Plan of action for Malawi 2012-2016

Plan of action for Malawi 2012-2016

Year of publication 2012

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) The Republic of Malawi is among the poorest countries in the world. The country is frequently hit by disasters, with many people affected by shocks such as dry spells, flooding, crop and livestock diseases, high input prices, and unstable markets. These often result in the loss of lives, assets and support systems. According to the Malawi National Disaster Risk Management Policy document, the intensity and frequency of disasters has been increasing, in large part owing to climate change, population growth, urbanization and environmental degradation. The recurrence of rapid and slow-onset disasters in areas such as the Lower Shire makes recovery progressively more difficult for communities whose livelihoods are already weakened by poverty and other underlying socio-economic constraints. Although – for over five years – Malawi has been producing surplus staple food, some communities remain food and nutrition insecure owing to the impacts of various shocks. In addition, most smallholder farmers are yet to generate meaningful incomes from farming. This is in part due to the narrow range of enterprises they pursue, low productivity levels and poor market access. There is an urgent need to address vulnerability and disaster threats and impacts in Malawi, taking into account the underlying challenges faced by the affected and at-risk communities. A more coordinated and holistic approach is required to help them transition from emergency and relief assistanc e to longer-term development. The Government of Malawi, with support from development and other partners, is focusing on socio-economic development through strategies that include supporting the increased performance of the agriculture sector. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a key partner in Malawi’s growth and development objectives. As part of its Strategic Framework 2010–2019, FAO aims to strengthen disaster preparedness and improve linkages and transitions between emergency, rehabilitation and development. FAO uses the Plan of Action (PoA) as a tool to promote more integrated planning and coordination, and to guide a smooth transition from relief to development in disaster-prone and -affected countries. The current document provides details of the proposed PoA for Malawi. It describes FAO’s strategy to “bridge” emergency interventions to more medium- and long-term national development priorities and programmes for the next five years (2012–2016) in support of the Government and in partnership with key stakeholders.

Language English

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

Document

Cuba - Plan Of Action. Response to needs arising from Hurricane Sandy - November 2012 2013

Also available in:

No results found.

Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern region of Cuba hard. It passed through the country on 25 October, 2012 as a category 2 Hurricane (approaching category 3) in a five hours span. Sustained winds reached 200 km/h as Sandy lashed Cuba´s second and third most populated provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Holguin, respectively. 340,000 people were evacuated as a preventative measure, of whom 300,000 stayed with relatives. With the exception of 1,000 people accommodated in collective centres, these people have now returned to their damaged homes. Despite these preparedness measures, 11 people died and some three million people (27% of the country's inhabitants) are indirectly affected. At least half of these have had their housing, water, and food directly affected. Half of this population is female. More than 226,600 homes were damaged (representing 50% of the inhabitants of the eastern region) and at least 17,000 were destroyed - the majority in the City of Santiago de Cuba, with a population of close to 500,000 people. Although the Government of Cuba is responding swiftly and effectively to the hurricane, additional response is needed. The United Nations System, in support of the initial response of the Government, is working closely with local authorities, donors and emergency organizations to support national efforts. UN agencies mobilized $1.5 million in emergency funds, which was complemented by a $1.6 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The urban context of the affected area, with significant losses in housing, food reserves, crops, and storage and production facilities, combined with Santiago de Cuba´s importance as an economic hub for the eastern region and the country, has strained response capacity and leaves a huge impact on the living conditions of affected people. Given the magnitude of the storm and the resulting devastation, those affected ne ed urgent support to maintain basic health and nutritional standards and to provide adequate shelter/housing conditions. Of particular concern are heightened needs of vulnerable groups, such as women, pregnant women, children under five, as well as elderly people over 65. Immediate assistance is intended to address basic needs, and support start-up of recovery activities, while reducing vulnerabilities by strengthening communities’ resilience to future extreme weather. Food security is of pr iority given the magnitude of the losses of food combined with damage to food storage facilities. In addition to large losses in agriculture crops in the eastern region hit directly by the hurricane, subsequent flooding in the central regions compounds food losses. There is also an urgent need to restore health care services including repair of structures, replacement of medical equipment and restocking of medicines such as antibiotics and supplies. It must be assured that vaccination serv ices are resumed, early warning surveillance, prevention and treatment of potential disease outbreak, provision of maternal health services and sexual and reproductive health are in place. The immediate return of students and teachers to classes requires emergency repairs to damaged schools and replacement of school materials, interventions to provide potable water and sanitation, and construction material to repair roofs. This Plan of Action is seeking $30.6 million to address the urgent needs of the population affected by Hurricane Sandy.1 The UNS developed this plan recognizing the priorities of the affected population and was discussed with the Government. The UNS also held discussions with the Red Cross and international NGOs to avoid duplication of efforts. All projects and activities in the Plan of Action have humanitarian aspects that will be implemented during the first six months. Due to the particularities of the impact of this disaster and its urban context, many projects will continue until 18 months, strengthening the transition recovery. This strategy will cover basic immediate needs as well as support the improvement of living conditions of affected people.
Document

