INTRODUCTION
During and immediately after a crisis, national actors and the international community focus primarily on meeting immediate life-saving needs. Human lives are at risk and quick action is required to minimize damage and restore order. Thus, on February 22, after two consecutive cyclones struck Madagascar affecting 17 of the 22 regions, the Government officially declared a disaster and issued an international appeal for help to deal with the crisis.
In response to this request, the UN Resident Coordinator decided to mount a Flash Appeal to raise the required amount of US$36,476,586, along with an appeal to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to cover the emergency period and priority needs. This combined use of the two fund mobilization mechanisms made it possible to rapidly stabilize the crisis.
However, despite the fact that it is now commonly accepted that ‘the foundations for sustainable recovery and a return to longer-term development should be planned from the outset of a humanitarian emergency’, one can see that the Early Recovery phase still does not receive the attention it deserves and it was therefore agreed to only insert a few Early Recovery projects in the Flash Appeal to give it a better visibility in a separate process later on. Therefore a Joint Damages, Losses and Needs Assessment (JDLNA) led by the government with the support of the United Nations System and the GFDRR, aimed at identifying Early Recovery and recovery needs, took place in April-May.
The conclusions of the JDLNA now show that the impact of the cyclone being felt mainly by the most vulnerable households, combined with the request for funds in the Flash Appeal still unmet, results today in a large need for Early Recovery funding not yet fulfilled. This ‘Consolidated Strategy and Financial Needs for Early Recovery’ address these needs estimated at US$ 32.7 million.
After a detailed background on the context surrounding the 2008 cyclonic season, the second section of this document, provides the pillars of the Early Recovery Strategy developed by the government of Madagascar with the support of the United Nations System and the humanitarian platform. Based on this strategy, the third section develops sectoral plans and projects (situation, sector objectives and projects ), while the final section summarises the financial needs.
