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About the OCHA Regional Office for West Africa
| OCHA Mission Statement |
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is part of the UN Secretariat and has as mission to mobilize
and coordinate effective and principled
humanitarian action in partnership with
national and international actors in order to:
• alleviate human suffering and disasters
in emergencies,
• advocate for the rights of people in need,
• promote preparedness and prevention, and
• facilitate sustainable solutions. |
The OCHA Regional Office for West Africa is based in Dakar, Senegal and supports the fifteen ECOWAS countries plus Mauritania and Cameroon, i.e. Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo:
In addition to OCHA country offices in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and most recently Niger, a Humanitarian Information Center is present in Liberia and National Humanitarian Officers and UNVs are supporting UN Resident Coordinators in Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Mauritania.
The OCHA Regional Office aims to mobilise and coordinate the collective regional efforts of the humanitarian community in West Africa to meet the needs of the victims of natural disasters and complex emergencies. As part of its coordination function OCHA facilitates the Consolidated Appeal Process for West Africa and regularly convenes contingency planning workshops, thematic coordination meetings and donor and media briefings to discuss and map out response activities and address issues of common concern.
In its capacity as advisory body to the Special Representative for West Africa of the UN Secretary-General, the RO has undertaken joint field missions. Observations drawn from these field missions served as basis for the UN Security Council to recommend that UNOWA and OCHA undertake a major initiative to foster an integrated UN approach to ensure greater human security and stability along border areas of West Africa.
Download overview for 2005 of objectives, activities and result of the Regional Office for West Africa
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OCHA REGIONAL OFFICE WEST AFRICA 