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Overview
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania continues to face pronounced levels of food insecurity, malnutrition and a heavy reliance on cross-border trade and transhumance. The country encounters frequent rainfall deficits, prolonged dry spells, and an uneven geographical distribution of rains, leading to regular droughts and floods. The impact of these shocks on the already vulnerable population has been worsened by soil erosion and intensifying desertification due to climate shocks and rising human and livestock pressure on waning natural resources. This complex situation has led to a concerning food and nutritional security situation, with a global acute malnutrition rate of 13.5 percent [1].
According to the November 2023 Cadre Harmonisé analysis, 364,799 individuals in 13 regions will face Crisis conditions (IPC 3) [2] during the peak of the lean season (June-August 2024). This would represent 8 percent of Mauritania's population.
Adding to the environmental challenges, the security situation in neighbouring Mali deteriorated throughout 2023. This led to a further influx of refugees and returnees into the border region of Hodh El Chargui, an area that already faced resource constraints.
In this challenging context, WFP successfully reached 364,229 individuals, with a multi-faceted approach that acknowledged the diverse needs of the targeted populations (57 percent women) and promoted inclusivity and gender-responsive interventions. As part of its humanitarian response, WFP assisted over 269,781 individuals in need through unconditional resource transfers that equated to USD 19 million.
WFP’s humanitarian response in the Mbera Refugee Camp continued throughout the year, providing general food assistance, nutrition support and emergency school feeding to some 83,403 vulnerable Malian refugees. This was conducted in close partnership with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Food Security Commission (CSA, in French) [3]. Effective fundraising efforts enabled WFP to provide monthly assistance throughout the year.
In partnership with the Government, WFP provided essential humanitarian aid during the 2023 lean season. It also leveraged the Government's Social Registry and aimed to strengthen Government systems. During the lean season, WFP provided cash assistance to 79,646 vulnerable Mauritanian households, enabling them to meet their basic food needs. Furthermore, WFP implemented a cash-top-up pilot to prevent malnutrition in children aged 6 to 23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls (PBW/G). To mitigate the impact of price increases and adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, WFP also provided emergency cash assistance to some 109,218 vulnerable households in urban Nouakchott.
Under its changing lives agenda, WFP delivered a comprehensive integrated resilience package comprised of nutrition interventions, the provision of school meals and productive asset creation (with cash transfers) in three of the regions that were most affected by the compounding effects of the climate crisis [4]. Over the year, WFP - in collaboration with its cooperating partners [5] - distributed specialized nutritious foods to 7,800 children aged 6 to 59 months and 900 PBW/G for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) across 457 community health centres [6]. In addition, and as part of its school feeding programme, WFP provided two hot meals per day to 50,186 primary school students (25,595 girls) in 381 schools in targeted zones. This was achieved in collaboration with the Ministry of Education’s National School Feeding Programme, and represented 30 percent of its nationwide implementation.
In regions facing increased desertification and land degradation with nutrient-poor soil, food assistance for assets (FFA) activities played a vital role in enhancing livelihood activities that supported climate adaptation. Recognising the national priority of sustainable natural resource management, WFP's intervention supported the rehabilitation of 524 ha of agricultural land and assisted over 25,000 individuals (12,740 women) and their households to create and maintain productive assets, which facilitated water conservation and enhanced agricultural productivity.
In 2023, WFP collaborated with the Government to strengthen the social protection system, focusing on unified registries, crisis response coordination, and financial instruments. Key initiatives included facilitation of the National Crisis Fund, optimisation of targeting through Taazour's platform [7], supporting the 2023 National Response Plan, and enhancing drought insurance with the African Risk Capacity, a risk-pooling mechanism [8]. WFP also contributed to governance improvements, conducted needs assessments, and transferred responsibilities to the CSA's Food Security Observatory, marking significant progress in operational capacities. In February 2023, WFP further conducted a robust assessment of Taazour’s monitoring and payment platforms, which resulted in the signing of a data-sharing agreement and WFP piloting and subsequently providing user feedback to the Social Registry on the monitoring platform as part of its efforts to strengthen the overall lean season Government tracking system.
The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) faced challenges related to obtaining authorisations for one of its planned destinations as well as financial constraints, which impacted operational continuity and led to a reduction in weekly flights. Despite these challenges, the service adequately responded to user needs, which emphasized the importance of UNHAS flights for reaching isolated vulnerable areas efficiently and safely. Further, UNHAS conducted staff training and reinforced its collaboration with civil and military authorities to maintain operational standards.
WFP implemented a comprehensive approach that mainstreamed gender across its programmes. This involved the promotion of women’s participation in decision-making by aligning resilience-building activities with WFP's Gender Policy, integrating transformative messages on gender into training sessions, facilitating training initiatives focused on inclusion and gender-specific themes for WFP staff members and cooperating partners, and by fostering financial self-sufficiency and economic empowerment for women through the establishment of income-generating assets