Somalia and UN launch A Joint Appeal of One Billion Dollars to Support 4 Million People

About four million people in Somalia will face acute food shortage this year owing to the combined effects of disease and climate shocks. This is according to a statement by to the UN and Somali Government on Monday as they appealed for international aid.

The two sides launched a $1.09 billion appeal for 2021. The funds will cater for access to basic services such as food, shelter and health services, the UN official said noting the triple impact of COVID19, desert locusts and floods had compounded an already fragile situation driving millions more into starvation.

According to the UN, 2.3 million people facing starvation in Somalia were reached for aid support in 2020 against a target of 3 million. An additional one million people will need emergency food assistance this year.

The federal government of Somalia clearly emphasizes the Government’s position that humanitarian needs in Somalia cannot be addressed by the delivery of life-saving assistance alone and it highlights that there are opportunities for development actors to contribute to strengthen resilience of Somalis.