Attendees at this event, including IPA staff and Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro. © 2026 David Adeniji

At the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, IPA Nigeria, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, convened a high-level side event titled “Beyond Assistance: Reducing Poverty, Advancing Protection, and Building Shared Prosperity.”

The event brought together senior government officials, development partners, donors, practitioners, and experts to discuss pathways for connecting lifesaving humanitarian assistance with longer-term protection, recovery, poverty reduction, and economic opportunities.

The event featured high-ranking government and international officials, including Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro; Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Mr. Mohamed Yahya, representing the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed; the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; and Ms. Ugochi Daniels, IOM’s Deputy Director General for Operations.

As part of the program, IPA facilitated two panel discussions. Nessa Kenny, Associate Program Director for the Peace & Recovery Program at IPA, moderated the first panel, which examined how humanitarian responses can contribute to durable development outcomes rather than focusing solely on short-term relief.

Emeka Eluemunor, IPA’s Regional Director for West Africa, moderated the second panel, which explored how governments and development partners can strengthen coordination across the social protection ecosystem and move towards a more integrated and coherent approach to addressing poverty.

The discussions underscored the importance of strengthening coordination across humanitarian assistance, social protection, poverty reduction, and economic inclusion efforts. IPA remains committed to supporting the Government of Nigeria in advancing evidence-informed approaches that strengthen the connections between these systems and contribute to more sustainable outcomes for vulnerable populations.