Emergency Response to Drought

This operation has been modified as per budget revision 1 (see below)

Haiti is facing its third consecutive year of drought, exacerbated by the global El Nino weather phenomenon. The ongoing drought has contributed to the worst food insecurity

situation since data collection began in 2001. This crisis occurs at a time of political instability with a provisional Government in charge of organizing elections within months.

WFP is planning to scale up its food assistance programmes to address the most critical and immediate needs of the people most at risk. Released on 4 February 2016, an Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA), conducted by WFP and the National Coordination for Food Security (Coordination National Securite Alimentaire, CNSA) reported that an estimated 3.6 million Haitians, or one third of the population, are currently facing food insecurity, among which more than 1.5 million are severely food insecure.

Based on the EFSA results, and the Government Response Plan, WFP will implement an EMOP covering the period March to September 2016. The EMOP will allow WFP Haiti to provide assistance to 1,000,000 people affected by the drought through unconditional cash and food rations followed by food assistance for assets using conditional cash transfers (from herein referred to as Cash for Assets or CFA) reaching 200,000 people through watershed management and soil conservation projects designed to improve local infrastructure and facilitate early recovery. Based on initial nutrition information, the EMOP will also incorporate a blanket supplementary feeding programme in order to prevent acute malnutrition during the lean season.

WFP’s activities under the EMOP will complement planned interventions by the Government and NGOs estimated to assist half a million people. WFP’s activities in the on-going PRRO and DEV projects provide assistance through nutrition, CFA and school feeding aimed at tackling chronic food insecurity in both drought and non-drought affected populations. The EMOP will meet the short-term needs identified as a result of the drought, in particular where household food security programmes are not being implemented through the PRRO or by other actors. Design of the response under the EMOP takes into account a recent Headquarters and Regional Bureau led review of the strategic direction of WFP Haiti.

The EMOP is aligned primarily with WFP’s Strategic Objective 1 – Save Lives and Protect Livelihoods in Emergencies but also contributes to Strategic Objective 2 – Support food security and nutrition and (re)build livelihoods in fragile settings and following emergencies, as well as Sustainable Development Goal 2 – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

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The objective of this budget revision is to extend the implementation period of the EMOP 200949 by 3.5 months from 15 September 2016 to 31 December 2016, allowing WFP to reach beneficiaries in areas where needs persist but where activities were launched later than originally planned. No changes in modalities or rations associated to food/cash transfer to beneficiaries are proposed under this budget revision.