Niger country strategic plan (2020 - 2024)

CSP approved at the EB November 2019 session.

Revision 01 approved by the ED in March 2020

Revision 02 approved by the ED in December 2020

Revision 03 approved by the ED-DGFAO in March 2022

Revision 04 approved by the ED in February 2023

Revision 05 approved by the ED-DGFAO in December 2023

The Niger is a food-deficit, land-locked least developed country ranked last in the 2018 Human Development Index. High levels of food insecurity and malnutrition are exacerbated by environmental degradation, poor natural resource management, rapid population growth, pervasive gender inequalities and climate shocks. Increasing insecurity and the spill over of conflicts induced by non-state groups from neighbouring countries compound these challenges, resulting in forced population displacements.

This country strategic plan focuses on supporting government emergency response while implementing integrated resilience activities to protect livelihoods and foster long-term recovery. WFP also aims to strengthen national capacities in order to ensure the sustainability and ownership of zero hunger solutions, for example through measures to make the national social protection system more shock-adaptive and gender-responsive.

The plan contains a multisectoral and integrated nutrition package, through which nutrition treatment and inclusive community-led nutrition-sensitive approaches will be aimed at strengthening local food production, promoting girls’ education and improving health and sanitation. The country strategic plan will be gender-equitable and will incorporate gender-transformative approaches to achieving zero hunger, including through the economic and social empowerment of women. Accountability to affected populations, protection, conflict sensitivity and social and environmental considerations are cross-cutting themes of the plan. Through respect for humanitarian principles and community engagement, WFP will increase its access to hard-to-reach locations.

Reinforced partnerships with the Government, United Nations agencies, financial institutions, regional, sub-regional and non-governmental organizations, academia and local communities will be the foundation of WFP’s interventions in the Niger. Under the leadership of the Government, this approach aims to contribute to operationalizing the humanitarian–development–peace nexus. The country strategic plan has six strategic outcomes, which will contribute to WFP strategic results 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8:

➢ Strategic outcome 1: Crisis-affected people including refugees, internally displaced persons, members of host communities and returnees in targeted areas are able to meet their basic food and nutrition needs during and in the aftermath of a crisis.

➢ Strategic outcome 2: School-age girls and boys, including adolescents, in targeted food-insecure and pastoral regions have access to adequate and nutritious food during the school year.

➢ Strategic outcome 3: Nutritionally vulnerable people and communities, including children age 6–59 months, pregnant women and girls and adolescent girls, in targeted areas have improved nutrition status by 2024.

➢ Strategic outcome 4: Food-insecure people and communities, including those affected by climate shocks, in targeted areas have more resilient livelihoods that are integrated into sustainable and equitable food systems and ensure access to adequate and nutritious food by 2024.

➢ Strategic outcome 5: National institutions and other partners have strengthened capacities to design and manage integrated gender-responsive food security, nutrition and shockresponsive social protection policies and programmes by 2024.

➢ Strategic outcome 6: Humanitarian and development partners in the Niger have access to common services and expertise that give them access to and enable them to operate in targeted areas until appropriate and sustainable alternatives are available.

The country strategic plan is informed by the 2018 National Zero Hunger Strategic Review and lessons learned from past WFP operations. It is aligned with the 2017–2021 national economic and social development plan, the 2019–2021 United Nations Development Assistance Framework and the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel.