Highlights UNICEF Situation Report Date: 30 January 2013 Reporting Period: 21-29 January 2013 UN Security Council extended mandate of UN Peacebuilding Office in CAR (BINUCA) until January 2014 with a focus on promoting stability after the current crisis. Seleka leaders with the support of BINUCA and AU undertook a sensitization mission in the localities under their leadership to explain the Libreville Agreement. Despite several encouraging senior-level field missions to the Seleka controlled towns, humanitarian bases continue to be looted. Humanitarian access and the security of humanitarian actors remain primary concerns. Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) assessment teams returned to Bangui over the weekend following successful missions. Findings are being consolidated and will be shared within the humanitarian community in the coming days. UNICEF emergency charter flight with 17 MT of emergency supplies arrived in Bangui on 24 January. Existing team of UNICEF staff in Bangui was joined by all other international staff on Thursday 24 January, with the exception of a few staff members with young families. OVERALL ESTIMATED AFFECTED POPULATION 1.79 million CHILDREN AFFECTED DIRECTLY BY THE CRISIS > 300,000 INTERNALLY DISPLACED POPULATION > 58,000 RRM RAPID ASSESSMENTS COMPLETED TO DATE 82 UNICEF IMMEDIATE HUMANITARIAN NEEDS US$ 2.1 million Though destabilizing, this crisis can provide an opportunity to work with the government of national unity to build back better and strengthen systems and programmes that address both the short term and long term needs of Central Africans. UNICEF appeals for US$ 2.1 million to meet immediate needs of children and women for the initial response; a more comprehensive estimate of humanitarian funding needs will be defined using the results of the rapid assessments next week. UNICEF emergency supplies arrive at Bangui International Airport on 24 January. Photo: UNICEF/WICKS/24-01-2013
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs In the last week, there has been some improvement in humanitarian access with several encouraging senior-level field missions to the Seleka controlled towns of N dele, Bria, Bambari and Kaga Bandoro to negotiate access to affected populations. RRM rapid assessment teams were able to successfully access zones across the Seleka controlled areas last week and this week. However, despite assurances from the Seleka for respect for humanitarian access, humanitarian bases continue to be looted, most recently being a simultaneous attack in N dele during the night of 25 January; no group has admitted responsibility for these attacks. Humanitarian access and the security of humanitarian actors remains a primary concern. Through the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) that pre-position supplies and set up stand-by agreements with partners, UNICEF is able to immediately respond to the needs of 9,000 families (45,000 people). To support the RRM, 17 metric tons of urgently needed relief supplies have arrived by air and an additional 52 metric tons will be arriving by road, including essential medicines, water purification tablets, therapeutic food, cooking sets, tarpaulins, mosquito nets and other essential household items. UNICEF continues to work with our partners on the ground and additionally will collaborate with the transitional Government of National Unity to be put in place, to respond to immediate and long term needs of Central African women and children. Gaining access to affected populations is a priority, as rebel occupied towns remain under their control and violence and insecurity have rendered certain regions completely inaccessible for several weeks. Initial results from the RRM rapid assessments suggest that the most acute humanitarian needs include: 1. Medical support including emergency health kits and surgical kits with a strengthened component of diarrhea response supplies; together with re-establishment of IMCI and vaccination programmes as well as treatment of severe acute malnutrition 2. Comprehensive response and prevention for all children at risk of separation, child trafficking, child sexual exploitation and child recruitment, as well as for women/girls at risk and survivors of gender-based violence; 3. NFI and shelter needs are also likely to be acute due to widespread displacement and looting. 4. Ensuring children resume or regain access to quality education in safe schools and/or temporary learning spaces, Child-Friendly Spaces, including Early Childhood Development activities for children 3-5 years old; 5. Access to safe water and sanitation (household water treatment, water tanks, distribution kits) combined with expanded hygiene promotion efforts through multiple entry points (schools, health facilities, temporary learning centres, etc.). Security Seven prefectures are affected by internal displacement, as people are fearful of returning back to rebel occupied zones. Following the signing of the ceasefire agreement on 11 January, there has been no major threat to Bangui. However, many Seleka occupied areas remain inaccessible and are deemed too unstable for overnight missions. On 23 January, the mining towns of Dimbi and Kembe were attacked by the Seleka coalition, resulting in Defense Minister Jean Ladawa accusing rebels of not respecting the Libreville accord. A delegation comprising of representatives from UNOCHA, UNICEF,UNHCR, WFP, UNDSS and IRC visited Kaga Bandoro on 22 January reported that compounds and warehouses of IRC, UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP have been completely looted of all office equipment, communications equipment, generators, wiring and cabling. UNOCHA is compiling a list of UN and NGO offices that have been looted and their respective losses. On 24 January, the Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Peace-building Office in CAR (BINUCA) until January 2014 with a particular focus on promoting stability after this recent crisis and calls on the Government to restore law and order. On 25 January, the Seleka leaders with the support of BINUCA and AU undertook a sensitization mission in the localities under their leadership to explain the content of the Libreville Agreement.
