Media Advisory: United Nations High-Level Visit to Central African Republic

WHO? - Abdou Dieng, Regional Director, World Food Programme (WFP),

  • Richard Danziger Regional Director, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • Yves Habumugisha, Regional Director for Emergency and Humanitarian Affairs, World Vision
  • Allegra Maria Baiocchi, Regional Representative, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

WHAT? Humanitarian Regional Directors visit to Central African Republic

WHEN? From 25 to 28 April 2017

WHERE? Bangui and Paoua (Ouham-Pendé)

Four regional directors representing the humanitarian community in West and Central Africa will visit Central African Republic (CAR) from 25 to 28 April. Accompanied by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for CAR, Ms Najat Rochdi, they will first travel to the northwestern town of Paoua, in the Ouham-Pendé prefecture, which has been the theatre of an upsurge in violence and new displacements in recent weeks. They will then meet with the main humanitarian actors to discuss humanitarian aid and development agencies in the country to discuss the seriously underfunded humanitarian response. They will also be received by national and local authorities in Bangui and raise the question of access to humanitarian aid and the consequences on people affected by violence and conflict.

During this visit the Regional Directors will pay special attention to the need to guarantee access for humanitarian actors, in accordance with the principles of neutrality and impartiality and in respect of international humanitarian law. Protection of civilians is also a key issue of concern. The regional directors will also pay special attention to pilot projects which combine humanitarian and development aid and can pave a way out of the crisis for the country’s most affected.

In CAR today, almost half of the population, or 2.2 million people, survive on humanitarian aid. One person out of 5 in CAR is internally displaced or has sought refuge in neighboring Chad or Cameroon. The number of displaced people has been rising since the resurgence of violence in October 2016, with a 6 percent hike in the past month alone, due to recent tensions between armed groups in various areas of the country and especially in Ouaka (Bambari), Haute Kotto (Bria), and Ouham Pendé (Bocaranga).

The Humanitarian Response Plan proposed by the United Nations and its partners, in coordination with the government, has a total financial requirement of 399.5 million dollars. So far only 8% has been funded. The main humanitarian actors operating in CAR are deeply concerned that chronic under-funding risks unravelling achievements made over the past three years, tipping the country into a major crisis.

For further information or potential interview, please contact:
Yaye Nabo Séne, Head of the Public Information section, OCHA (Bangui): + 236 70 08 75 65, seney@un.org
Eve Sabbagh: Public Information Officer, OCHA (Dakar): +221 77 56 99 654, sabbaghe@un.org