UN
A round-up of activities of the UN system in Somalia in July 2022
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Human trafficking | UNODC supports judges and prosecutors in protecting victims To effectively fight human trafficking and migrant smuggling, as well as ensure the protection of victims of trafficking and their rights, enhanced inter-agency and stakeholder cooperation is vital. In this respect, UNODC provided a training workshop for 20 prosecutors and 10 judges in Mogadishu to cultivate the initiation of effective referral mechanisms and to mainstream the approach that protecting victims is a critical element of fighting human trafficking. One of the sessions of the workshop was explicitly on the psychological reactions of victims of trafficking, victim trauma and the support they need. The workshop was delivered as part of the Better Migration Management programme, funded by the European Union and the German government. |
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Drought response | FAO supports vulnerable agro-pastoral rural communities The drought in Somalia has had a huge impact on the lives of the rural pastoral communities which depend on farming and livestock as their main sources of livelihood. Pastoralist communities have lost the majority of their livestock and the remaining animals are weak and emaciated. Similarly, the farming communities abandoned their farms as rains failed for the fourth consecutive season. FAO, through a USAID-funded project, distributed cash to vulnerable agro-pastoralists to help cushion them against the impact of the drought, as well as agricultural seeds and tools so that they can go back to planting as soon as the conditions improve. The programme, dubbed Cash+, will help families and communities to stay together during the drought emergency, reducing psychosocial and physical risks to the vulnerable, and paving the way for a faster recovery when conditions improve. |
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Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) | UNDP supports Somalia with first SDG Voluntary National Review UNDP supported Somalia’s National Bureau of Statistics with the completion of the country’s first Sustainable Development Goals Voluntary National Review (VNR) and its presentation it to the UN at a high-Level forum in New York. The VNR is the most comprehensive overview to date of progress towards the SDGs. Drawing on data from across government and made possible with funding from Switzerland, the VNR also offers an analysis of remaining challenges and outlines recommendations for addressing data gaps. The SDGs are a key element of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone everywhere, and were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda, which sets out a 15-year plan to achieve the SDGs. |
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Drought Response | UNICEF committed to supporting drought response in Jubaland More than 150,000 people have been displaced in Jubaland, in southern Somalia, by the severe drought conditions since November 2021. On a recent visit to the Federal Member State’s capital, Kismayo, UNICEF Representative Wafaa Saeed reassured partners and beneficiaries of the UN agency’s continued commitment to support humanitarian work in the area, as well as other hard-hit districts throughout Jubaland. The priority drought response strategy for UNICEF is to focus on child survival and to scale up health, nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene services with the government, UN family and partners to reach those most in need. |
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Protection | UNHCR steps up campaign on dangers of ‘tahriib’ UNHCR stepped up its awareness-raising campaign on the dangers of ‘tahriib’ – the perilous sea crossings that young Somalis often take to pursue better lives. In July, more than 230 people were reached in schools and community centres through dialogue sessions in Hargeisa. The interaction also involved local leadership, opinion-shapers and community influencers to help reframe the discourse and counter the smuggler/trafficker’s false narratives. The campaign, dubbed ‘Telling the Real Story,’ is part of UNHCR’s interactive community-based initiative that seeks to inform communities – mainly young people – about the dangers posed by the irregular movements such as ‘tahrib.’ Thousands of people die every year, while many more suffer violent human rights abuses while attempting irregular journeys to Europe. |
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Federal Member States | UN Special Representative visits Puntland, Galmudug and South West State The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, continued his regular outreach to the country’s Federal Member States (FMSs), with visits to Puntland, Galmudug and South West State. In each location he met with the FMS leader and members of the cabinets to discuss a range of issues. These included state-building processes and collaboration with Somalia’s new federal leadership, and the support of the United Nations in a range of areas, including with current humanitarian efforts to respond to the drought currently gripping the country. |
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Urbanisation | UN-Habitat holds workshop for the Berbera Urban Master Plan UN-Habitat held a validation workshop where leaders from the national and local government, representatives from the civil society and the private sector gave their input towards what will be the Berbera Urban Master Plan. The adoption and implementation of this master plan will see Berbera tap into its hidden resources, become a well-planned city with adequate social amenities and infrastructure, and make it a regional economic hub due to its strategic location in the Sahil region. This initiative, funded by the European Union, will provide the Berbera Municipality with a roadmap of the most viable and lucrative priorities in the development and expansion of the city. |
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Humanitarian | UNFPA supports life-saving services in Bardheere City, Jubaland UNFPA joined a visit of the Emergency Directors Group to Bardheere, in the Gedo region of the southern Federal Member State of Jubaland, to assess the overall humanitarian needs of internally displaced people, including challenges faced by women and girls with regard to accessing reproductive health, protection, and response to gender-based violence (GBV) services. Bardheere General Hospital was also visited to get a sense of service quality and delivery gaps. With UNFPA’s technical and financial support, the hospital serves as a referral centre for essential GBV services and provides a range of vital health services such as safe deliveries and C-sections. UNFPA works with implementing partners to ensure the availability of and access to mobile clinics, GBV one-stop centres, referrals to emergency obstretic facilities, and outreach for vulnerable populations in the area. The UNFPA representative on the mission also met with district authorities, community elders, drought committees, women associations, and humanitarian actors. |
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