Cameroon’s refugee crisis

More than 100,000 people fled to Cameroon in a two-day period (between 2 February and 4 February 2008) to escape the armed fighting in the Chadian capital of N’Djamena. While exact estimates of the number of refugees varied and the majority of refugees have since returned to Chad, there are still more than 8,000 refugees near the border who are expected to remain in Cameroon in the short term.UNDP, through its Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), provided USD 100,000 to the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s office to support UN coordination efforts and deployed two UNDP immediate crisis response advisors within days of the crisis. Read more...

Solomon Islands’ tsunami response

On 2 April 2007, an earthquake of 8.1 in magnitude struck just off the coast of a remote part of the Solomon Islands. The quake triggered a tsunami: 52 people lost their lives and infrastructure, schools and homes in coastal areas were badly damaged. More than 10,000 people living in this nation of islands were affected. UNDP’s rapid response built confidence among the government and other recovery partners during this time of crisis.Read more...

Improving UNDP immediate crisis response

When crisis strikes, UNDP is committed to responding with greatest effect. To better do so, UNDP recently standardized its immediate response. Research shows that UNDP must be ready to respond to two to three large-scale crises and eight to nine medium-scale crises every year. In most of these situations, 80 percent of the immediate actions are the same. By standardizing its response, UNDP seeks to better ensure business continuity, effectively coordinate early recovery work and develop recovery programmes. Read more...