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Tag: Edward Kallon

  • Kaduna: UN urges stakeholders to bring perpetrators to book

    The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Dr Edward Kallon, has appealed to stakeholders to commence processes to amicably address the underlying causes of communal clashes in Kasuwan Magani,Kajuru Local Government Kaduna State and bring the perpetrators to account.

    The resident coordinator made the appeal in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja.

    “I have also learned with sadness, the loss of over 50 lives following communal clashes in Kasuwan Magani area, South of Kaduna State.

    “I urge authorities in the State to seriously look into circumstances leading to these clashes, which have become too common,’’ he said.

    Read Also: Killings: IGP deploys forces as Kaduna declares curfew

    Similarly, the resident coordinator expressed grave concern over news of renewed killings by the armed insurgent group, Boko Haram in Borno.According to him, close to 40 lives were lost in separate incidents over the last few days, when the group attacked civilians in Borno.

    He appealed to the Government of Nigeria and security forces in the region to scale up efforts aimed at protecting civilian communities especially in areas where sporadic attacks had been recorded recently.

    He therefore, noted that the attacks, if unchecked, might reverse the gains made so far in securing lives and property in the region.

    “On behalf of the United Nations  family in Nigeria, I wish to express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the bereaved.

    “The UN remains ready to support the Government and people of Nigeria in seeking sustainable solutions to related national challenges,’’ he said.

  • UN says global conflicts has displace 65 Million People

    …26, 000 killed in the Northeast Nigeria

    The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Edward Kallon on Friday said global conflicts and violence have caused the displacement of 65 million people, just as he informed that over 26,000 people have been killed in Northeast Nigeria.

    Kallon disclosed this in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital at a courtesy visit to Gov. Kashim Shettima to mark World Humanitarian Day (WHD) at the Government House.

    The WHD he said was set aside by the United Nations to express solidarity with people affected by humanitarian crises and pay tribute to workers that helped victims of conflict and violence.

    His words: “This year’s commemoration marks the 15th Anniversary since the attack on the United Nations in Baghdad, Iraq in which 22 of our colleagues were killed.

    “Since that tragedy, which led to this day’s designation as WHD; over 4,000 humanitarians aid workers have been killed, injured, detained or kidnapped.”

    He noted that global conflicts, including Boko Haram insurgency in

    Northeast Nigeria kills an average of 300 people each year, adding that, “Globally, conflicts are forcing record numbers of people from their homes, with the displacement of over 65 million.

    “Children are recruited by armed groups and used to fight, while women are also abused and humiliated.”

    Mr. Kallon regretted that in as much as  humanitarian workers deliver aid , medical supplies and sucor  for those in need, they are however;  either targeted or treated as threats.

    He said in Northeast region, civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict that leding to widespread forced displacement, abuse and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law including sexual and gender-based violence on a daily basis.

    Mr. Kallon also condemned the abduction of thousands of women and girls just as children continue to be used on regular basis as so called “suicide” bombers.

    Continuing, he added: “Thousands of families have been forced to flee their villages and communities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

    Read Also: 68.5m people displaced globally – UNHCR

    “Aid and medical workers, who care for people affected by the violence, suffer the consequences of insecurity.”

    Speaking on conflict’s abduction and death tolls, Kallon said: “Three aid workers were killed and three abducted in March this year in Rann; an aid worker was killed in Ngala in May. A member of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was killed in Damasak just last week.”

    While condemning the killings and abduction of aid workers, he urged the parties to the conflict to enable the work of humanitarian workers free from undue threats and loss of lives.

    According to him, “This will facilitate their access to people in need, and in line with International Humanitarian Law”.

    The UN chief called on the immediate and unconditional release of the aid workers, who have been abducted.

    “I call on Nigerian leaders to do everything in their power to protect the people caught up in conflict,” adding that those who are concerned are to join the UN at worldhumanitarianday.org to show that civilians are #NotATarget.

    “Together, we stand with the Government of Nigeria, in solidarity with civilians in conflict, and with the humanitarian workers who risk their lives to help them”, he said.

    Governor Kashim Shettima in a short remark said that 1.5 million people have been displaced due to the Boko Haram crisis in the last nine years.

