Three agencies of the United Nations (UN) have received a $23 million contribution to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities affected by food insecurity, malnutrition and the effects of climate change in Mali.
The contribution is part of a four-year project by the Swedish government to build on the expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to improve food security in the country.
The project, to be implemented mainly in the Segou and Sikasso regions, is expected to improve food and nutritional security of 144,800 people, particularly women and children.
Data from the MDG Achievement Fund (MDG-F) shows that Mali has one of the highest rates of child malnutrition and food insecurity in the world, with every one in six children suffering from acute malnourishment.
Recurrent natural disasters, severe poverty and civil conflict since 2012 have exacerbated food insecurity and hunger in Mali.
‘Our common priority is to work with communities, including those displaced by conflict, to enable them to have sustainable access to safe and nutritious food’, WFP Director in Mali, Sally Haydock, said in a statement..
‘This includes programmes offering food or cash in exchange for work to build assets that will benefit the whole community and the development of nutrition-related activities in a complementary manner with sister agencies UNICEF and FAO’.
Development Diaries understands that the local communities of Segou (Barouéli circle) and Sikasso (Bougouni and Sikasso circles) are among the main actors and will be directly involved in implementing and monitoring project activities with emphasis placed on the active participation of women.
‘FAO is committed with all partners to support project beneficiaries to strengthen their resilience, preserve natural resources and biodiversity affected by climate change’, the statement quoted the FAO Representative in Mali, Mansour N’Diaye, as saying.
‘We will jointly use the tools to enhance social cohesion and reduce conflicts within agricultural activities to achieve a better productivity, a better environment, better nutrition and better living conditions for the beneficiaries of this project’.
Also speaking, the UNICEF Representative in Mali, Sylvie Fouet, said, ‘This programme places particular emphasis on children and young people, and the involvement and active participation of women’, UNICEF’s Representative in Mali, Sylvie Fouet, said.
‘We look forward to seeing an improvement in people’s ability to prepare, prevent and respond to the impact of crisis and shocks, including climate change, to ensure a better future for every girl and every boy.
Data from Climate Links shows that rising temperatures and fluctuations in water availability threatens the pastoralist and agrarian livelihoods that support the majority of the population in Mali.
Climate Links also noted that Mali faces persistent food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly in the Segou region.
‘Strengthening resilience for food security and nutrition for the most vulnerable people requires a multisectoral and integrated approach’, Head of Cooperation for Sweden in Mali, Richard Bomboma, said.
‘In this project our multi-year partnership with the three UN agencies will enable addressing the underlying causes of vulnerability and contribute to sustainable and nutritious food systems.
‘In addition, this is an important project that addresses the six thematic perspectives of Sweden development cooperation: poverty reduction, human rights, gender equality, conflict-sensitivity, environment, climate change and resilience’.
In September 2021, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) provided the government of Mali with 7,372 tonnes of food grains to help the most vulnerable households in the country.
Source: WFP
Photo source: WFP/Arete/Adetona Omokanye
