Mali: Central Emergency Response Fund (Cerf) Grants Mali $11 Million As Part of the Underfunded Emergencies Window

(Bamako, August 31, 2024). The Central Emergency Response Fund has granted US$11 million to Mali as part of the underfunded emergencies window.

This allocation will enable the humanitarian community to prioritize its response to emergencies in the northern and central regions. These regions are affected by a food and nutrition crisis affecting 1.3 million people and a continuing influx of refugees from the central Sahel. This funding sends a strong signal to the international community about the lack of resources to meet the growing and complex needs of armed conflict and climate crisis-affected populations in Mali and Central Sahel. “This fund is timely for humanitarian actors in Mali, who even today are forced to make difficult choices due to limited resources, sometimes reducing the amount of assistance to the most vulnerable and remote populations,” stated M. Maleye Diop, Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

As of August 2024, only 26% of the $701.6 million required under the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan has been mobilized. At the same time, the Government of Mali has declared a national disaster following floods that have claimed 30 lives and affected 47,374 people since the start of the rainy season. In addition, barely 600,000 of the 4.1 million people targeted by humanitarian aid in 2024 have been able to receive assistance, mainly due to a lack of funding.

Gaps in aid funding perpetuate the cycle of vulnerability and reduce people’s chances of recovering. CERF funding aims to prevent Mali’s humanitarian situation from deteriorating.

Without urgent and flexible funding, needs are likely to increase throughout the year, despite significant efforts by the government and humanitarian partners. “I urge donors to put Mali at the center of international priorities and support regular humanitarian funding,” says M. Diop.

Note to Editors: Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2006, the Central Emergency Response Fund is a humanitarian funding mechanism managed by OCHA that enables a more rapid and effective response to the vital needs of populations affected by natural disasters, armed conflict, or underfunded crises.

For further information, please contact: Ibrahima Koné, OCHA Mali, Tel. +223 75995581, [email protected] OCHA press release are available at www.reliefweb.int/country/mli

ADVERTISEMENT