Action Plan for Crossborder Food Security and Nutrition, Côte d'Ivoire - Liberia 2013 - 2016

In November 2010, Côte d’Ivoire held presidential elections – a long awaited democratic step anticipated by political forces - since the war in 2002. The Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) and the international community accepted the results in December 2010, but violence spiraled, including in the border region with Liberia. This region has seen repeated refugee flows over the decades, as well as border crossing - as a coping mechanism when livelihoods are threatened or simply for better economic and social opportunities. The border region straddles the Cavalla River and is rich in natural resources including gold, diamonds and timber. With numerous water points across the region and direct access to the ocean, the soil is fertile and fish thrive in its rivers and lakes. Despite its natural wealth and fertile lands, food security remains a major concern within the region. Evidence collected in 2012 shows how food and social insecurity are tied to land conflict and weak social cohesion, problems which persist throughout the region. The governments, United Nations agencies and NGOs of both countries have been working to address the needs of this vulnerable population. Until now, however, humanitarian actors on both sides of the border have tended to view their interventions primarily in a short-term perspective, and through a national lens, with little or no exchange between the two countries. The proposed interventions to be piloted for the coming three years reflect the cross-border realities of the situation, integrating root causes of conflict, namely weaknesses in food security, social cohesion and land tenure. Evidence-based programming aims to achieve two main objectives : 1) coordination, transparency and accountability throughout the implementation process, and 2) a rigorous impact assessment that can feed into future evidence-based policy-making