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| Participants at the launch in Mogadishu of the 2018
Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan and the Resilience and Recovery
Framework including Somalia PM Hassan Kheyre. UN Photo/Omar Abdisalan |
30 January 2018 – One year after Somalia declared drought as a
national emergency, famine has so far been averted due to collective and
unprecedented humanitarian action, and on Tuesday, the country marked a
turning point towards ending the cycle of recurring crises, with the
launch of a Government-led, United Nations-supported humanitarian
response plan.
At a high-level event
in the capital Mogadishu, the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan, seeking
$1.5 billion to address the needs of 5.4 million people, was jointly
presented with a Recovery and Resilience Framework (RRF), which outlines
the way forward for recovery and longer-term resilience aimed at
addressing the root causes of Somalia’s recurring humanitarian crises.
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| Four-year-old
Faylow is one of the 160,000 children treated for severe malnutrition
by UNICEF in Somalia in 2017. Photo: UNICEF Somalia-Makundi |
To address the impact of recurrent drought and famine risk, as a
consequence of fragility, the Federal Government of Somalia led a
Drought Impact Needs Assessment (DINA), in partnership with Federal
Member States, the Banadir Regional Administration, the European Union,
the UN and the World Bank.
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| Participants at the launch in Mogadishu of the 2018
Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan and the Resilience and Recovery
Framework. UN Photo/Omar Abdisalan |
The outcomes of the assessment have informed the RRF, which will
enable the Federal Government and Federal Member states to devise
medium- and long-term solutions to promote development and address the
root causes of vulnerability to drought. The DINA and the RRF have been
developed in alignment with the 2018 Response Plan and in coordination
with humanitarian partners, in order to ensure complementarity and, most
importantly, to protect humanitarian achievements.
The joint launch was attended by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire
and other senior representatives of the Somali Federal Government, as
well as the international community, including the Administrator of the
UN Development Programme (UNDP),
Achim Steiner, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, World Bank
Senior Vice-President Mahmoud Mohieldin, and the European Union.
Opening the event, Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire emphasized his
Government’s resolve in moving from crisis to recovery, saying:
“Somalia
is turning over a new leaf in its history. Important and significant
progress is being made on our peace- and state-building agenda. We are
determined to overcome the challenges posed by recurring droughts that
risk undermining these gains, and we count on our international partners
to support us in this endeavor.”
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| Participants at the launch in Mogadishu of the 2018
Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan and the Resilience and Recovery
Framework. UN Photo/Omar Abdisalan |
On his first visit to Somalia, Mr. Steiner recognized the
Government’s leadership in averting famine in 2017 and highlighted the
opportunity to build on this achievement while simultaneously
implementing longer-term solutions.
“Today, Somalia has more effective institutions than it has had
in decades. Progress in the state-building and peace-building processes
in Somalia since 2012 has now created conditions in which targeted
efforts can be made to define and implement solutions so that Somalia’s
citizens will hopefully not have to face the risk of famine again,” he
said.
Noting the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis, Mr. Lowcock urged
the international community to sustain its life-saving support, while
recognizing that that the situation cannot be solved by humanitarian
interventions alone.
“Ending need in Somalia can only be achieved if we respond to
immediate humanitarian needs while simultaneously implementing
longer-term solutions to build resilience. Humanitarian and development
partners are working with the Government to help ensure Somalis are less
vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition, to natural hazards and
displacement, and that they have better access to basic social
services,” Mr. Lowcock said.
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| Participants at the launch in Mogadishu of the 2018
Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan and the Resilience and Recovery
Framework. UN Photo/Omar Abdisalan |
Referencing the new way of working,
and emphasizing the significance of the HRP being jointly launched with
the RRF, Mr. Mohieldin stated that
“Somalia is ahead of the curve in
its effort to overcome the challenges facing the country”.
He noted that
hard investment was required to implement the RRF and applauded the
Government’s efforts to normalize its relations with the international
finance system.
In its statement, the European Union expressed appreciation for the Government’s leadership and pledged its continued support.
“As a major partner to Somalia, who promotes a comprehensive
approach linking security, political engagement, development and
humanitarian aid, the European Union is pleased by the resolve shown by
the government to lead us in a collective effort to move from reaction
to prevention,” said Fulgencio Garrido Ruiz, Deputy Head of the European
Union Delegation to Somalia.
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