Attachments
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
· Access to food and physical security remain the immediate humanitarian needs in Côte d'Ivoire, according to the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator. The U.N. reports that food shortages and market closures persist in western Côte d'Ivoire, although economic activities are slowly returning to normal in Abidjan. Cocoa exports from Côte d’Ivoire recommenced on May 8, with 150,000 metric tons (MT) of cocoa beans expected to leave the country by the end of June, according to international media.
· Humanitarian assistance is reaching an increasing number of people in Côte d’Ivoire, particularly internally displaced persons (IDPs) living with host families in the west, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). However, humanitarian access remains limited in certain areas due to insecurity, hindering aid delivery to additional affected populations.
· Although no confirmation on the number of returnees exists, some reports continue to indicate that refugees are returning to Côte d’Ivoire from Nimba County, Liberia, according to the U.N. Country Team in Liberia. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Liberia is working to ensure more systematic information exchange with partners across the border in an effort to improve the assessment of return trends. UNHCR has noted that as many as 250 refugees per day are still entering Liberia from Côte d’Ivoire.
· To date, donors have pledged or contributed more than $36 million to the Côte d’Ivoire Emergency Humanitarian Action Plan (EHAP), or 23 percent of the requested funds. The U.N. EHAP for Liberia is 43 percent funded, with donors providing more than $63 million out of the nearly $147 million requested. Additionally, donors have contributed more than $36 million to Côte d’Ivoire and more than $26 million to Liberia to support humanitarian activities outside of the EHAPs.