Mister President,

I am speaking on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro and Turkey align themselves with this statement.

We take note of the Country Strategic Plan for Mauritania 2024-2028. We are concerned by the challenging situation in the country, where access to food remains a key issue affecting fragile local populations and refugees incoming from Mali.

We note that a forecast 67% of this CSP will be focused on crisis response and that the remaining 33% will be used to address resilience building, root causes and thus reduce humanitarian needs in the long run. We invite WFP to explain whether it considers this a realistic ratio to be achieved within the timeframe of the CSP.

We welcome that, in the event of funding shortfalls, life-saving assistance will be prioritised, focusing on those most in need of humanitarian support. We also welcome that in case of a disaster, crisis response may be scaled-up. However, the CSP also mentions that resource mobilisation is increasingly challenging and that it will be ensured that emergency requirements do not divert resources from longer-term goals. We would appreciate clarification on how these elements will be combined in implementing this CSP.

Reiterating the importance of partnerships, we appreciate collaboration with UNHCR for Outcome 1. At the same time, we invite WFP to strengthen strategic and operational partnership with other UN organisations such as UNICEF, FAO or IFAD regarding Outcomes 2 and 3, in line with respective mandates. We also encourage WFP to build on lessons learnt from other WFP operations in the region and to seek synergies with a variety of other actors.

The CSP identifies disruption of food supply as a major risk. Also in light of rising food prices and possible supply chain disruptions, we would appreciate information on the envisaged mitigation measures.
We welcome the combination of cash and in-kind as transfer modality, with cash-based transfer being prioritised and to be gradually scaled up where appropriate. We also support efforts to improve cash delivery whenever feasible, notably via flexible and digital delivery modalities.
Moreover, we acknowledge the envisaged innovative initiatives on social protection and encourage WFP to carry them out in partnership with others.

Last but not least, we underline the crucial importance of factoring in cross-cutting issues. We therefore welcome investments in gender mainstreaming, social and environmental safeguards, accountability to affected population, and ‘do no harm’ principle.

Thank you.