Donors reiterate support to the Central African Republic (22 January 2019)

Bangui, 22 January 2019 – The Minister of Humanitarian Action and National Reconciliation in the Central African Republic (CAR), Her Excellency Virginie Baïkoua and the CAR Humanitarian Coordinator, Najat Rochdi, co-chaired a meeting to present and discuss the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic on 18 January 2019 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

The diplomatic corps accredited to the Republic of Cameroon, the representatives of United Nations agencies, international and non-governmental organizations and the press participated in this meeting. The objective of this working session was to present the latest humanitarian developments, strategic objectives and funding needs for the year 2019. This meeting followed the launch of the Humanitarian Response Plan (PRH) for the Central African Republic in Bangui on 7 January 2019.

“With your support, we made extraordinary achievements in 2018, despite a fragile and dangerous context. We provided humanitarian assistance to almost 1 million people,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator. “In 2018, the Humanitarian Response Plan received 49% of the required funding. This represents an increase compared with previous years whereby, the HRP was funded at 38% and 41% in 2016 and 2017 respectively. I would like to thank each donor that contributed to the Humanitarian Response Plan. Your support saved countless lives, and also helped hundreds of thousands of people,” said Ms. Rochdi.

The diplomatic corps reiterated its support to the humanitarian community and condemned violence against humanitarian workers. They called on all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and to respect the neutrality of medical and educational facilities.

In 2019, 2.9 million Central Africans, more than half of whom are children, need humanitarian assistance and protection, an increase of 16 per cent over the previous year. 1.6 million people have acute and immediate humanitarian needs.

The 2019 HRP is seeking US$ 430.7 million in funding. The commitment and support of the international community is required to provide lifesaving assistance to 1.7 million Central Africans.