Cameroon Humanitarian Bulletin Issue N°34 | July 2022

IN THIS ISSUE

P.1 Donor briefing on localisation in Cameroon

P.2 Humanitarian Country Team agrees upon strategic priorities P.2 Supporting the most vulnerable in Logone-Birni, far north region

P.3 Irregular migration: from pain to hope

FIGURES (HUMANITARIAN NEEDS OVERVIEW 2022, UNHCR, IOM,
OCHA)

3.9 million People in need of humanitarian assistance

2.6 million People targeted (Humanitarian Response Plan 2022)

936,767 Internally displaced people

474,982 Refugees and asylum seekers

518,853 Returnees (previously IDPs)

FUNDING (HRP 2022, FINANCIAL TRACKING SERVICES –FTS)

US$ 376 million Requested

18 per cent Funded as of 31 July 2022

DONOR BRIEFING ON LOCALISATION IN CAMEROON

On 22 July 2022, the UNICEF Representative,
Nadine Perrault, with the support of OCHA, conducted a briefing to donors on Localisation in Cameroon.

It was highlighted that out of the 224 humanitarian partner organizations assisting crisis-affected people as part of the Humanitarian Response Plan 2022, 150 are national NGOs and 20 are governmental agencies.

Furthermore, local actors are critical to the success of humanitarian action, often the first responders and at the heart of humanitarian response. They provide an invaluable understanding of local challenges and potential solutions, they can mobilize local networks, and offer greater access to affected populations, hence contributing to a more effective, efficient, and sustainable humanitarian response with an enhanced accountability to affected populations.

Yet the humanitarian system has made limited progress in increasing funding, capacity development, and equitable and meaningful partnerships. Localization has been an explicit priority for the humanitarian sector since the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit and the establishment of the Grand Bargain to increase support to local actors and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic further accentuated the need to strengthen the role of local actors within humanitarian coordination structures.

Additionally, it was stressed that local actors often remain implementers/sub-contractors and are not fully included in strategic and decision-making processes. Equitable partnerships between international and local actors also require a shift towards longerterm partnerships, focusing on the strengths and strategic engagement of each party and shifting uneven power dynamics and unconscious biases. Strategic partnerships should promote mutual accountability and be complemented by operational partnerships that are flexible, transparent, equitable, and allow for local actors to contribute

In Cameroon, in 2022, the working group to strengthen localisation, supported by the inter-sector and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), based on a study on the state of localisation in Cameroon, developed an Action Plan. The main commitments of the Action Plan include ensuring greater transparency and providing more support and funding tools for local and national stakeholders. It highlights the low direct funding and inequitable partnerships that limit the impact of local actors in the humanitarian response.

In order to improve the coverage and quality of the response, funding for sector coordinator positions, clusters or working groups held by national actors would allow for a more diverse engagement and representation of humanitarian actors.

During the donor conference, local actors presented their work to donors, including from national NGOs in the North-West and South-West and from the Far North, as well as from the Cameroonian Humanitarian Organisations Initiative (CHOI), showcasing the positive impact of capacitated local actors.

Despite donors’ strong support towards localisation, many challenges remain to be overcome to facilitate local actors’ access to funding, capacity building opportunities, and a greater role in the decision-making process.