Total affected population: 3.7 million
Total affected children: 2,072,000
Total people to be reached in 2017: 422,000
Total children to be reached in 2017: 302,000
Mali is still affected by the armed conflict that erupted in 2012 in the north of the country. Despite the signature of the peace agreement in June 2015, renewed violence is undermining the provision of humanitarian aid. Humanitarian access remains a major concern in the regions of Tombouctou, Gao, Menaka, Taoudeni and Kidal and some parts of Mopti. More than 36,000 internally displaced persons remain inside Mali and another 135,985 Malian refugees are in neighbouring countries. The provision of basic social services remains limited in the north. The food and nutrition crisis continues to affect children, with approximately 142,000 children aged 6 to 59 months expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 2017.
Humanitarian strategy
UNICEF and partners will continue to respond to humanitarian needs and facilitate access to quality basic social services for crisis-affected populations and other vulnerable groups. In line with the 2017–2019 Sahel Regional Interagency Strategy, UNICEF will focus on emergency response and the search for durable solutions. UNICEF’s multi-year humanitarian strategy will cover the response to the consequences of the armed conflict. UNICEF will also support integrated vaccination campaigns in the three northern regions and health facilities will receive essential drugs and medical equipment to support health care for children under 5 and pregnant women. UNICEF will continue to support the expansion of SAM treatment, implement integrated interventions in health, education and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and reinforce the coordination capacities of national counterparts. In 2017, UNICEF will focus on the rehabilitation of infrastructure to ensure access to safe water for 240,000 people. UNICEF will improve access to quality learning for 140,000 children in crisis-affected communities. In child protection, UNICEF supports interventions for mental health and psychosocial support, children associated with armed forces and armed groups and survivors of gender-based violence, and reinforces the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism. UNICEF also supports disaster preparedness for flooding and epidemic outbreaks. UNICEF will reinforce access to basic social services in all prioritized areas where access can be established and will continue to respond to malnutrition and epidemics.