N’Djamena, 14 November 2024 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in Chad have today signed a cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening the coordination of their humanitarian interventions through the sharing of biometric data. This agreement will improve the efficiency of assistance provided to the country’s most vulnerable populations, particularly those internally displaced by conflict and natural disasters. 

Through this agreement, IOM and WFP in Chad, will be able to cross-reference their biometric databases, enabling them to more accurately identify beneficiaries of humanitarian aid, reduce the risk of double counting, optimize resource allocation, and ensure a better understanding of the needs of displaced populations and better coordination among humanitarian actors. This innovative approach is part of a shared commitment to strengthen inter-agency coordination and improve the quality of services offered to vulnerable populations. 

“The sharing of data between IOM and WFP marks a significant step in our commitment to improving the humanitarian response in Chad,” said Aminta Dicko, Programme Manager at IOM Chad. “By combining our efforts and data, we can better target the most vulnerable populations and provide more effective and sustainable assistance to internally displaced persons.” 

“This partnership is a unique opportunity to strengthen our capacity to meet the food needs of displaced populations,” said Sarah Gordon Gibson, WFP Country Representative in Chad. “By cross-referencing our data, we can better understand displacement dynamics and adapt our interventions accordingly.” 

Chad is experiencing continuous internal and external displacement, primarily due to conflict and insecurity in the region, as well as the increasing incidence of intercommunal violence. With over 450,000 new arrivals in 2023 from Sudan, Chad hosts more than 1,000,000 refugees, the largest number in West and Central Africa, most of whom come from Sudan (75.3%), the Central African Republic (17.8%), Cameroon (3.7%), Nigeria (3.0%) and other countries (0.20%).  

In June 2024, the number of internally displaced persons in Chad reached 220,610. 

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For more information, please contact :  

In Dakar: Joëlle Furrer, jfurrer@iom.int   

In Tchad: -  Christina Van Hooreweghe, cvanhooreweg@iom.int

Sylvain Barral, sylvain.barral@wfp.org