The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
During a two-day high-level conference on the Lake Chad Basin in Niamey, Niger, governments of the region as well as international donors and international organizations came together to discuss the needs in order to address long-standing issues and the needs of the population.
The Lake Chad Basin which includes Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon is marked by a combination of extreme poverty, climate change and violent conflict which has put 11 million of the region’s 17,4 million people in urgent need of live saving assistance.
“The international commitment must be measured in decades and not years to build lasting resilience in the region. said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) when speaking today at a briefing at the United Nations in Geneva. “In total, 11 million people need humanitarian aid in the so-called basin region of those four countries”.
That is an increase of 600,000 since the Berlin Conference, the last one on the Lake Chad Region, in 2018.
“Out of the 11 million people who need aid, 400,000 are malnourished children and 5.6 million are severely food insecure. So very serious situation”, concluded OCHA’s spokesperson.
The objectives of the conference include strengthened coordination among humanitarian actors, development activities in the region, better access for humanitarian assistance and addressing the impacts of climate change as part of the peacebuilding efforts.
The third High-Level Conference on the Lake Chad Region wraps up later today.
-ends-
- Wide shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Medium shot, Spokesperson Jens Laerke on podium
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for UN OCHA: “The international commitment must be measured in decades and not years to build lasting resilience in the region. In total, 11 million people need humanitarian aid in the so-called basin region of those four countries.”
- Close-up, camerawoman behind camera
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for UN OCHA: “Out of the 11 million people who need aid, 400,000 are malnourished children and 5.6 million are severely food insecure. So very serious situation.”
- Close up, hands taking notes
- Close-up, camerawoman behind camera
- Medium shot, Jens Larke at the podium in background, journalists in foreground
- Medium shot, journalists looking at screens
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and the UN Human Rights Office have today released a report detailing the evolution of violent gang incidents beyond the capital Port-au-Prince since October 2024 up to June 2025, and the resulting loss of life and mass displacement.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Gaza: ‘Unacceptable’ choice between getting shot or getting fed – UN humanitarians
Following the deaths of several children in an Israeli strike on Palestinians waiting in line for nutritional supplements in central Gaza on Thursday, UN humanitarians have once again condemned the killings of people at aid distribution sites in the enclave.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the United Nations bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights made the following comments on the recent violence in Kenya.
1
1
1
Edited News | ITC
US tariffs uncertainty hurts world economy, with poorest countries hit hardest – top UN economist
A new US decision to further delay the end of a 90-day pause on tariffs is bad for business, a top UN economist said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Gaza aid site horror continues as more starving people shot trying to get food
Amid intensifying hopes for a new Gaza ceasefire, UN humanitarians confirmed disturbing details on Friday of continued killings and injuries of Palestinians desperately seeking food at aid sites.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
A clearer picture of needs across Iran is beginning to emerge after the conflict this month with Israel, which left hundreds dead, several hospitals hit and a spike in Afghan refugees returning home, the UN’s top official in Tehran said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO
The blistering early-summer heatwave that’s brought life-threatening temperatures across much of the northern hemisphere is a worrying sign of things to come, UN weather experts said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Human Rights Council annual panel on adverse impacts of climate change.
1
1
2
Edited News | WHO
The first meagre midweek delivery of urgently needed medical goods to enter Gaza in months will provide scant relief to the enclave’s people, who continue to be shot and killed as they search for food, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
2
1
2
Statements , Edited News | HRC
Enhanced interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Myanmar presented by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and oral update by Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
1
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
The conflict-impacted people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) urgently need much more international assistance than they are getting today, the UN’s top aid official said on Thursday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNOG
Violence in Myanmar is spiralling as the military junta increases its attacks on monasteries, schools and camps sheltering people uprooted by the civil war, a top independent human rights investigator warned on Wednesday.