Ouagadougou—The United Nations system in Burkina Faso has allocated 580.4 million USD, equating to more than 300 billion FCFA, for its various sectors of intervention in 2022, a sharp increase compared to the previous year.
According to a new release by Burkina Information Agency, this year’s funding surpassed last year’s total of 398 million USD or more than 200 billion FCFA, marking a 46% increase in resource mobilization. The financial execution rate for the year stood at 61%, resulting in an expenditure of nearly 355.4 million USD or more than 200 billion FCFA.
The United Nations operates in Burkina Faso across four main pillars: strengthening institutions and access to justice, bolstering agricultural and population resilience, combating poverty, and preventing climate risks, as well as emergency response.
The resident coordinator of the United Nations system in Burkina Faso, Alain Akpdji, presented the annual report in a media briefing in Ouagadougou. He was accompanied by Eloi Kouadio IV, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP); Kristen Kutson, the resident representative of the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs; and a representative from UNICEF.
According to Akpdji, the United Nations aligns its interventions in Burkina Faso with the priorities and needs defined by the government, particularly considering the challenging security and humanitarian landscape in the country. These cooperative efforts are formalized through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2018-2023, which aims to contribute to the completion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The plan, as Akpdji and his colleagues pointed out, aligns with Burkina Faso’s national priorities as outlined in the Economic and Social Development Plan (PNDES) 2021-2025 and the Action for Stabilization and Development Plan (PASD) 2023-2025.
The UN representatives revealed that a total of 568,413 beneficiaries, including women, girls, and adolescents, had access to various forms of health care. Additionally, more than 270 million FCFA in loans were disbursed to 84,534 women who are members of savings groups, aimed at implementing income-generating activities. In the realm of social protection, 1.2 million people received assistance through various means, including food and cash transfers. More than 115,000 individuals suffering from fistulas and obstetric complications were provided with minimum emergency services.