NAIROBI, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Somali government and its international partners will prioritize investments in projects that enhance the resilience of local communities in the face of climate shocks, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Maryam Qasim, Somalia's minister for humanitarian affairs and disaster management, said Mogadishu will commit additional resources to programs that strengthen the capacity of citizens to cope with recurrent droughts that have worsened food and water insecurity in the Horn of African state.
"We are building robust safety net schemes to ensure our communities are strong enough to overcome shocks such as droughts," Qasim told journalists in Nairobi. "The government has also intensified efforts to address impact of climate change on livelihoods."
Statistics from humanitarian agencies indicates that an estimated 6.2 million people, or half of Somali population, are in need of emergency food aid as a result of a prolonged drought.
At the same time, 1 million people in the country have been displaced by the drought, which is expected to last up to next year.
Qasim said that timely intervention by the Somali government in Mogadishu and the international community prevented the drought from transitioning into a famine, though the risks are myriad.
"The threat of famine is looming and weather forecasts have warned of depressed rain next year," Qasim said. "Our priority will therefore be to save lives and build resilient communities."
She said the government is developing a disaster management policy to strengthen response to natural catastrophes like droughts, floods and epidemics.
"Our vision is to move from emergency assistance to resilience," Qasim said, adding that greater efforts will be devoted to addressing root causes of food insecurity like poor crop husbandry, over-reliance on rainfall, and conflicts.
Somalia requires robust institutions and policies to strengthen the resilience of communities and households affected by weather related shocks.
The humanitarian director for Somalia at Save the Children, Thomas Jepson-Lay, said resilience-building should be embedded in ongoing efforts to restore political stability and social cohesion in the strife-torn country.
"There is need for diversification of livelihoods within Somalia community to strengthen their coping mechanisms against a backdrop of climatic stresses," he said.
World Vision's country director for Somalia, Simon Nyabwengi, said climate-resilient farming and pastoralism is key to addressing hunger and malnutrition crises affecting large swathes of the country.