    Governor Shettima also informed that out of the figure of the displaced people , 164,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have returned to their liberated communities in Mobbar, Dikwa, Gwoza, Ngala, Konduga, Bama, Damboa, Mafa and Askira/Uba councils.

    He however regretted that Abadam and Marte council areas are not secured enough for IDPs return to their communities because they are still vulnerable to Boko elements that were recently pushed by the military drom the Lake Chad Basin.

    Governor Shettima was however optimistic that the situation will be better soon.

  • North East: UN targets $1.05bfor humanitarian response for 2018

    North East: UN targets $1.05bfor humanitarian response for 2018

    The United Nations (UN) is targeting over $1billion for 2018 humanitarian assistance in the North East of the country, it was revealed today.

    About 7.7 million people from three most affected states in the North East are in dire need of humanitarian assistance this year. The states are Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

    Of this figure, UN is targeting 6.1 million for humanitarian assistance in 2018.

    The global body realized $740million out of the $1bn appeal for humanitarian intervention in the North East of Nigeria in 2017.

    The UN in collaboration with other international organizations and government has been actively providing humanitarian assistance in the area in the last nine years, owing to severe humanitarian conditions and insecurity occasion by activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.

    UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, who made the disclosure yesterday at the launch of the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan for the North East in Abuja, however announced a target of $1.05bn for 2018.

    He said the fund which is expected to come from about 60 donor organizations would be expended on 173 projects and would impact on the wellbeing of 6.1m people in the three most ravage states in the region; Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

    Speaking in Abuja at the Launch of the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan, Mr. Edward Kallon, UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria said the humanitarian crisis in the North East is one of the most severe in the world.

    In 2017, he noted that 5.6million people were reached by the global body, with a resultant effect in the number of food insecure people which dropped from 5.1million to 3.9million.

    Read Also: HIV, North East others get $89m US assistance

    The global body in 2017 realized about $945 million out of the $1billion appealed sort for to address the humanitarian crisis in the region.

    Despite the achievement, he however said that many challenges remain as conflict and population movements continue.

    Hence, in 2018 he said the plan is to provide life-saving emergency assistance among other to the 7.7 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance in the region.

    He said, “The aim in 2018 is to build on humanitarian work carried out in previous years and we have three strategic objectives. The first is to provide life-saving emergency assistance to the most vulnerable people in conflict-affected areas, ensuring that assistance is timely and to- scale. The second is to ensure that all assistance promotes the protection, safety and dignity of affected people, and is provided equitably to women, girls, men and boys. The third is to help people kick-start their lives again and also reconstruct the foundations of their lives so that they are better prepared to face future crises. This includes the 1.3 million people who have returned home, but also includes, those who have decided to stay where they are and try and rebuild their lives.”

    He further explained that “7.7 million People are in need of humanitarian assistance in the worst-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. These are people who have been displaced and are living in camps or host communities, people who have returned home to nothing, and people living in other areas that are hard to reach for humanitarians.

    “6.1 million of these people are being targeted for humanitarian assistance in the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan by 60 organsitaions including UN agencies and international and national NGOs. This humanitarian assistance ranges from food, protection, water, shelter and sanitation, to medicine, education and agricultural support, and will be delivered to vulnerable women, children and men across the three states,” he added.

    On funding, he said that of the $1 billion appeal in 2017, 70% representing more than $740 million was realized, which thus make Nigeria one of the best funded appeals globally, with $196million carried over from last year.

     

     

     

     

  • UN launches $9 million food security project

    UN launches $9 million food security project

    The United Nations ( UN ) on Tuesday launched a nine million-dollar food security project in Kaduna State to improve the livelihood of farmers in the state.

    Briefing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said that the project known as “Food Africa’’ was to ensure improved nutrition and food sufficiency in the country.

    Kallon said the project was an innovative approach aimed at revamping the food sector to create new jobs for young people, increase farmers’ revenue, improve productivity, enhance nutrition and reduce food loss through the adoption of more sustainable production practices.

    He said that the project would be implemented in partnership with various UN agencies, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals Fund ( UN SDG-F ) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation ( FAO ).

    He said that the other facilitators of the project included the Sahara Group, the International Labour Organisation ( ILO ), the Roca Brothers and the Kaduna State government, among others.

