On Friday, I was pleased to receive Arjun Jain, UNHCR Nigeria Country Representative, and Nancy Aburi, Head, UNHCR Private Sector Partnerships Africa, in a UNHCR Country Delegation Courtesy Call to the Wellbeing Foundation Africa.

In a key expansion of our longstanding disaster response and relief efforts, since 2021, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa Midwives and Nurses, in our Hope Away From Home Refugee and Displaced Families Program Support Partnership with UNHCR Nigeria, began providing our continuous weekly Mamacare360 antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal classes for women, mothers, their children and families at the Adagom Refugee Settlement, Ukende Refugee Settlement, and host communities in Cross River State, not only to keep people healthy, but also offer kindness, education and empowerment during a time of uncertainty. The skills and compassion of the WBFA midwives are critical in refugee and displacement situations, especially fostering inclusion, and hope away from home.

Analysing the UNHCR Global Trends; Forced Displacement in 2023 Report, I commended UNHCR Nigeria’s efforts characterised by extensive inter-agency coordination and strategic partnerships to respond to 2,305,335 internally displaced persons in Bornu, Adamawa and Yobe States, North-East Nigeria, 1,092,196 in North-West and North Central Nigeria, 2,083,835 Nigerian returnees, 381,293 Nigerian refugees resistered in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, and 87,475 refugees and asylum seekers registered in Nigeria.

As the lead agency for protection and Human Security and Risk Management under the United Nations Development Assistance Framework UNDAF, UNHCR collaborates with various United Nations bodies, focused on integrating refugee assistance programs into broader development strategies, benefiting both displaced and local communities. Additionally, UNHCR works closely with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and the North East Development Commission to enhance humanitarian response capabilities.