ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The United Nations on Tuesday said it would come up with a new framework to deal with the emerging issues of terrorism, mass and forced migration and protected conflicts, as well as emerging El-Nino in Africa.
The head of UN Office for the Coordination Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Jeanine Cooper made this known at the National Defence College (NDC), Abuja, during the 2015 Roundtable on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination, with the theme; “Supporting and Responding to Emerging Global Frameworks and Challenges”.
According to Cooper, “the first one was actually two years ago, we had intended this to be an annual event, however because of the Ebola crisis that happened towards the end of last year we are unable to hold it last year, so, we are holding it this year”.
She stated: “The 2015 roundtable is happening in the context of new and emerging issues such as terrorism generated protection of civilian challenges, mass and forced migration, protected conflicts sand new climate induced natural disaster thresholds.
“A number of new frameworks are coming on board to deal with these challenges, including Sustainable Development Goals, the Sendai Frameworks for Disaster Risk Reduction concluded in 2015, emerging response to El Nino in Africa and the discussions leading to the world Humanitarian Summit taking place in may 2016.”[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560”]
Cooper revealed that the first round table was the creation of the platform where linkages was created amongst two different communities that we can call on each other to be able to discuss particular crisis and work together.
The UN coordinator stressed that, “some of that were seen in very seamless way that civilian and military work together for the explanation crisis last year and so we are hoping that this one will produce outcomes for the current extreme weather challenges that are facing most of the continent.”
In his remarks, the Commandant, NDC, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade said the discussion was taken place at a time when in different parts of the world governments are grappling with challenges of new and emerging issues.
These, he noted, include the imperative to protect civilians, and provide adequate assistance to Displaced Persons or forced migrants, who might be escaping from protected conflicts, natural disasters or act of terrorism.
Alade emphasised that the military as an institution has been active in humanitarian assistance across the world in recent times, stressing that he believed it could still contribute more.
The development he said was not unconnected with the emergence of UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee in 1992, which was a mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance.
“It is therefore, my sincere belief that the new agendas and frameworks, if well harnessed, could significantly enhance and improve humanitarian civil-military coordination in face of new and emerging challenges,” he stressed.
On his part, the Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammed Sani-Sidi, said in order to cope with the emerging challenges, it was pertinent to evolve an enduring and sustain civil-military coordination strategies within frameworks of contemporary treaties, conventions and agreement.
He explained that this was important as the role of the military in aid of civil authority during disasters has become more demanding due to the increasing complexities and challenges associated with disasters.