In a joint effort to address humanitarian challenges and alleviate poverty, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations, alongside various development partners, have committed to raising $5 billion annually for the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund.
This announcement was made by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation during a humanitarian coordination meeting held at the United Nations House in Abuja on Wednesday.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, convened the meeting, bringing together ambassadors, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders. The objective was to foster a unified and effective approach to humanitarian response in Nigeria.
The meeting resulted in a consensus to adopt a durable, smart, and coordinated strategy for addressing humanitarian crises in the country. Among the key resolutions was the commitment to mobilize $5 billion annually for the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund. This financial support is expected to come from the Federal Government, other nations, the private sector, donor agencies, and development partners.
Expressing gratitude on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, Minister Betta Edu acknowledged the contributions of UN agencies and development partners in alleviating humanitarian challenges in Nigeria. However, she emphasized the need for a more organized and collaborative approach to maximize the impact of these efforts.
Minister Edu asserted that the era of disjointed, unaccountable, and isolated responses to humanitarian crises in Nigeria is over. She highlighted the government’s commitment to taking the lead in coordinating efforts, ensuring alignment with national priorities, and optimizing resource utilization.
“President Bola Tinubu does appreciate the effort of the UN agencies as well as other organizations that are working in the humanitarian space, but we just need to bring this effort in a more coordinated manner so that we can achieve more, especially in the face of dwindling resources,” stated Minister Edu.
She reiterated the government’s commitment to reducing, preventing, mitigating, and responding effectively to humanitarian crises in Nigeria, with the overarching goal of reducing poverty by 50 percent.
Matthias Schmale, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, conveyed the support of UN agencies in assisting the government’s efforts to address humanitarian challenges. Schmale affirmed the UN’s commitment to ensuring proper coordination, developing and implementing response plans, mobilizing resources, and aligning initiatives with the priorities of the Federal Government.
“We are here as United Nations agencies to support in ensuring proper coordination, develop review and implementation response plan, mobilise resources for country response, as well as align to the Federal Government priorities,” stated Matthias Schmale.
