– The UN head concluded his two-day trip to Somalia on Wednesday by reiterating his commitment to assisting Somalia in achieving peace and stability.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres posted on Twitter, “Let us come together to advance peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights, and build a better future for all Somalis.”
He claimed that Somalia is facing a number of difficulties and that the UN supports the Somali people.
He remarked, “I salute the enthusiasm and tenacity of its people in these trying times.
While Somalia only contributes 0.03% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Guterres, “as I just witnessed, Somalis are among the greatest victims of the chaos caused by the climate crisis.” He also addressed the dangers of climate change in Somalia.
Amidst one of the worst droughts in recorded history and terrorist attacks from the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab, which has been waging war against the Somali government and African Union (AU) forces since 2007, Guterres’ trip to Somalia comes at a critical time.
The UN chief’s visit to Somalia, according to Mohamed Jabuti, an independent analyst based in the nation’s capital Mogadishu, is “significant and timely because the world cannot afford to see Somalia hit by another deadly famine.”
According to the UN, a famine struck Somalia in 2011 and claimed 260,000 lives, more than half of them children under the age of six.
Currently, 8.25 million people in Somalia, or over half the country’s population, require life-saving humanitarian and protection aid as a result of ongoing violence and climatic shocks, which include five years of unfavorable wet seasons.
According to the UN, of those, some 3.8 million are internally displaced, and close to five million people are suffering from severe food insecurity.
In addition, eight million people lack access to appropriate water, sanitation, and hygiene, and almost 1.8 million children are acutely malnourished.
In Somalia, where there has been a drought, two thirds of the population lacks access to basic medical treatment.
7.6 million people in Somalia need assistance under the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan, which calls for $2.6 billion, but the UN estimates that financing has reached only 15% of that total.