisation UNDP -United Nations Development Programme UNCT -United Nations Country Team UNICEF -United Nations Children s Fund WASH - Water, sanitation and hygiene WFP -World Food Programme WHO -World Health Organization