Security in the Sahel is deteriorating rapidly. The number of violent events jumped from 580 in 2018 to over 1,000 in the first half of 2022 alone. Associated fatalities are also up dramatically, from about 2,800 fatalities to almost 6,500. Insecurity is also becoming more widespread, especially in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. As a result, people are fleeing their homes – the region now hosts over 3 million internally displaced people and over 1 million refugees and asylum seekers. There are multiple drivers behind this deterioration, but conflict over land and resources has become a major source of violence across the region, triggered by population growth, land degradation, and climate change.
Deteriorating security has other serious impacts on people’s lives and food security. These include loss of access to agricultural and pastoral production areas, disruption of economic activities or complete loss of livelihoods, limited access to labour and agricultural inputs, and the closure or limited functioning of health services, schools, and markets.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have built a partnership to strengthen WFP food assistance interventions through operational research. As part of WFP’s flagship development program in the Sahel – the Integrated Resilience Programme (IRP) – the two organizations set out to strengthen the evidence needed for interventions. In June 2021, WFP commissioned a study to explore how integrated resilience interventions contribute to social cohesion in Niger and Burkina Faso. This research conducted by IFPRI in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Development (IPD) sheds light on how WFP interventions contribute to reducing tensions and improving social cohesion in fragile contexts.
Following the report publication (here), WFP, IFPRI and IPD are jointly offering this webinar to disseminate the study’s findings and to create an opportunity for interested actors to discuss their feedback and the way forward.
Introduction & Overview
- Katrina Kosec, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
Welcome Remarks
- Thomas Conan, Senior Humanitarian Adviser, WFP Regional Bureau Dakar
WFP’s Integrated Resilience Approach
- Ones Karuho, Senior Advisor & Head of Unit at WFP Regional Bureau Dakar (Presentation)
Social Cohesion, Land Tenure, and Women’s Empowerment
- Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI (Presentation)
Findings on Resilience & Social Cohesion in Burkina Faso and Niger
- Hippolyt Pul, Executive Leader, Institute for Peace and Development (IPD) (Presentation)
WFP’s Evidence Generation Strategy & Next Steps on Social Cohesion Measurement within Resilience
- Cheikh Samb, Research, Assessment & Monitoring Officer, WFP Regional Bureau Dakar (Presentation)
- Nancy McCarthy, President, Lead Analytics (Presentation)
Moderator
- Katrina Kosec, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI