Boko Haram donor agencies pledge $672m to tackle crisis

Fourteen donor agencies have pledged $672 million to help tackle Boko Haram humanitarian crisis, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said.

According to the spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Mr Stephane Dujarric, at a press briefing on Friday at the Oslo Conference, Guterres said he welcomed the donors’ pledges.

He explained that the donors pledged $458 for 2017 and 214 million U.S. dollars for 2018.

“The Secretary-General welcomes donor pledges made today at the conclusion of the Oslo Humanitarian Conference on Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region.

“He stresses the need for sustained support to humanitarian, human rights, development and security needs in the region.

“Fourteen donors pledged 458 million U.S. dollars for 2017 and 214 million U.S. dollars for 2018 and beyond were announced.

“The conference also resulted in an agreement to address longer-term development needs and seek durable solutions to crises,” he said.

Speaking further, he said, “At the close of the conference, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, said that without our increased support, affected communities will face a life of hunger, disease, gender-based violence and continued displacement.

“But he said there is another future within grasp: as the international community scales up support, we can stop a further descent into an ever-deepening crisis with unimaginable consequences for millions of people.

“He added that the UN and our partners are ready and mobilised to further scale up our life-saving response,”