Burkina Faso/Humanitarian situation: IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagan calls for more effective partnerships to support vulnerable groups

Lefaso.net: You will start your Sahel journey in Burkina Faso, what is the context of this visit?

Jagan Chapagain: Indeed, I am on a tour of the Sahel region, a region facing multiple challenges that requires special attention. I started my mission in Burkina Faso with the aim of understanding the activities carried out by the Burkina Faso Red Cross Society and how the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) can work with it to address the humanitarian challenges that arise in the country. During my visit, I had the opportunity to meet with certain government authorities, including the Prime Minister, with whom we discussed the humanitarian challenges in the region and the country, as well as our perspectives on the network on these issues. This meeting also gave me the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to strengthening our partnership with the Burkina Faso Red Cross Society in order to more effectively address the humanitarian challenges in the country.

Specifically, regarding your meetings with government authorities, what topics did you discuss with them?

As I have to mention, we had to discuss with the authorities the humanitarian situation and the work of the Burkina Faso Red Cross in the country. It was also an opportunity for me to reiterate my commitment and that of my organization to the authorities, supporting the tireless efforts of the Burkina Faso Red Cross, which is moreover strictly committed to meeting the humanitarian needs of the communities. But beyond these aspects, we also had the opportunity to address health issues, and it was in this context that I visited the CORUS emergency call centre set up by the Ministry of Health and supported by the Burkina Faso Red Cross. We discussed various other topics. Among other things, we had to discuss climate shocks and how they affect the lives of communities, undermining their livelihoods.

The issue of young people was also at the heart of our discussion, in particular their involvement in humanitarian issues and how we can better strengthen them so that they can become real agents of change; they can be a force that helps to better respond to the humanitarian needs that arise in the country. The last point we must discuss is the issue of internally displaced persons and how the Burkina Faso Red Cross can support these people.

Like other countries in the Sahel, Burkina Faso faces disasters such as floods, food insecurity, heat waves, climate change, etc. What does your organization do and how can you support the Burkina Faso Red Cross to reduce vulnerability?

Our approach around the world is to work with national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In Burkina Faso, we work with the Burkina Faso Red Cross. So we don’t impose anything, and our role towards national companies is to support their programmes, especially through technical and financial support. We also make our expertise available to them so that they can better respond to the challenges that arise at the global level and in their context, and implement programmes that best meet the needs of the communities.

We know your organization has done a lot for Burkina Faso, but the challenges remain huge. In terms of support, do you plan to increase your portfolio?

Of course, we will expand our support to the Burkina Faso Red Cross to enable it to respond to changing and evolving needs and to be able to respond quickly and effectively to disaster situations that arise in the country. For this, we have mechanisms in place in this regard.

For example, we have the DREF (Disaster Response Emergency Fund), but in addition to this we have other mechanisms, such as those related to climate and anticipatory actions, which aim to provide national societies with the means to implement measures aimed at reducing the impact of disasters and addressing the root causes of the problems caused by climate change. Another important point is our unwavering commitment to strengthening all these packages to develop National Societies, including the Burkina Faso Red Cross.

After discussing it with the actors and witnessing the event firsthand, what is your assessment of the work done on set?

I am very impressed by the work done by the Burkina Faso Red Cross. There are some sectors that particularly caught my attention, especially its community anchoring, but also the ease with which it can interact with the community, co-develop programs and solve problems, with a focus on resilience and empowerment. Another important fact is the desire to be able to work with young people on humanitarian issues. I salute the energy and selflessness of the volunteers and young people, who are key elements of success, but also the level of integrity of the national society, which makes it possible to promote advocacy and mobilize resources.

Given the current situation, what are the prospects for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Burkina Faso?

On the one hand, the humanitarian needs are already there and growing, and on the other hand, we have the Burkina Faso Red Cross Society. Our role as the Federation is to strengthen our support to the national society so that it can do more and better to respond to these evolving humanitarian needs and help it build stronger, more resilient communities. This is where we will focus our attention.

Do you have any last words for the people of Burkina Faso?

I have a special message for young people, because we live in a difficult environment and they may lose hope when faced with the difficulties of life. Unfortunately, difficulties cannot be lacking, which is why I want to invite young people to turn the difficulties they face into opportunities to make the most of them by working hard to put forward values ​​such as integrity, commitment, determination and self-confidence.

Yvette Zongo interviewed

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