A ROUND-UP OF ACTIVITIES OF THE UN SYSTEM IN SOMALIA IN FEBRUARY 2020
February, 2020, higlights of the activities of the United Nations in Somalia.
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LIVESTOCK | FAO campaign to vaccinate 14.5 million goats and treat another 3.5 million animals Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a disease which severely affects goats, causing a high mortality rate. Funded by USAID and UKAID/DFID, FAO is carrying out a vaccination and treatment campaign – for both CCPP and other diseases – to protect the remaining livestock of many rural Somalis. The campaign is intended to assist the most vulnerable households, which tend to mainly keep goats. Protecting livestock is key not only for Somalia’s food security but for its economy, with economic activity related to livestock estimated to account for roughly 40% of Somalia’s GDP. The campaign started in late January and ends in March. |
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MIGRATION | IOM and others assist with arrival of 134 returnees from Yemen IOM, together with Somaliland authorities, UNHCR and other partners, received and assisted 134 returnees from Yemen. At the Berbera Reception Centre, IOM and the Ministry of Health provided medical screening to the returnees. To enable the returnees to travel to their final destination in the country, onward transportation assistance, including grants and information on local transportation options, was provided. |
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HUMANITARIAN | OCHA holds first responder training for government and NGO officials As part of an ongoing efforts to invest in the capacity-building of government authorities across Somalia and in light of them acting as first responders during natural disasters, OCHA conducted a week-long technical capacity enhancement training in Mogadishu and Garowe. Some 31 government officials and 19 NGO representatives taking part. Topics covered included information management, public information, assessments and humanitarian coordination. |
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HOUSING | UN Habitat showcases Heliwa housing project at World Urban Forum At the 10th World Urban Forum, UN-Habitat showcased the Heliwa housing project for internally displaced persons in Mogadishu as an example of an innovative approach to providing durable solutions in the Somali capital. The forum took place in Abu Dhabi and its theme was ‘Culture and Innovation.’ The event provided a platform for local and national government officials from Somalia to network and learn from global partners on mechanisms for enhancing the sustainability of durable solutions initiatives. |
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HEALTH | UN Peacebuilding Fund supports Baidoa Community Mental Health Centre The UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) visited Baidoa, in South West State, as part of an effort to scope out the mental health needs therea in preparation for undertaking activities under the newly launched PBF-supported mental health project implemented by WHO. While in the city, PBF staff visited projects support by the Fund – one of these was the Baidoa Community Mental Health Centre, which receives much-needed support through the Midnimo I project. The Midnimo I project’s aid has included the construction of four rooms for critical patients, a kitchen and a playground, as well as the raising of the centre’s perimeter wall. The centre currently treats 125 patients with the following mental illnesses: psychosis, schizophrenia, depression, neurosis, dementia, intellectual disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The purpose of Midnimo I is to better understand how Somalia’s prospects for peace and reconciliation are affected by more than one third of the population suffering some form of mental health and trauma-related problems. |
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JUSTICE | Legal professionals trained by UNDP play key role in annual Judicial Conference Legal professionals trained by UNDP played key roles in preparing for the annual Judicial Conference in Mogadishu and in drafting the pre-conference report. The conference is Somalia’s most comprehensive judicial review meeting and this year looked at issues including land rights, how different parts of the justice system work together and how to ensure execution of court decisions. It was co-sponsored through the Joint Justice Programme, with funding from DFID, the EU, the Netherlands and Sweden. |
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EDUCATION AND CULTURE | UNESCO and Somalia renew commitments in education and culture The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Somalia, paving the way to strengthen multilateral cooperation through education and culture and support the country’s peacebuilding and reconstruction efforts. This includes enrolling schoolchildren, with a specific focus on young girls, ensuring free and quality primary and secondary education, as well as making available open digital resources, including textbooks. In the field of culture, Somalia deposited its instruments of ratification of UNESCO 1972 World Heritage Convention and 2003 Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention. UNESCO will also support the country in the rehabilitation of three important cultural sites: the National Theatre, the Museum and the Library. |
