Joint Statement by the United Nations Regional Directors of Southern and Eastern Africa on the conclusion of their visit to Mozambique

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Joint Statement by the United Nations Regional Directors of Southern and Eastern Africa on the conclusion of their visit to Mozambique

11:26 CAT | 22 Dec 2020

Photo: IFAD

The Regional Directors of FAO, IFAD, IOM, UNFPA, UNHCR, WFP, and UNDP Resilience Hub Manager concluded on 18 December a solidarity visit to Mozambique to see first-hand the situation in Cabo Delgado and show support to affected communities as well as to the Government of Mozambique.

They visited new rural resettlement areas as well as internally displaced persons and host families in urban areas and heard dramatic first-hand accounts from women, children and men whose lives were upended by violence, conflict, and insecurity. Discussions were held with the Secretary of State and with the Governor of Cabo Delgado Province as well as with humanitarian organizations and religious leaders. In Maputo, the mission met with Government officials and international partners.

The United Nations Regional Directors of Southern and Eastern Africa are extremely worried at conditions in the Province of Cabo Delgado. The province is facing a simultaneous humanitarian, development and human rights crisis. The time is now for scale and integration to prevent, reverse and recover through life-saving and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance and a One-UN medium to long-term resilience effort, under the leadership of the Government of Mozambique.

There is need for urgent international attention and engagement by all capitals to boost immediate, integrated peace and development efforts in the sub region and counteract current devastating trends.

Although much has been done, displacement is increasing daily. In the face of the imminent rainy season and the growing numbers of people on the move, the lack of adequate food, water, sanitation, shelter, health, protection, and education has exacerbated already dire conditions.

There is critical need to continue and expand health, including reproductive health, food and specialized food assistance for undernourished children and pregnant women, vaccination and immunization programmes, and psychosocial support. Seeds, tools, fishing, and livelihood inputs are urgent to allow populations who have fled their homes with no means of survival to be self-sufficient.

Investments in education, to ensure children’ continued learning are foundational to build the resilience of Mozambican social and human capital in the face of displacement and the COVID-19 pandemic that has largely kept schools closed.

Climate-induced catastrophes like the 2019 cyclones, the 2020 rains and floods and COVID-19 pose inevitable and imminent threats. Countless internally displaced families are living with already impoverished host families in urban slums at high risk of imminent flooding. The need is top urgent to register and resettle displaced populations, provide basic services and re-establish diverse livelihoods. These are priorities equal to humanitarian interventions and that need to be pursued in parallel lest many lives will be lost to disease and unrest.

Urgent investments in development and resilience building respond to the need to promote social justice and uphold the rights of the people of Cabo Delgado, strategically addressing the current crisis and preventing future ones.

To address the risk of growing violent extremism, a cross-border development approach is urgent and paramount, including investments in economic empowerment and social and political inclusion of women and of the large youth population.

The Government of Mozambique, the UN, humanitarian and development partners, and the international community must continue working together to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence, including gender-based and child marriage. Most importantly, it is paramount to specifically and deliberately invest in women and girls as agents of progress and change.

The United Nations Regional Directors’ Team of Southern and Eastern Africa congratulates the Government of Mozambique for urgently addressing immediate humanitarian needs in the Northern Provinces and reiterates the United Nations support to jointly uphold human rights, meet humanitarian needs, promote sustainable development, and ensure peace and prosperity for all Mozambicans.

Source: IFAD