Question Period Note: Canada's Humanitarian Response in Mali

Approximately 3.9 million people in Mali continue to face a multidimensional crisis characterized by food insecurity, malnutrition, and population displacement.

• Canada is deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in Mali.

• Canada provides humanitarian assistance to meet the emergency needs of people affected by crises in Mali, including vulnerable women and children.

• Canada's humanitarian funding is helping to provide food and nutrition assistance, health, water and sanitation, shelter and protection services to vulnerable people.

Mali continues to face a multidimensional crisis characterized by food insecurity, malnutrition, and population displacement due to ethnic conflicts and terrorist threats increasing insecurity in the north and center of the country. High levels of vulnerability continue to dominate the populations in Gao and Timbuktu regions, where humanitarian access remains difficult. For many affected families, humanitarian actors are the sole providers of essential services.

As of November 2019, 3.9 million people are in need of assistance. Food insecurity continues to be of concern: approximately 2.8 million people are food insecure and 660,000 children under 5 are malnourished. More than 835,000 people are in need of immediate protection services. The July 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) update is seeking $324 million USD to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of conflict affected Malians.

Since 2012, Canada has allocated $66.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Mali, including $4.5 million to date in 2019 [not announced]. Assistance is delivered through experienced partners such as the Red Cross, UN and NGOs. Canada's humanitarian assistance is helping to provide food, drinking water, hygiene, sanitation and health services, treatment for acute malnutrition and support to livelihoods for vulnerable populations.

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