A donor conference aimed at galvanizing funding for continued humanitarian response in the central Sahel region will take place today in Denmark. 

Tuesday's conference, which will be hosted by Denmark, along with Germany, the European Union and the United Nations also aims to "instill a much more acute sense of urgency among policymakers about the situation in the central Sahel.”

 Organizers and humanitarian organizations hope to raise 1.4 billion dollars to provide emergency assistance for the remainder of 2020 and up to 2021. 

In less than two years, violence and insecurity in Central Sahel have driven 1.5 million people from their homes and 7.4 million people into acute hunger, according to the UN. 

It says COVID-19 prevention measures have pushed an additional 6 million people into extreme poverty.

Julie Belanger is the Head of Office of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, West and Central Africa Bureau.

She provides more information on the conference.