The Government of Catalonia has approved 400,000 euros in aid for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to fund a programme to provide protection and assistance for displaced and host communities to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique.

The programme targets the displaced and host communities in the Mueda and Palma districts of Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique, with the aim of preventing sexual and gender-based violence. It is aims to eliminate discrimination against women regarding access to essential resources.

The UNHCR's intervention includes psychosocial therapy and counselling on available services for women and girl survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Awareness-raising sessions and workshops on sexual violence will be conducted with some 10,000 people, and the skills of around 250 Mozambican women and girls will be reinforced to ensure their access to sustainable livelihoods.

The programme is a continuation of a 2022 initiative, in which the Government of Catalonia funded a UNHCR project in Mozambique focused on the Cabo Delgado crisis, to the tune of 290,000 euros, channelled through the UNHCR Catalan Committee.

Cabo Delgado is the scene of a conflict that has posed a significant challenge for Mozambique and for the humanitarian and social actors involved. Since the beginning of the conflict in October 2017, the number of internally displaced persons in Cabo Delgado has increased dramatically. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has recorded a total of 834,304 internally displaced persons and 420,200 returnees, with the majority concentrated in the province of Cabo Delgado.

Currently, the UNHCR is one of the strategic partners of the Government of Catalonia in Mozambique, where the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD) works primarily on issues of gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive rights and environmental justice.

Mozambique, a priority for Catalan cooperation

Mozambique is a priority country for the Government of Catalonia's development cooperation. With an estimated population of 23 million inhabitants, Mozambique has a life expectancy of around 47.8 years and an adult literacy rate of no more than 54.8%. It ranks among the lowest positions on the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) and is one of the poorest countries in the world.