UN urges gov’t to step up protection of humanitarian workers.

The UN official made the appeal over the weekend. This was while launching activities for the World Humanitarian Day commemorated August 19 across the globe.

According to the UN official, aid workers who are very active in crisis-hit regions and disaster areas of the country such as Far North, North, East, Adamawa, North West, and South West regions, are exposed to all forms of dangers. Such dangers, he said, calls for increase in security around aid workers. 

“Humanitarians must be protected, especially in crisis areas. We must ensure they can fully intervene where needed, in support of the government's efforts,” Siaka stated. 

The UN official said Cameroon is battling with climate change, natural disasters like floods as well as influx of refugees due to the armed conflict in neighbouring Chad and Central African Republic, CAR. 

These incidents, he regretted, have worsened the vulnerabilities of population of the affected areas in terms of access to food, housing, nutrition, water and sanitation, education, protection services, or healthcare among others. 

He lamented that in times of crisis, there is an increase need for humanitarian workers but more and more of them are exposed to several forms of violence as they struggle to carry out their duty.

The World Humanitarian Day, Siaka said, is an opportunity to remind the world on the important role this group of workers play in the preservation of the vulnerable population they are called to serve.

The theme of the 2024 edition: “Acting for Humanity”, he added, serves as a global call to the powers that be in different countries to ensure the protection of the civilian population and the humanitarian workers who are always at their service.

“It's also important to note that certain types of crises increase the risks for humanitarian workers trying to provide safe, effective, and principled aid,” the UN official said, adding that: “The ongoing implementation of the Humanitarian Response Plan with the government is an important step in our support for vulnerable populations”.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, in its recent report estimates over 3.4 million people will need humanitarian assistance in Cameroon before the end of 2024.

The Humanitarian Response Plan launched in April 2024 by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji Paul, revealed that government is in need of some 230 billion FCFA to succour some 2.3 million vulnerable persons nationwide.

Speaking to reporters, during the launch of the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan in Cameroon, Siaka had said, this year, focus will be on 2.3 million persons out of the 3.4 million vulnerable population the country is hosting with priority access to basic necessities like access to education, shelter, food.

The Humanitarian Response Plan, it should be noted, is a programme put in place by the government of Cameroon and it partners to provide life-saving assistance and protection to the vulnerable population of the country.

It seeks to provide the affected populations, mostly women and children, with basic needs such as shelter, healthcare, food security, education, protection, non-food items among others.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3204 Tuesday August 20, 2024