03-06-2025 | di COOPI

Niger. Fostering resilience through a coordinated humanitarian response platform

As part of the project "Strengthening preparedness and local response to multi-hazard shocks (REPAR)", in Niger,  a coordination platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) activities has been created. Coordinated by COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale and Mercy Corps, funded by the European Humanitarian Aid (DG ECHO), and open to all national and international organizations active in the sector, this platform serves as a space for exchanging and sharing experiences on techniques and innovations related to DRR in the country, with the goal to strengthen the synergy of interventions and support institutions. The project is implemented in two regions of Niger particularly exposed to disaster risk, Maradi and Tillabery, and the initiative aims to strengthen the skills and capacities of municipalities to prepare for, monitor, and respond to multi-risk shocks such as floods, population displacements, and food crises.

A highly ulnerable context with interconnected risks

Niger’s context, marked by a profound multidimensional crisis, highlights the urgency of enhancing local capacities in risk management. The country is affected by recurring disasters that interact with and amplify one another: seasonal floods, increasingly frequent due to climate change, damage homes, schools, and healthcare infrastructure, and facilitate the spread of diseases such as cholera and malaria; prolonged drought and low rainfall compromise harvests, worsen food insecurity, and trigger tensions over natural resource use; sandstorms and the harmattan—a dry, dusty wind—impact public health, contributing to a rise in meningitis cases. Added to these phenomena are security crises, with armed attacks and inter-community conflicts causing massive population displacements and increasing pressure on host communities. In particular, the Tillabéry and Maradi regions are among the most vulnerable, facing intense strain on already fragile infrastructure and limited resources. These dynamics make Niger a high-risk context characterized by complex and interconnected threats.

Operational and institutional synergies among humanitarian actors

To date, 15 organizations actively participate in the DRR coordination platform’s activities. The actors hold bi-monthly meetings to define joint strategies, harmonize training modules, and standardize working tools. In parallel, quarterly meetings are held with actors involved in the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) to avoid overlaps in emergency responses, better map affected areas, and harmonize intervention tools such as targeting questionnaires.

Since its creation, the platform has maintained structured contact with the Ministry of Humanitarian Action (MAH) to support the establishment and functioning of the national DRR platform, the body responsible for implementing related strategies. The objective is to facilitate integration into the national platform to strengthen it and avoid creating parallel structures. To this end, a meeting was held with the Minister of Humanitarian Action and her team to define the modalities of collaboration and develop a joint work plan.

The first step in this effort involves the creation of an online database for the platform. In addition, advocacy missions will be launched in the municipalities, in collaboration with the MAH, to raise awareness among authorities on the importance of integrating DRR activities into municipal development plans and annual investment plans, to ensure sustainability. Finally, joint field monitoring missions will be organized to improve the quality of interventions.

The collaboration between the ECHO stakeholders’ platform and the national platform reflects a shared commitment to building a common vision for disaster preparedness in Niger. By fostering ongoing dialogue among humanitarian organizations, the Ministry of Humanitarian Action, local authorities, and communities, this synergy helps lay the foundation for more coordinated and resilient crisis management. As one COOPI field worker emphasizes:

Only through continuous dialogue and mutual strengthening can we effectively face the complex challenges Niger is experiencing today and will face in the future."

COOPI has been operating in Niger since 2012, developing integrated multisectoral intervention programs in response to various humanitarian crises. Today, we are implementing 18 projects across the sectors of nutrition, food security, emergency education, psychosocial support, mental health, protection, disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness, and entrepreneurial development.