Algeria interim country strategic plan (2019-2024)

ICSP approved at EB June 2019 session

Revision 01 approved by the CD in November 2021.

Revision 02 approved by the RD in June 2022.

Revision 03 approved by the ED-DGFAO in March 2023.

Algeria has hosted Sahrawi refugees from Western Sahara since 1975. Security Council Resolution S/RES/2468 (2019), dated 30 April 2019, noted "with deep concern the continued hardships faced by Sahrawi refugees and their dependency on external humanitarian assistance" and further noted "with deep concern insufficient funding for those living in Tindouf refugee camps and the risks associated with the reduction of food assistance". This prolonged refugee crisis is the second longest-lasting in the world. There are five refugee camps – Awserd, Boujdour, Dakhla, Laayoun and Smara – near the town of Tindouf, 2,000 km southwest of Algiers.

The camps are in an arid region, characterized by extreme temperatures and very low rainfall, and livelihood and economic opportunities are limited. Sahrawi refugees in the camps are highly dependent on humanitarian assistance, including food. Humanitarian interventions are coordinated by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, local and international non-governmental organizations, including from the Algerian Red Crescent and its partner Media Luna Roja Saharaui (MLRS).

The WFP interim country strategic plan for Algeria (2019–2022) has two strategic outcomes and four activities that contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2. The strategic outcomes are derived from stakeholder consultations and have the aim of ensuring the food security and nutrition of the Sahrawi refugees, in collaboration with WFP’s partners.

In this interim country strategic plan, consideration of nutrition issues will be systematically mainstreamed into all WFP interventions. General food assistance will be designed to provide as nutritious and diverse a food basket as possible. School feeding activities will be nutrition-sensitive and gender-responsive in order to address nutrition concerns. A new approach will be taken to resilience building, supporting institutional and individual capacity strengthening through various complementary livelihood activities, and enhancing synergies and cross-fertilization among activities and with partners’ operations.

Under strategic outcome 1, WFP will meet basic food needs in the camps through the provision of general food assistance, nutrition-sensitive school feeding and complementary livelihood activities. Strategic outcome 2 has the aim of improving the nutrition status of targeted, vulnerable camp residents through the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition in pregnant and lactating women and girls, children aged 6-59 months, girls and boys and the prevention of malnutrition in pregnant and lactating women and girls. WFP will address malnutrition and anaemia by improving prevention and treatment, raising awareness of good nutrition and ensuring that all of its interventions are nutrition-sensitive. Efforts will be made to revitalize discussion and coordination of nutrition activities with stakeholders.

WFP will seek to diversify its complementary activities, reaching more households by scaling up existing projects and exploring new livelihood opportunities, based on a mapping exercise to identify resilience opportunities. Complementarity and synergies with partners’ activities will be explored throughout the implementation of the interim country strategic plan. An emerging new resilience approach will foster improved food security and nutrition for refugees, in partnership with the camp management (including the national union of Sahrawi women and youth groups) and other actors including United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations.