Mogadishu, (SONNA) – The Special Envoy of the President for Drought Response of the Federal Republic of Somalia commends joint efforts of the Government, swift response from donor countries, and the tireless work of UN agencies, International and local NGOs that averted famine this year.
“I am encouraged by the leadership of the Federal Government, and the efforts of our partners in responding to this crisis. We are indeed grateful to all the countries that stood by us in this difficult time, especially the United States of America for responding early and donating more than half of the aid we received this year and providing additional funding for next year.
Joint efforts in mobilising, and coordinating lifesaving humanitarian support to respond to the emergency situation was very crucial in ensuring that famine was prevented in October.
“Yes, we managed to prevent the worst, but the situation is still critical. The failure of four consecutive rainy sessions has resulted in the worst drought in 40 years. The drought still affects 7 million people”
The Special Envoy however calls for prioritising recovery and resilience building to mitigate vulnerable communities from unpredictable weather patterns.
“In the face of this climate reality, we need to build the resilience of our people to adapt, and mitigate its fallout. The total humanitarian assistance provided to Somalia since the 2011 famine amounts to five billion dollars, yet the droughts recur, and we still face the risks of famine”.
The Special Envoy holds that building resilience and adaptive capacities of the people to withstand climate shocks should be an integral part of humanitarian assistance
“Saving lives is the priority, but long-term investments are also vital. We need help to adapt to this new climate reality. If the resilience of our people is not enhanced, the impact of extreme weather will continue to require billions of dollars in assistance each year,” explained the Special Envoy.
Alongside the severe drought, constraints in the global supply chain that resulted from the conflict in Ukraine have also contributed to food scarcity and price surges in Somalia.
“I urge the international community to increase support for the drought response. I also ask development partners and humanitarian agencies to work jointly together on resilience efforts alongside emergency response.” said the Special Envoy.
