Joint Launch of the Government's Food Insecurity and Nutritional Response Plan and the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan

Niamey, 10 March 2023 - Niger continues to face an acute and complex humanitarian crisis marked by the impact of various shocks: the persistence of insecurity and its consequences, food insecurity, epidemics and floods. In 2023, 4.3 million people, representing about 17 per cent of the population, requires humanitarian assistance.

The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance increased by 14 per cent due to population movements in the Tillabéri, Tahoua, Diffa and Maradi regions. Food insecurity remains a major concern, with negative impacts on the nutritional health of children under five, and on malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. According to the results of the 2022 nutrition survey, the global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate is estimated at 12.2 per cent, with 2.4 per cent children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). These figures are above the World Health Organization’s emergency thresholds.

The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (in French) is targeting 2.7 million people with lifesaving humanitarian assistance, about 60 per cent of the people in need of assistance. The humanitarian community is seeking US$583.9 million to provide aid.

“Through the coordinated efforts of the United Nations, partners, the Government, and with donor support, together, we can give affected communities the means to emerge from the crises and to look forward to a better tomorrow,” said Ms. Louise Aubin, Humanitarian Coordinator in Niger.

The interventions stipulated in the Humanitarian Response Plan are complementary to the activities outlined in the National Response Plan, with a budget of 265.3 billion FCFA (equivalent of US$426 million). Both plans target internally displaced people, host communities, refugees and flood-affected people.

“In addition to the measures taken by the government to address the food crisis, and also to facilitate access due to insecurity, we will continue to ensure the protection of civilians through stabilization actions, particularly in the Diffa and Tillabéri regions,” said Mr. Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Prime Minister of Niger.

In 2022, about 3.1 million people in Niger received humanitarian assistance within the framework of the Humanitarian Response Plan, with donor support, while 3.9 million people were assisted through the Government’s National Response Plan. Humanitarian support from the international community is needed now, more than ever, to ensure that the most vulnerable people in Niger receive the assistance they need.

For more information, please contact

Mr. Oumarou Lalo Keita, Communication Officer, Office of the Prime Minister, Keita_oumarou@yahoo.fr (+227) 91 82 22 95

Ms. Laura Fultang, OCHA, Public Information Officer, fultangl@un.org, (+227) 99 71 71 39