Saudi Arabia will host a donors conference to support displaced persons and refugees in the Sahel and Lake Chad region on Oct. 26, 2024, in cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and coordination with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The conference comes in response to the severe humanitarian crisis in Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Mali, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The conference seeks to mobilize resources for humanitarian and development initiatives targeting affected populations, including displaced persons and refugees, with a particular focus on the United Nations coordinated humanitarian response plans, in addition to raising awareness of the multifaceted crisis and addressing it by building strong partnerships to enhance effective humanitarian response and greater support for long-term solutions. The United Nations estimates that approximately 33 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and protection across the Sahel and Lake Chad region, including 11 million who are internally displaced and stay there as refugees in the region. Source: Qatar News Agency