Somalia: U.S.$10 Million Allocated for La Niña Early Response in Somalia

5 December 2024
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York)

The Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mr. George Conway, launched a new allocation of US$5 million from the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) to enable effective, timely and dignified humanitarian action ahead of the predicted La Niña-induced rainfall deficits particularly in high-risk areas of Somalia. The SHF will complement the ongoing allocation of $5 million for early action on La Niña from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

"This allocation is a testament to our commitment to supporting the people of Somalia," said Mr. George Conway. "We need to do more, hence our continued appeal to our donors and partners for additional and timely support to Somalia to sustain the response and retain the gains made so far."

The SHF allocation will support lifesaving health, nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions in Afmadow/Dhobley, Dinsoor and Wanlaweyn, while the CERF allocation will deliver complementary support, particularly in Afmadow/Dhobley and Dinsoor through food security, livelihood, protection and WASH interventions. CERF will also target Baydhaba, Qansax Dheer and Xudur. Both SHF and CERF implementing partners will commence activities as soon as the funds are disbursed.

The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) shows that the levels of deprivation remain 'severe' and 'extreme' in most parts of Somalia. This is mainly attributed to recurring and intensifying climate shocks (mainly drought and flooding), conflicts and violence and disease outbreaks, among other factors. La Niña conditions are projected to bring significant rainfall deficits in late 2024 and below average October to December seasonal 2024/2025 harvests.

At least 4.4 million people are facing elevated levels of acute food insecurity as drought conditions loom and 1.6 million children are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition in the next seven months, with 402,000 likely to suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition. More than half of the population have limited access to safe water and health care, increasing their vulnerability to preventable diseases.

Notes to editors

The Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) are managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). They allow donors to pool their contributions to support the highest priority humanitarian work. Combining flexibility and strategic focus, the funds ensure timely allocation and disbursement of resources, enable humanitarian action and strengthen coordination. For more information about the SHF visit www.unocha.org/somalia/shf or follow @SHF_Somalia; for more information about CERF, please visit https://cerf.un.org or follow @UNCERF. For Somalia crisis overview visit www.unocha.org/somalia .

For more information, please contact Karen Smith, Head of Humanitarian Financing Unit, smith3@un.org, Cell +252(0)612922133.

Yao Chen, Communication Officer, yao.chen@un.org, Cell +254 732391050.

OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org or https://reliefweb.int/

Read the original article on OCHA.

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