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UNCERF Allocates USD 872,000 to Support IOM’s Humanitarian Response in Lake Chad

A displaced family inside their emergency shelter built by IOM. Photo: IOM/Francois-Xavier Ada 2023

N’Djamena – The United Nations Central Emergency Fund (UNCERF) has allocated USD 872,000 from its Underfunded Emergencies mechanism to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to bolster emergency humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Chad’s Lac province. This new allocation will enable IOM to reach an estimated 143 000 IDPs with humanitarian protection and assistance through biometric registration and emergency shelter construction.

In coordination with local authorities and humanitarian partners, IOM will build 1,300 emergency shelters for displaced families for an estimated 6760 persons.

Furthermore, IOM will work with the Government of Chad through the National Commission for Refugees and Returnees and the National Statistics Institute to register an estimated 140 000 IDPs living in 10 of the largest sites in the Lac province, thus ensuring that they are adequately integrated in national and humanitarian responses.

“The protracted displacement situation in the Lake Chad Basin requires joint and collaborative action from all actors, and we are thankful for the continuous support of the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to IOM’s Crisis Response in the region which will allow us to provide lifesaving assistance to those most at risk”, said Anne Kathrin Schaefer, the IOM Chad Chief of Mission. The Lake Chad basin displacement crisis is one of the world’s most underfunded crises with over 5,700 000 people displaced in the region by insecurity as well as the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. At least 255 000 are currently displaced in Chad’s Lac province according to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix, including 207 000 internally displaced persons, 28 600 returnees from outside the country, 18 700 returnees who are former IDPs and 20 800 refugees.

In the Lac province, IOM works with government and non-government partners to provide protection and emergency relief to those most affected. This includes a strong partnership with Government actors to support population monitoring and registration.

Partnerships with local actors also contribute to the Organization’s localization agenda through which local manufacturers and women’s cooperatives are encouraged to design and build emergency and transition shelters for displaced persons. The shelters’ design aligns with SPHERE standards and the use of local companies and actors contributes to reducing the ecological footprint of the processes, while contributing to the local economy. Read IOM Chad’s Crisis Response Plan 2023.

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For more information, please contact

Francois-Xavier Ada, Communications Officer. Email: fadaaffana@iom.int.

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