Protection Sector Strategy North-East Nigeria 2024-2025

The protracted crisis in North-East Nigeria has persisted with heightened protection concerns and humanitarian needs for the last 14 years. As the conflict between the Government of Nigeria (GoN) and Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs) continues in North-East Nigeria, the people in the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe continue to face widespread insecurity and ongoing military operations, damaged infrastructure, tattered local economies, loss of livelihoods and gross violations of their human rights by all parties to the conflict.

The heightened protection context and limited government and humanitarian support, coupled with government enforced camp closures and relocation of IDPs, arrivals of people from extremely hard-to-reach and NSAG-controlled areas, and influx of refugee returnees and asylum seekers from Chad, Cameroon, and Niger continue to worsen the protection of the affected population in the Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States, whereby exposing them to several Child Protection, Gender-Based Violence, Mines and Housing, Land, and Property risks, and resort to negative coping mechanisms.

The Protection Sector is a coordination forum through which its members can coordinate interventions, seek consensus on protection issues, build partnerships, and strategically prioritize available resources with an overall goal of enhancing the protection of conflict-affected civilians in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) States. The Protection Sector comprises 105 partners providing General Protection, Child Protection (CP), Gender Based Violence (GBV), Housing Land and Property (HLP), and Mine Action (MA) assistance and services across the BAY states. In line with its core functions, the Protection Sector Northeast Nigeria (PSNE) and its Areas of Responsibility (AoRs) have achieved remarkable progress and contributions towards supporting service delivery, informing strategic humanitarian decision-making, supporting advocacy, building capacity for preparedness and response, and ensure accountability to the affected population in North-East Nigeria.

The Protection Sector's 2024-2025 objectives are aligned with the broader humanitarian strategy for Nigeria 2024-2025, which aims to save lives, provide protection, and reduce dependency on humanitarian aid by transitioning into development oriented support that is sustainable. The Protection Sector's objectives intend to achieve humanitarian outcomes by mitigating protection risks, strengthening protective services, and enhancing the overall protection environment through addressing protection concerns and fostering a safe and dignified living environment. With the rollout of the State Action Solution Plans in May 2024, it is hoped that increased and more long-term support to identified forcibly displaced populations can be realized.

In 2023, the PSNE and its AoRs received a funding of $36 million, which equals 34% of the $105M annual funding requirement. This was 8% lower than the 42% funding requirement received in 2022. To effectively respond to protection needs, especially against an overall reduction in funding, the Protection Sector Strategy gives consideration for evidence-based targeting of vulnerable persons and those facing protection risks and focusing on achieving protection outcomes in contribution towards resilience building for individuals, households, and communities, as well as working with local actors and strengthening local capacities.

This strategy document represents a collaborative effort of stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and UN agencies. It outlines the Protection Sector and AoR strategic objectives, comprehensive approaches, and action plans to provide the basis for Protection partners and the humanitarian community in responding to the protracted crisis in North-East Nigeria.