Department for International Development Mohammed Abdiker, Director of Operations and Emergencies, IOM John Ging, Director of Operations Division, OCHA Yasmin Haque, Emergencies Director, UNICEF Terry Morel, Director, Division of Emergency, Security and Supply (DESS), UNHCR Peter Salama, Emergency Director, WHO Denise Brown, Emergency Director, WFP Dominique Burgeon, Emergency Director, FAO November 2016 Emergency Directors, Ahead of your visit to Nigeria we would like to take this opportunity to express our deep concern regarding the humanitarian crisis across the Lake Chad Basin as a result of the Boko Haram conflict and the counter insurgency operations to control them. We welcome the efforts made by UN partners and INGOs to raise the profile of the crisis, mobilise donors, and work with the Government of Nigeria. We also welcome the activation of corporate, agency-specific Level 3s. However, given the severity of the situation, we continue to be concerned that some of the UN agencies have not been able to demonstrate the capacity to deliver at scale. This situation requires effective UN leadership, strong coordination with and good interaction with key stakeholders at state and federal levels. In this respect, we invite you to also engage with key development actors that could be instrumental in promoting integrated stabilisation and recovery. We ask that you review staffing plans and take immediate action to ensure your teams on the ground have the relevant experience and tools they need to deliver for the most vulnerable people. We are particularly concerned about the high turnover of staff in key leadership positions. We welcome the arrival of Edward Kallon as Humanitarian Coordinator but are concerned by the departures of the OCHA Head of Office and Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator without clear plans for their replacement. We call on the UN to urgently ensure appropriate staffing with relevant experience in terms of seniority, numbers, experience, deployment to key locations in North eastern Nigeria where humanitarian needs are the highest. We also call on the UN, in line with Grand Bargain commitments, to develop and share joint needs assessments and clear and realistic plans setting out what agencies are able to deliver and in what areas they are able to operate in the short to medium-term within the current access constraints. Recent reports indicate that even where access is relatively good, like in parts of Maiduguri, scaled-up delivery has been inadequate and emergency conditions prevail for the local population. It is essential that the UN exercise strong leadership in terms of coordination, ensuring that the clusters fully deliver, both in terms of mapping the response and establishing a robust operational framework. This will help to ensure both transparency and accountability in UN operations and improve coordination within the humanitarian system. The efficiency of the response depends on the commitment of humanitarian actors and donors to scale up delivery to reach those in need and an effective humanitarian coordination system. We are committed to remaining engaged and expect the UN system to do the same. We look forward to a humanitarian response with better communication and engagement with others; better leadership and resolving crucial staffing gaps, and development of urgent plans to scale up delivery immediately where access is possible. We look fonNard to continuing our joint efforts to ensure that the most vulnerable populations receive aid in an efficient, effective, timely and well-coordinated manner. Jaw James Wharton MP OY Monique a -. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, DG ECHO Director General DFID DFID, 22 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2EG, UK ECHO, Commission europeenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, Belgique