The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Niger - IOM calls for a humanitarian corridor to help stranded migrants home
The UN migration agency (IOM) strongly advocated on Friday for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to organize the safe, dignified and voluntary return of migrants stranded in Niger to their countries of origin and facilitate aid delivery to conflict-affected areas.
“We are appealing for resources to make sure that we can continue providing essential services to these stranded migrants,” said Chris Gascon, IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa, when briefing journalists at the UN in Geneva.
Following the 26 July military takeover, neighbouring countries closed their borders and flights were suspended.
According to the UN, Niger hosts more than 710,000 forcibly displaced people including refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons. The majority of the migrants staying at IOM's transit centres across the country are from western Africa: Mali, Guinea, Senegal and Nigeria.
In his call for the humanitarian corridor, Mr. Gascon stressed that at this time, “there are no possibilities for us to organize charter flights and consequently people will remain there for weeks and months.”
“Our capacity to assist them will, of course, depend a great deal on the resources that we can garnish to reach populations who are obviously vulnerable and in great need. At this time, we are somewhat limited in our capacity to do so,” Mr. Gascon said.
IOM’s operations in Niger are constrained by limited funding. The $430 million humanitarian appeal for Niger is currently only 30 per cent funded and to provide assistance to migrants in transit centers, the UN agency requires at least a million dollars a month.
Mr. Gascon underscored that the agency was managing seven transit centers, the main one being in Agadez in the northwest of the country. In total, IOM was hosting 4,800 migrants, he said, and the transit centres were 40 per cent over capacity.
The reported announcement of the country’s military leaders late Wednesday to bar UN agencies as well as non-governmental organisations from working in military operation zones will have further impacts on the aid delivery in Niger.
The UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday that it was reaching out to the de facto authorities in Niger to better understand the implications of this announcement.
Some 4.3 million people in Niger, mainly women and children, are dependent on aid.
-ends-
STORY: Urgent action for Niger crises - IOM
DURATION (TRT): 1’47”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH, NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 1 September 2023, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
FORMAT: HYBRID PRESS BRIEFING
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley, UN Geneva
- Wide shot: speakers behind podium, attendees at the press conference, screens with attendees
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Chris Gascon, IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa: “We are appealing for resources to make sure that we can continue providing these essential services to these stranded migrants. In this vein as well, IOM is advocating for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor so that we can return people to their countries of origin. At this time, there are no possibilities for us to organize charter flights and consequently people will remain there for weeks and months.”
- Wide shot: attendees at the press conference, screens with speaker
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Chris Gascon, IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa: “We are managing a number of transit centers, the principal one is in Agadez in the North-West of the country. We are presently hosting 4,800 migrants. This overwhelms pretty much the capacity that we have. The Agadez center itself can hold about a thousand people, the other transit centers are seven in total. We are all 40% over capacity at this point.”
- Wide shot: attendees at the press conference, screens with attendees, cameramen and sound engineers in the background
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Chris Gascon, IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa: “Our capacity to assist them will, of course, depend a great deal on the resources that we can garnish to reach populations who are obviously vulnerable and in great need. At this time, we are somewhat limited in our capacity to do so.”
- Wide shot: speakers and attendees at the press conference, screens with speakers
- Medium shot: cameramen and sound engineers at the press conference
- Close shot: attendee asking a question at the press conference
Similar Stories
2
17
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA , WMO
Two UN agencies teamed up on Wednesday to issue an appeal for immediate assistance to help communities already being impacted by the strongest El Niño on record.
3
16
2
2
B-roll , Conferences , Edited News | UNITED NATIONS , UNOG
Sixth Consultative Meeting on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts for Sudan
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , UNHCR
Yemen war continues to force families from homes amid hunger and disease
More than 250,000 people have now fled renewed fighting in Yemen, the UN said on Tuesday, citing particular concern for those sheltering in the southwestern city of Taiz and the wider governorate, where access is “essentially blocked”.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
A little over one year since a ceasefire agreement was announced between Hamas fighters and Israel, more than 340 children have been reported killed and hundreds more injured, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Six weeks after Nepal’s deadly flooding disaster, communities are still struggling to rebuild their lives, but they will need sustained help as global warming increases the risk of another Himalayan catastrophe, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In suspected Russia plague death, testing and monitoring underway – WHO
The death of a lab worker in Russia’s Siberia region has sparked concerns about plague being the cause, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, adding that it was following the situation closely.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on the human rights situation in Haiti.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated delays in bringing lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and more from Israel into Gaza risk having devastating consequences on Palestinians who urgently need them in the wartorn enclave, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. “A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives. That's the question that actually matters," said Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the OPT.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: Early access to care and oxygen decisive for Ebola patients’ survival – WHO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers fighting the country’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak are struggling to overcome critical challenges to patient care, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UN
Civilians in Iran are continuing to feel the consequences of months of conflict and military escalation, the UN’s top official in the country has said, as loss of life, damage to civilian infrastructure and mounting economic pressures leave many facing continued uncertainty.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Aid agencies in Yemen highlighted the growing hunger emergency sparked by renewed fighting between Houthi opposition forces and Government troops, after mobile health clinics reported that hundreds of children displaced by the violence are suffering from the most deadly form of malnutrition.