Sahel 2014-16: Regional humanitarian response strategy reviewed

In late 2011, a massive drought hit the Sahel region. Across nine countries, more than one hundred organisations joined forces to respond under the umbrella of one common strategy: the Sahel Humanitarian Response Plan. As a multi-year, multicountry, multi-partner framework, the Sahel Human Response Plan guided one of the world’s major humanitarian operations from 2014 to 2016. Through this collective effort, food security improved for 5.5 million people, and 4 million people received assistance to resume food production or restore their means of livelihood in agriculture, livestock and fisheries. Four million children were saved from severe acute malnutrition Seven hundred thousand crisis-affected children had access to safe learning environments and resumed learning. In the health sector, almost 10 million people were reached by critical support such as the surveillance, prevention and control of epidemics, as well as immunization campaigns.

Beyond results, this document aims to be forwardlooking and help us draw from our shared experience. Our efforts notwithstanding, much more is required before Sahel countries and their people can be lifted out of crises or weather the next shock. Hence today we are not closing a chapter, on the contrary, we have only turned its first page. The Sahel is only at the beginning of more collaborative and inclusive work, of a New Way of Working, to lift its populations out of recurring need and provide hope for a resilient future.