Mauritania Transitional Interim Country Strategic Plan (January - December 2018)

T-ICSP approved by the ED in December 2017 and revised as per Revision 03 (approved by the CD in July 2018)

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a low-middle income and food-deficit country . While it has made slow progress over the past 15 years towards reducing the prevalence of child undernutrition and mortality, some 14 percent of the population are still food insecure and the prevalence is expected to rise during the recurrent lean season.

The Transitional Interim Country Strategic Plan (T-ICSP) supports the Mauritanian government’s vision of “ i) a society rich in its diversity; ii) a prosperous and robust economy; iii) enhanced human capital; iv) enhanced governance; and v) preservation of the environment for sustainable development”. It takes important steps towards WFP’s strategic direction for a strengthened national and local capacity whereby the government and communities independently own, manage and implement food and nutrition security programmes by 2030.

The T-ICSP will build on the follow-up actions emanating from the 2016 Evaluation of WFP Country Portfolio (2011-2015) supporting the resilience of Mauritanian populations and responding to Malian refugees affected by the crisis situation in  northern Mali which remains volatile, while conducting a whole of society Approach of the Zero Hunger Strategic Review.

The  T-ICSP seeks to achieve the following strategic outcomes:

• Strategic Outcome 1: Food insecure (and vulnerable) Mauritanian populations in the six targeted regions, including school-age children have stable access to adequate food all year-round
• Strategic Outcome 2: Crisis-affected people, including refugees, are able to meet basic food and nutrition needs during and in the aftermath of crises
• Strategic Outcome 3: Children and pregnant and lactating women and girls in the six targeted regions have improved nutritional status all year-round
• Strategic Outcome 4: Food-insecure smallholders and communities in the six targeted regions have enhanced livelihoods and resilience to better support food security and nutrition needs all year-round
• Strategic Outcome 5: The humanitarian community in Mauritania has access to UNHAS services all year-round
• Strategic Outcome 6: Government has enhanced capacities to manage food security and nutrition policies and programmes and identify, target and assist food-insecure and nutritionally-vulnerable populations all year-round

Following Budget Revision No. 2, the T-ICSP includes WFP’s emergency response to the augmented needs in 2018 due to the shocks following the irregular and deficit rainfalls in 2017.

The Country Strategic Plan (CSP 2019-2022) will contribute to the achievement of the government’s Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity (2016-2030), the Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development (2018-2022),and the Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17. It is aligned with WFP’s strategic results 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8.