    According to him, Nigeria is currently facing food insufficiency due to factors such as reliance on rain-fed agriculture, increase in food prices and climate change.

    Kallon said that the private sector was the engine room for actualising the SDGs, adding that collaborations between the government, private sector and UN agencies would facilitate efforts to achieve the targets of the project.

    “A growing population comes with a growing demand for food. To feed this expanded population nutritiously and sustainably, much more efforts and innovation are needed to make substantial improvements to the food system,’’ he said.

    Also speaking, Ms Paloma Duran, the Director of UN-SDGF, said that the project would target, train and involve no fewer than 4,000 farmers in Kaduna State.

    Duran noted that the project commenced with the training of 50 farmers, including young women and men in agriculture, using a train-the-trainer approach.

    “Some of the priorities of this project are food security and nutrition as well as inclusive economic growth; and it will last for three years,’’ she said.

    Mr Suffyan Koroma, the FAO Country Representative, said that the project would target food preservation techniques, especially in the tomato value chain.

    He said that the project would help to promote sustainability and replicable integrated solutions to agro-food value chain development, youth employment and poverty alleviation issues.

    Dr Abdukadir Kassim, the Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, commended the UN agencies for choosing the Kaduna as the pilot state for the project.

    He said that the training of the 50 farmers was apt, adding that the state government was interested in improving the livelihood of its citizens to ensure increased food production.

    He said that the state government’s agricultural schemes had impacted significantly on about 70 per cent of its farming population because of the fact that there was no better security than food security.

    Kassim said that the state government would support agencies and partners whose target was to promote the agricultural potential of the state.

    “The training of the farmers in Kaduna has confirmed the fact that the UN is supporting agricultural programmes in the country.

    “Any programme aimed at improving the livelihood of the people will be welcomed by the government,’’ he added.

    Mr Tonye Cole, the Executive Director of the Sahara Group, said that the project would be replicated in other states of the country and across Africa to achieve food security.

    Food Africa project focuses on identifying and testing a replicable model in Kaduna State, with a view to scaling up the programme in other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

    NAN

  • Nigeria’s $1.5bn humanitarian response plan 28% funded – UN

    Nigeria’s $1.5bn humanitarian response plan 28% funded – UN

    The 1.5 billion dollars humanitarian response plan for Nigeria for 2017 is 28 per cent funded, five months into the year, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, has said.

    Kallon, who is also the UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, made the update available to the UN, according to Mr Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

    The Nigeria’s humanitarian coordinator also said that humanitarian partners had scaled up assistance and the delivery of food aid has increased 700 per cent from October 2016.

    However, Kallon stressed that while the humanitarian response has increased substantially, “we have not turned the corner yet.

    “And if the funding situation is not sustained, the situation can easily relapse into a famine situation.”

    Kallon, who is the Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme, said there was still “a protection and food security crisis of ‘global proportions’” in the north-east geo-political zone.

    “More than 1.8 million people have been forced to flee their homes in the six north-eastern states due to the violent Boko Haram insurgency and military counter-insurgency operations.

    “In addition, 4.7 million people are food insecure in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, and this number may rise to 5.2 million during the upcoming lean season,” Kallon said.

  • Humanitarian crisis: UN restates support for Nigeria

    The United Nations on Thursday reiterated its readiness to support the Federal Government through Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative (PCNI) to combat nutrition and security challenges in the crisis areas.

    The UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Edward Kallon, disclosed this during his courtesy call on the PCNI Chairman, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd), in Abuja.

    Kallon observed that at least 14 million people in Nigeria were affected with 8.5 million needing urgent assistance, saying women and children were mostly affected.

    He said this prompted his visit to Danjuma so as to collaborate effectively with the federal government to achieve tremendous success on humanitarian issues as it affects crisis and displacement.

    “For a very long time now, the Boko Haram menace has been in the back burner; it has not been really in the international limelight,” the UN coordinator said.

    “What we have done is to bring the world’s attention to the impact of this crisis in the North- East, and to further emphasise that this has a wider implication than one could expect.

    “This is not really a Nigeria problem; it is a regional problem that is why we are very happy that the international community has recognised this Boko Haram menace.

    “And they are ready to support the federal government and the countries in the region to find lasting solution to the problem.”

    NAN