The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Somalia are working together to assist the country join the global battle against climate change.
According to the FAO, the partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change aims to build the country’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) plan of action in response to the Paris Agreement.
The NDC is a plan that describes how Somalia will cut greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change, as well as assist climate-vulnerable nations like Somalia in accessing climate funding.
“FAO is committed to helping Somalia build a more resilient future in the face of climate change,” said Rym Benzid, FAO’s senior environment adviser in Somalia, in a statement published Tuesday evening in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. “The NDC is a critical component of this effort, and we are proud to be working with the government to develop it.”
While Somalia participates in global climate solutions such as the Paris Agreement, the FAO believes that the international community must also engage in livelihoods, resilience, infrastructure development, climate adaptation, and long-term solutions. This will safeguard Somalia’s youthful and rising population’s ability to adapt and prosper in the future.
“Without international support, Somalia risks becoming even more vulnerable to the impacts of a globally changing climate, with disasters taking a greater toll on food security and human life in the future,” the FAO stated.
Abdullahi Khalif, NDC Country Facilitator and Policy Adviser to the Federal Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, stated that Somalia takes its responsibilities to contribute in global efforts to combat climate change seriously. “The NDC is a component of our roadmap to a more climate-adaptive future.” “We believe we can ensure economic development while also contributing to global efforts to address this threat that affects all of us,” Khalif added.
The FAO stated that it is collaborating with the Somali government to promote climate resilience by enhancing the climatic adaptability of its producing sectors. It is also beefing up data gathering and analysis operations in order to improve early warning and anticipatory action in order to lessen the impact of climate shocks.