UN Pledges To Step up Humanitarian Support To Somalia in 2021

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Adam Abdelmoula on Wednesday said that his institution will step up humanitarian support to this African country in 2021.

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The so-called "triple shock" of climate change, conflict, and the COVID-19 pandemic will worsen humanitarian needs this year.

"The factors that went into the triple shock have not gone away... we will need to step up efforts in reaching the most vulnerable people," Abdelmoula said.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),  over five million people are in need of aid through 2021 in Somalia because of climatic shocks, including floods and locust infestation, armed conflict, and insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abdelmoula said when Cyclone Gati struck in November 2020, 120,000 people were affected in Puntland in northern Somalia as people lost their homes and livelihoods, all of which had a knock-on effect on their health and well-being.

He added that the desert locust infestation has affected almost 700,000 people and close to 300,000 hectares of land across Somalia.

"We have so far provided support to about 25,900 farming households and sprayed over 110,000 hectares of land with biopesticides," Abdelmoula said.

On the COVID-19 response, Somalia has a fragile health system that is still developing. The United Nations was able to buttress the government's health machinery with testing laboratories, specialized isolation centers, the training of over 5,000 frontline health workers, and the distribution of PPE sets.

"All of these steps have also had a longer-term impact. They have helped build and reinforce the health system - both improving the health of Somalis and helping train health ministry and medical personnel for the longer-term," he added.