FG expresses commitment to ease humanitarian operation in Nigeria

Humanitarian

The Federal Government on Wednesday expressed commitment to ensure effective coordination and formulation of policies to ease humanitarian operations in Nigeria.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr. Nasir Sani Gwarzo, said this at the opening ceremony of the 6th National Humanitarian Coordination Technical Working Group (NHCTWG) in Abuja.

Gwarzo said the NHCTWG, being a multi-sectorial and multi-stakeholder committee, has contributed immensely to the development of operational strategies and plans towards enhancement of humanitarian response in Nigeria.

The event, which draws participants from the World Food Programme (WFP), Action Aid Nigeria, Swiss Embassy and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), met to review and validate three strategic documents leveraging on the platform provided by NHCTWG.

He said the documents include the National Humanitarian Peace Development Plan (NHPDP), National Action Plan for the implementation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and National Cash Voucher Assistance Policy (NCVAP).

“ It is important to noted that the development of these blueprints was achieved through opinions and guidance provided by members of National Humanitarian Coordination Technical Working Group during its meetings and subsequent consultations with various stakeholders.

“ Dear partners, our ministry is committed to discharge its mandate to ensure effective coordination and formulation of policy to ease humanitarian operations while entrenching peace and development in Nigeria,“ Gwarzo said.

He assured the participants of their determination to ensure that the documents were approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) before the expiration of President Buhari`s tenure once it was validated by the NHCTWG.

“We have no doubt that the finalisation of these strategic blueprints will be an innovation that will shape humanitarian operations in Nigeria towards peace and development,“ he assured.

The representative of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Esty Sutoyo, said the strategic documents, when fully ratified and implemented, would provide a unique guideline and support for the smooth operations of humanitarian services.

“ The National Policy on IDPs aims to strengthen institutional mechanisms and frameworks to realise the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of vulnerable people across all phases of displacement, and the Action Plan will contribute to achieving these objectives and support the implementation of the policy on IDPs.

“The final National Cash and Voucher Assistance policy will significantly help to strengthen cash programming and coordination for the overall growth and benefit of the people into productive members of society.

“We must act now to ensure that vulnerable people get the much-needed lifesaving support they need to prevent and mitigate further deterioration of food security,“ he said

(NAN)