UN
A round-up of activities of the UN system in Somalia in June 2022
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Criminal Investigation | UNODC refurbishes criminal investigation units As part of the UNODC Criminal Investigation Programme for Somalia, funded by the US State Department - Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, UNODC has been refurbishing Criminal Investigation Units (CIUs) in the Federal Member States across Somalia to enhance the operational capacity. The CIUs include offices in Afgoye, South West State, Jowhar, Hirshabelle and Dhusamareeb in Galmudug. The refurbishments include new office space, toilets and detention rooms. |
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Immunisation | UNICEF opens a new cold chain centre in Banadir Region UNICEF has supported the Banadir Regional Authority (BRA) in rehabilitating a cold chain facility to store vaccines. The facility will augment the Wardi and Abdulaziz cold chain centres which supply vaccines to 65 health centres in the region, providing routine immunisation services. The Banadir regional cold chain is a significant milestone in tackling vaccine-preventable deaths among women and children. It is equipped with deep freezers, cold boxes and a cold room with temperatures of between 5 to 15 degrees Celsius. Other facilities that have been rehabilitated include the incinerator, guard room, and generator room. New additions include a firefighting system, a solar system and an environmentally friendly drainage system. Through the UN Joint Programme on Local Government (JPLG), UNICEF provided 90 per cent of the total cost and 10 per cent by the BRA. |
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Capacity building | UNDP supports masterclasses for Somalia's first all-women media team UNDP provided masterclasses with two of the world's most prominent journalists at the offices of Bilan, Somalia's first all-women media team. Rageh Omaar, a presenter on ITV, and Mishal Husain, a presenter on BBC News at Ten and the Today Programme, shared their experiences and spoke about media ethics, reporting from complex environments, presenting on TV and radio and more. Additional sessions over the next few weeks will see the BBC's Lyse Doucet, Channel 4's Lindsey Hilsum and the New York Times's Abdi Latif Dahir passing on skills and lessons learned from decades at the top of their professions. Staffed and run entirely by women with full editorial independence, Bilan covers hard news and in-depth features, holding leaders accountable and ensuring women’s stories and voices are heard. Bilan is funded and supported by UNDP and hosted by Dalsan Media Group. |
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Youth | UNFPA supports youth start-ups in Somaliland Under the EU-funded project Accelerated Socio-Economic Empowerment of Youth, UNFPA and the Somaliland Ministry of Youth and Sports held an awards ceremony on 23 June. The EU Youth Fund supports youth with start-up grants after completing ideation boot camps and undergoing extensive mentorship and coaching. This ultimately helps them in shaping their ideas into successful ventures. Grant recipients have so far included 39 start-up ventures, two social-enterprise institutions and three awareness groups. The Youth Fund targets youth start-ups that otherwise would not qualify for loans from credit facilities. |
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World Refugee Day | UNMAS highlights enabled safe movements for displaced persons In Somalia, UNMAS uses an innovative talking device to deliver risk education to the most marginalized populations living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) along Somalia’s border with Ethiopia. Risk Education Talking Devices overcome access limitations, mainly due to remoteness and security concerns, to provide IDPs with guidance on how to safely act when they encounter explosive threats as they seek shelter from conflict and natural disasters and for their safe return home. |
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Shelter | UNHCR hands over hybrid shelters and latrines to host community In partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), UNHCR completed the construction of 200 hybrid shelters and latrines for 200 households in Jeehdin local integration site, Galkayo. The construction of the shelters was through a community-centred approach, with the residents being involved in the design and implementation of the shelter construction process. The ultimate aim of this approach is to allow the vulnerable community to have access to secure settlements where they can live in dignity and improve their quality of life, which are important steps toward durable solutions for IDPs. |
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Business development | UNIDO hosts Somalia delegation to Macfrut exhibition in Italy With support from UNIDO’s Enterprise Development Unit (EDU), the Somali Chamber of Commerce (SCCI), and representatives of Somali businesses took part in Macfrut 2022, a leading fruits and vegetable exhibition in Rimini, Italy. The EDU is located inside the (SCCI) and supports SMEs in receiving business counselling and training of entrepreneurs. Macfrut 2022 was an opportunity for the Somali producers to showcase their products to worldwide buyers as well as to engage with agricultural technology suppliers. Participation in the fair will also advance and upgrade the agro-business sector in Somalia. Funded by the Italian government in coordination with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Federal Government of Somalia, the Productive Sector Development Programme (PSDP) is implemented by ILO, FAO, and UNIDO. |