The looted UNICEF warehouse and office and at Kaga Bandoro. Photo: UNICEF/BERTHY/22-01-2013 Humanitarian leadership and coordination Cluster Co-ordination meetings are being held every week at the current time the focus of the meetings is on preparing for additional in-depth Cluster assessments as required and updating the capacity and status of actors on the ground. UNICEF Programme Strategy and Key Actions to Date With partners, UNICEF is leading the humanitarian assessment and response through the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) which provides immediate emergency water and sanitation, nutrition assistance and non-food items such as basic household items for 4,000 families (20,000 people) uprooted by conflict. The emergency response includes health care for 90,000 people, emergency education and child protection. ACF, ACTED, ALIMA, IRC, DRC and Solidarites teams returned to Bangui over the weekend following successful assessment missions, with MERLIN deploying this week. Raw data is being compiled and shared within the humanitarian community and the initial analysis is being conducted The RRM rapid assessment partners met on 29 January to undertake a rapid lessons to learn exercise to refine the rapid assessment tool and capture lessons which will be of benefit to Clusters about to undertake their own assessments. Furthermore, the RRM management committee will meet on Thursday January 31 to take an immediate decision regarding the RRM response. Children need protection, health care, safe water and sanitation and to return to school. UNICEF is restarting key lifesaving, education and protection programming in areas that have been secondarily impacted by the crisis as the few existing government services have ceased in many parts of the country due to the recent fighting.
Table: UNICEF key programme actions to date. Child Protection: UNICEF and partners continue to support an emergency transit and orientation center for 66 children formerly associated with armed groups, evacuated to Bangui in December 2012. UNICEF CAR has put together a contingency plan for the 66 children in case the situation in Bangui deteriorates and has a contingency stock to establish two emergency CTOs with the capacity for 50-75 children each. UNICEF has provided MSF with emergency PEP kits for 150 survivors of GBV in both government and Seleka controlled areas. UNICEF is currently supporting protection partners (Minister of Social Affairs, COOPI, and DRC) to launch reintegration activities. Verification missions of the MRM Working Group are planned in the coming days for Damara, Sibut, Bambari and Kaga Bandoro. The Child Protection sub-cluster met to coordinate evaluation missions with the Protection cluster as well as urgent activities to be conducted. Education: UNICEF CAR has in stock emergency education supplies to immediately support over 10,000 children. Through the Cluster, UNICEF with partners, including COOPI, DRC, IRC, ACTED, Mercy Corps, Vitalite Plus and Triangle are mapping out the status of current schools in Seleka-controlled areas and what areas can be prioritized for resumption of educative activities. UNICEF Regional Office Education in Emergency Advisor arriving in Bangui on 30 January. Health: UNICEF has provided emergency health supplies to MSF-Holland, MSF-Spain, ALIMA and ACF to support activities in Seleka-controlled areas for 20,000 people. UNICEF Regional Office HIV/AIDS in emergency Advisor arriving in Bangui on 2 February. Non-Food Items: UNICEF has the capacity to cover 9,000 families, 4000 through the RRM and 5000 with existing contingency stock, in need of basic non-food items. These NFIs will allow families to re-establish their households following massive looting during and following the latest conflict. These NFI kits include basic items such as blankets, mosquito nets, cooking sets, soap, jerry cans and tarpaulins. Nutrition: UNICEF can support the immediate establishment of five therapeutic feedings centers, treating 500 children through the RRM programme. UNICEF has provided emergency nutritional supplies, including therapeutic foodstuffs to MSF-Holland, IMC and ACF to support activities in Seleka controlled areas. UNICEF has to has an additional 5 MT of contingency stocks comprising therapeutic foodstuffs such as therapeutic milk, PlumpyNut, ReSoMal and zinc. WASH: In addition to the RRM WASH supplies, UNICEF currently has in-country eemergency water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to support the immediate needs of 50,000 people, including bladders and distribution systems, chlorination materials/equipment, hand pumps, foot pumps, jerry cans and water purification tablets. UNICEF in partnership with MapAction and in collaboration with UNOCHA and RRM partners continue to map the results of the RRM rapid assessments to enhance the understanding of current humanitarian needs and the prioritization of the humanitarian response. Supply and Logistics UNICEF CAR wishes to express its gratitude to both the Regional Office and Supply Division in Copenhagen for facilitating the full charter (Antonov 12) of emergency supplies that arrived in Bangui on Thursday 24 January. By air from Copenhagen: 17 MT of essential WASH, Health, Nutrition and NFI supplies By road from Douala: 52 MT of essential WASH, Nutrition and NFI supplies Status: Arrived Bangui 29 January 2013 Status: ETA Bangui 8 February 2013
In addition, UNICEF CAR is re-prioritising supplies already in-country (contingency stock and stock for regular programming activities) such that UNICEF and our partners can meet the most urgent humanitarian needs as soon as possible. Human Resources Immediate surge needs identified: Emergency Specialist, Nutrition Specialist, WASH Specialist, and Security Officer. An Operational Staff Matrix has also been finalized to ensure fast tracking of key positions vital to a robust UNICEF response. All international staff have now returned to CAR as of Thursday 24 January, with the exception of a few staff with young families. Regional office currently supporting with surge staff from Emergency and Security, with support for Education and HIV emergency en route this week. Funding To date, UNICEF CAR has received $450,000 in emergency funding since the latest crisis began in December. UNICEF CAR has an immediate funding gap of $2,100,000 for the initial emergency response, supplies and surge capacity. As outlined in the CAR CAP for 2013, UNICEF urgently requires over $11.5 million to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of 1.79 million people, including 1.34 million children and women in the areas of nutrition, health, water and sanitation, child protection, education and Non-Food Items. This initial 2013 requirement is expected to rise given the scope and nature of the current emergency. Appeal Sector 2013 funding requirements (USD) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 995,100 Health 1,588,950 Nutrition 1,494,255 Education 1,086,986 Child Protection 5,073,806 NFIs 1,277,848 Total 11,516,945 ** Funding figures include a maximum recovery rate of 7%. The actual recovery rate on contributions will be calculated in accordance with UNICEF Executive Board Decision 2006/7 dated 9 June 2006. For further information, please contact: Souleymane Diabate Representative sdiabate@unicef.org Mary Louise Eagleton Meaney Deputy Representative meagleton@unicef.org Linda Tom Communication Specialist ltom@unicef.org