Plan of Action for North Sudan. Emergency response and rehabilitation for food and agriculture August 2010 – August 2012 2010

Also available in:

No results found.

After decades of civil conflict and associated political instability, populations throughout North Sudan have seen their livelihoods and production capacity eroded and their ability to cope with human-induced and recurrent natural disasters (floods, droughts, outbreaks of livestock diseases) worn away. There have been considerable efforts to respond to the protracted crisis, with the international humanitarian response reaching USD 1.3 billion in 2009. Despite this, millions of people continue t o face severe and chronic food insecurity. With between 60 and 80 percent of the working-age population relying on agriculture to meet their food and income needs, the sector’s importance to economic recovery and the consolidation of peace in North Sudan cannot be underestimated. In this Plan of Action (PoA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) outlines its emergency and rehabilitation programme for North Sudan in 2010–12. It does not include FAO’s long-term develop ment programme, but is designed to complement the Organization’s ongoing development activities, as well as the interventions of United Nations agencies, Government and other partners which aim to mitigate the effects of recurrent crises while addressing their root causes. The programme relies heavily on a disaster risk management approach to the complex situation in North Sudan. This approach focuses on emergency relief, such as replacing lost assets or restoring livelihoods, as well as on earl y efforts as part of risk reduction that protect and sustain livelihoods. Such interventions can often be more effective than those delayed until people are in crisis. Given the complex and protracted nature of the crisis in North Sudan, FAO’s relief and recovery programming is enhanced by interventions that not only restore, but also protect and promote livelihoods in food and agriculture. Thus, the overall purpose of the PoA for North Sudan is to improve preparedness and to make short-term res ponses in food and agriculture more effective. The proposed priorities in this PoA will help FAO, its counterparts and partners to meet shortterm needs in ways that strengthen the resilience of communities and lead to more effective and longer-term recovery. The approach is reflected in the six key areas of focus as proposed in this PoA, based on an analysis of the current situation, the main factors triggering food insecurity and assessments identifying and targeting vulnerable groups. These ar e: (i) dwindling agricultural production; (ii) reduced livestock production and productivity; (iii) the adverse effect of climate change and the conflicts created over the use of scarce natural resources and longer-term issues such as land access; (iv) economic factors that affect the livelihoods of the various groups, as well as the creation of alternative livelihood resources; (v) the need for institutional strengthening; and (vi) coordination of the international community and the assistance provided. The above priorities have been expanded into twelve sectoral programmes that detail activities to be implemented by FAO in North Sudan to achieve expected outcomes and address the specific needs identified in three regions: (i) Greater Darfur (comprising North, South and West Darfur); (ii) the Transitional Areas (Abyei, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan); and (iii) Eastern Sudan (Gedaref, Kassala and Red Sea states). The total budget for the PoA 2010–2012 is USD 45 056 468. The PoA signa ls FAO’s adoption of a more programmatic approach in its emergency and rehabilitation activities in North Sudan. The document has used a programme cycle management approach to present the situation analysis, planned response and monitoring and evaluation framework. Through this PoA and other efforts, FAO is attempting to build greater programmatic coherence with internal and external partners, in line with national food security plans and related strategy and United Nations system programming fr amework. Fundamentally, this PoA is a dynamic programming tool that may need to be adjusted, according to contingency plans, when and as the food security situation evolves in North Sudan.
Document

FAO Plan of Action for Zimbabwe (2010-15). Transitioning Emergency into Rehabilitation and Development Action Points for implementation of Plan of Action (2010-2015) 2010

Also available in:

No results found.

This brochure briefly describes the Plan of Action’s (PoA) goal and proposed outcome. It also gives an overview of the pertinent issues for FAO Zimbabwe in line with the Strategic Focus Areas described in the PoA for 2010-15. This summary is expected to guide programmatic planning over the coming five years.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.