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Diaspora | IOM enhances sexual and reproductive health care in Somaliland The fifth phase of the Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) FINNSOM project was launched in Somaliland on June 15, 2022. Through the short-term deployment of Somali diaspora health professionals across Somaliland´s health institutions, the new phase of the MIDA FINNSOM project aims to strengthen sexual and reproductive health care for women whilst providing mentoring and training opportunities for local health professionals. Somaliland has one of the world's highest maternal death rates and many who live in rural areas must travel great distances for basic or life-saving care. The MIDA FINNSOM project will play a crucial role in protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls who continue to face challenges in accessing quality health care. IOM is partnering with the Ministry of Health and Development in Somaliland on this project. |
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Humanitarian | OCHA formulates Drought Response and Famine Prevention Plan To respond to the worsening drought emergency in Somalia, OCHA prepared the Drought Response and Famine Prevention Plan covering May to December 2022 to provide life-saving, life-sustaining assistance to prevent famine. Since January, nearly 3.9 million people have been reached with lifesaving assistance, however, the scale of ongoing assistance and funding from the international community is not sufficient to sustain those most at risk. Working together and guided by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), humanitarian partners, authorities and local communities are scaling up their activities, reorienting response towards famine prevention and targeting the most vulnerable populations in areas of highest need. The plan seeks $993.3 million. |
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Water | UN-Habitat provides more water to Hargeisa residents Water from the Hargeisa Urban Water Supply Upgrading Project (HUWSUP) reached Hargeisa for the first time in mid-June 2022. This comes after years of work involving construction of a 23 km pipeline, a new pumping station with high-capacity pumps and generators and drilling four boreholes. The water, which is chlorinated, is meant to disinfect the pipeline as well as test the entire water system for any leaks and general functionality. With more water reaching the town, the Hargeisa Water Agency (HWA), through other projects, will supply a significantly enhanced volume of piped water to households and water kiosks, reaching previously unserved areas. This project is funded by European Union and Somaliland Development Fund with additional contributions from Somaliland Government and UN-Habitat and is implemented jointly by UN-Habitat and HWA. |
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Famine prevention | WFP and partners assist newly displaced persons WFP, IOM and UNICEF are implementing a Minimum Response Package (MRP) for 90,000 beneficiaries (15,000 households) in Baidoa and Banadir. Funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), this multi-sectoral package aims at meeting the life-saving critical needs of newly displaced persons through integrated food, nutrition, water and shelter assistance. The MRP targets new IDP households in urban and peri-urban locations registered by the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster as the most vulnerable households, with an emphasis on female-headed households, in addition to households with children under five and disabled or elderly members. By the end of June, WFP aims to reach over 70 per cent of the targeted 10,000 households in Banadir and nearly all the households by early July. In Baidoa, 4,200 of the targeted 5,000 households have already started receiving assistance. |
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Political | UN congratulates President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud The United Nations in Somalia congratulated President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on his inauguration, saying it looks forward to working with his administration in support of achieving national priorities. The inauguration ceremony for Somalia’s tenth president was held in the venue known as ‘the hangar’ in the Aden Adde International Airport area of the capital, Mogadishu. The event was attended by various regional leaders and representatives of the country’s international partners. In his inaugural speech, President Mohamud covered various topics, including peace and reconciliation efforts in Somalia, good relations with Somalia’s Federal Member States, a democratic system of governance and a just and fair judicial system. Protecting the environment and strengthening the economy were also featured. |
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