(Extract)
The Sahel zone (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and the Sahelian northern regions of neighbouring countries)
DG ECHO's strategy for the Sahel zone continues to reduce mortality due to acute malnutrition among children under five, pregnant and lactating women and to advocate integrating the management of malnutrition within national primary healthcare systems, in close coordination with the development aid community. Actions will continue to be based on the previous three successful axes: first, Improving the knowledge base: encouraging improved methodology to measure malnutrition and livelihoods at household level, including the impact of climate change; second, Support for innovative, appropriate and replicable pilot responses: funding of projects with a focus on disaster risk reduction, strengthening coping mechanisms and the management of severe acute malnutrition; Third, Relevant and effective advocacy toward populations at risk and policy makers to promote a sustainable and viable LRRD long-term approach: This will focus on consolidating the considerable progress made in 2009 in this area and on LRRD issues as part of the mid-term reviews of the 10th EDF programmes in the Sahel zone in 2010.
It should be noted that continued very high food prices, erratic rains during this year's agricultural season and political instability have aggravated the risk of crisis for the most vulnerability population in the Sahel. Harvests are below average, household reserves are low, there is high indebtedness and coping mechanisms have been drastically weakened by a series of external shocks. Acute malnutrition rates remain well above internationally recognized emergency thresholds. Humanitarian access also represents a problem in certain areas of the Sahel.
Liberia
The Commission will continue its humanitarian commitment to Liberia in order to complete the transition from humanitarian aid to development. The LRRD process made progress in 2009 but continued humanitarian assistance is still required in the health and water and sanitation sectors until the 10th EDF funds programmed for this sector come on-stream in 2011.
Disaster preparedness and response in West Africa
All of West Africa is subject to recurrent epidemics and low magnitude natural disasters, such as flooding. Rapid response and emergency preparedness projects allow appropriate and measured responses, supplemented if necessary by emergency decisions. As part of its Disaster Risk Reduction strategy, DG ECHO will support actions to improve disaster preparedness in West Africa targeted in particular at flood preparedness and mitigation and the consequent health risks; it will also ensure a rapid response capacity by means of a further decision to respond to the regular epidemic emergencies that affect West Africa as a whole (cholera, yellow fever, meningitis, measles, etc.).
See full document at: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900SID/SODA-7XJMDK?OpenDocument
