By Ahmed Ubandoma
Nigeria`s First Lady and Chairperson, African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM), Aisha Buhari, has expressed the need for stakeholders to adopt a new approach in addressing humanitarian crises in local communities.
Buhari made the disclosure in Dubai while delivering her keynote address during the 18th Dubai International Humanitarian and Development Aid Conference and Exhibition (DIHAD 2022).
A statement made available to newsmen by the first lady’s Special Assistant on Media, Aliyu Abdullahi, on Wednesday in Abuja, said the theme of the conference was: “SDG-17: A Hand-Holding Approach to Partnerships and Sustainable Development: The Nigerian Experience of Aisha Buhari Foundation.”
“ I shared my foundation’s experiences working in collaboration with development partners across the world in recording some modest achievements in the areas of health, education, women and youths empowerment in the past 6 years.
“It was the right platform to also call the attention of the donor-based agencies for a change in approach to more of a community-needs approach against what is presently the norm in most cases,’’ she said.
The first lady told the gathering of the giant strides and the successes recorded by her foundation through the collaborative efforts of other development partners across the globe.
She appealed to international donor-organisation to adopt a paradigm shift in humanitarian and development aid with the aim of localising all development aids to the benefit of the vulnerable population.
Buhari expressed confidence that such approach would assist the donors to dictate humanitarian needs of the people as well as the community centred model for the benefit of the target groups.
“I advocate for a paradigm shift from donor-centred development aid to a truly localised community-based approach in building capacities for implementing humanitarian and development assistance.
“It is pertinent to reflect on the issues of accountability, transparency, and trust in humanitarian aid delivery,” Buhari said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the annual conference is the world’s leading gathering of policy makers from various countries, the UN agencies and various international non-governmental organisations in the humanitarian sector.
The conference drew participants from across the globe, including the Director-General, Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACADI) of the U.A.E, Dr Hamad Al Sheikh Ahmed Al Shaibani; the European Commissioner for Crises Management, Mr Janez Lenarcic.
Also present were the Secretary-General, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Mr Jagan Chapagain; and the Secretary-General, Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, Dr Sergio Piazzi.
Others are Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates Red Crescent Authority, and Dr Manal Mohammed Taryam, the CEO of Noor Dubai Foundation. (NAN)
