STORY: Somalia’s 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan needs

$1 billion to help 3 million people

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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 22/JANUARY/2020, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, officials from the Federal Government of Somalia, the United Nations
and humanitarian agencies operating in Somalia at the launch of the 2020
Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP)
2. Med shot, Hamza Said Hamza, Federal Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and
Disaster Management; Nasra Ismail, Director, Somalia NGO Consortium; Jake Peters,
the Head of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID)
in Somalia and Adam Abdelmoula, UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special
Representative and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia
3. Wide shot, participants taking notes
4. Wide shot, journalists covering as Hamza Said Hamza, Federal Minister for
Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management speaks
5. Med shot, representatives from various NGOs at the launch
6. Wide shot, Hamza Said Hamza, Federal Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and
Disaster Management, speaking
7. Wide shot, journalists covering
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hamza Said Hamza, Federal Minister for Humanitarian
Affairs and Disaster Management
“This plan demonstrates the commitment of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs
and Disaster Management on behalf of the Federal Government of Somalia, our
coordination partner UNOCHA and the international Community to the people of
Somalia. It is also a clear and positive gesture of the strong and reliable partnership
between us, the international humanitarian community and the government of
Somalia.”
9. Med shot, Adam Abdelmoula, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia speaking
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Abdelmoula, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for
Somalia
“As we launch this plan, we must reflect on the nature of the humanitarian crises
that Somalia continues to suffer. Just a couple of months ago, more than half a
million people were affected by floods that inundated large areas of the country.
While most of those who were affected have returned home, many continue to
struggle to rebuild their lives. The floods struck amid a drought response triggered
by delayed and erratic Gu’ rains. We have now been hit by the worst locust
infestation in 25 years. At the same time, we are concerned that the Jiilal dry season
may lead to water shortages, decrease food stocks, and reduce crop production,”

11. Wide shot, Jake Peters, the Head of DFID Somalia, speaking at the launch
12. Med shot, participants listening to Nasra Ismail, Director, Somalia NGO
Consortium
13. Wide shot, Nasra Ismail, Director, Somalia NGO Consortium speaking
14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nasra Ismail, Director, Somalia NGO
“In the last decade we have witnessed tremendous strides in humanitarian system
responding to people affected by devastating threats – cyclical drought, famine,
flood and displacement due to conflict and violence.
In a context with few guarantees, two things are certain, however: 1) that without
the humanitarian system in place with diverse actors from UN, the NGO community
and Government agencies, Somalis people would be far worse off and 2) as trends of
the last five years indicate, we must sustain the same level of urgency and
commitment to ensure the gains made since 2015 are protected.”

15. Med shot, journalists covering

16. Close up shot, Adam Abdelmoula, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia
17. Close up shot, Justin Brady, Head of Office, United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, speaking
18. Close up shot, Jake Peters, the Head of DFID Somalia, listening
19. Close up shot, Nasra Ismail, Director, Somalia NGO Consortium
20. Med shot, Adam Abdelmoula, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, and
Hamza Said Hamza, Federal Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster
Management clapping
21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Justin Brady, Head of Office, United Nations Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
“The emphasis is a lot on cash programming, and that is something we introduced
more and more since 2017. What that does is it gives people the decision on what
the priorities are for themselves. They can decide what their needs are in the
moment instead of us trying to dictate to them with in-kind contributions. So, cash
has become a much more important part of the overall response, not just in food
security but also across other clusters as well, such as shelter and water.”

Somalia’s 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan needs $1 billion to help 3 million

people

Mogadishu, 22 January 2020 – Somalia’s federal authorities and international

partners today launched a plan requiring more than a $1 billion to provide much-
needed humanitarian aid to some three million Somalis this year.

“As we launch this plan, we must reflect on the nature of the humanitarian crises
that Somalia continues to suffer. Just a couple of months ago, more than half a
million people were affected by floods that inundated large areas of the country –
while most of those who were affected have returned home, many continue to
struggle to rebuild their lives,” the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Adam
Abdelmoula, said at the launch in the capital, Mogadishu.

Also attending the launch of the $1.03 billion Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for
2020 was Somalia’s Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management,
Hamza Said Hamza.

“This plan demonstrates the commitment of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs

and Disaster Management of the Federal Government of Somalia, our coordination
partner, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the
international community to the people of Somalia,” he said.

“The humanitarian crisis in Somalia was exacerbated by conflict, prolonged droughts

and, of course, the fatal flooding as witnessed recently in 2019,” the minister added.

Delayed and erratic Gu rains were already affecting various parts of the country
when severe flooding struck late last year. The country has now been hit by the
worst locust infestation in 25 years, and there are concerns that the Giilal dry season
may lead to water shortages, decrease food stocks, and reduce crop production.

The HRP will provide life-saving aid and livelihood support to three million people,
including the 1. 7 million people displaced by conflict, insecurity, forced evictions,
droughts and floods. The aid will be in the form of monthly food assistance to 2.1
million people; support for access to education for more than 300,000 children;
health assistance for 2.5 million people; and the delivery of safe water to more than
1.2 million people. It also seeks to address conflict-related protection concerns
including the risk of gender-based violence.

Recovery and resilience

In his comments at the launch, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator noted that while
the HRP is implemented, the world body and its partners are also working to ensure
that emergency and development assistance complement each other in line with the
Federal Government of Somalia’s development plan in order to achieve long-term
recovery and resilience.

“Humanitarian interventions will alleviate short-term needs, but we must focus on

the underlying development challenges as well,” Mr. Abdelmoula said.

Also speaking at the launch, the Director of the Somalia NGO Consortium, Ms. Nasra
Ismail, stressed the need to capitalize on the gains made over the years in the Horn
of Africa country.

“In the last decade, we have witnessed tremendous strides in humanitarian systems
responding to people affected by devastating threats – cyclical drought, famine,
floods and displacement due to conflict and violence. In a context with few
guarantees, two things are certain: that without the humanitarian system in place
with diverse actors from UN, NGOs and government agencies, Somalia’s people
would be far worse off, and as trends of the last five years indicate, we must sustain
the same level of urgency and commitment to ensure the gains made since 2015 are
protected,” Ms. Ismail said.

Long-term recovery

This year, the total HRP funding requirement has decreased by 11 per cent – or $120
million – from $1.08 billion to $1.03 billion.

At the same time, the total number of people in need has increased by 19 per cent –
or one million people – from 4.2 million in 2109 to 5.2 million in 2020. The total
targeted population has decreased by 12 per cent – some 400,000 people - from 3.4
million in 2019 to 3 million with the latter figure representing just 58 per cent of the
5.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The HRP plan is based on
humanitarian needs as of December 2019, and will be adjusted if a change in context
requires it.