Mogadishu — Somalia's disaster management chief and a senior United Nations official jointly chaired a high-level meeting in Mogadishu on Thursday to assess the country's worsening drought and review preparations for the 2026 humanitarian response plan.
The meeting was led by the head of the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), Mahmoud Moallim Abdulle, and the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, who also serves as the Humanitarian Coordinator. Senior officials from SoDMA and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) attended the talks.
Held at SoDMA's headquarters in Mogadishu, discussions focused on the ongoing drought affecting large parts of the country, the finalisation and launch of humanitarian needs assessments, and planning for Somalia's 2026 humanitarian response.
Officials also examined a decline in international humanitarian funding and warned of its potential impact on Somalia's most vulnerable communities, as aid agencies face growing constraints.
The participants stressed the importance of close cooperation between Somali authorities and humanitarian partners to manage and respond effectively to the crisis, aiming to reduce the impact of drought and other challenges.
The meeting forms part of broader efforts to strengthen coordination between the Somali government and the United Nations in delivering a more effective humanitarian response to drought-hit regions across the country.