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FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION | In Puntland, UNFPA supports youth forum against Female Genital Mutilation Under the theme ‘Unleashing Youth Power,’ the Puntland Youth Peer network, with support from UNFPA, organized a youth-led public engagement forum to commemorate International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Garowe, the capital of Puntland, and attended by government officials, women activists and many young people. The youth highlighted the important role they can play towards achieving zero FGM practices in Somalia - for example, by taking the lead in organizing community awareness campaigns, by speaking out on the risks and realities of FGM, educating girls on their right to decide what happens to their body, spreading information that religion does not demand FGM, and giving alternative sources of livelihood for women who generate income from FGM practices. They also stressed the need for the government to initiate meaningful youth participation in government policies towards FGM and to ensure that the FGM bill is enacted. |
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SHELTER | UNHCR provides shelter for almost 160 families in Berbera In Berbera, close to 160 families were beneficiaries of the first phase of a transitional shelter project funded by UNHCR. When complete, the project is set to benefit 300 households from the internally displaced population and the host community. It is being implemented in collaboration with the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Berbera Municipality. UNHCR transitional shelter projects offer an innovative, durable and safe solutions to families fleeing their homes. |
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EDUCATION | UNICEF to enhance Puntland schooling with $8.8 million from Global Partnership for Education UNICEF and its partners will be able to give more children in Puntland an opportunity to go to school following an additional contribution of $8.8 million from the Global Partnership for Education. The new funds will help in enrolling more girls and children from underprivileged communities in schools, as well as make sure these children can enjoy a quality education and have an opportunity to learn and thrive. The funds will also be used to train teachers and to promote effective and accountable education systems. |
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | Inauguration of UNIDO-backed Enterprise Development Unit in Mogadishu Somalia’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), the Somali Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and UNIDO inaugurated the first Enterprise Development Unit in Mogadishu. The Unit will be hosted by the SCCI and is a key milestone initiative supported by the ‘Agro-technology development for economic growth in South and Central Somalia’ project, implemented by UNIDO, in coordination with the MoCI, and funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The Unit is the first of three network of agro-technology and enterprise development units set to provide business development services to Somali businesses required for starting, rehabilitating and upgrading agro-industrial operations, particularly by accessing new technologies, markets, market-based skilled labour and financing facilities. |
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JUSTICE | UNOPS completes construction of police posts and justice institutions UNOPS completed the construction of two police posts in Kismayo and Baidoa, and handed over the Hargeisa Court of Appeal and the Berbera Ministry of Justice Office to government partners. The moves are part of an overall stabilisation strategy for Somalia which recognizes the need for strengthening its police forces and its justice and correction services. UNOPS supports this goal through infrastructure construction and rehabilitation works for rule of law institutions funded by the Somalia Multi-Partner Trust Fund-financed Rule of Law Programme. |
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SECURITY COUNCIL | UN envoy James Swan briefed the Security Council on the situation in Somalia The UN envoy in Somalia, James Swan, attended the Security Council meeting on Somalia, at UN Headquarters in New York. In his remarks, he covered a range of topics on the situation in Somalia, including public finance, elections, legislative, security and political developments. Mr. Swan also highlighted achievements such as advancing the case for Somalia’s debt relief in conjunction with the International Financial Institutions, the latest key legislative milestones agreed in Parliament – especially related to fiscal and financial management – the adoption of important human rights conventions on torture and treatment of IDPs, and more. At the same time, Mr. Swan also pointed to the need for all Somalis and their partners, the UN included, for “further impetus and consensus-building […] to ensure that key 2020 benchmarks for elections, security, and relations between the Federal Government and Federal Member States do not fall further behind schedule.” |
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AVIATION | UNSOS completes on-the-job training for Somali aviation students UNSOS completed the training of the first group of 20 students from the Mogadishu Aviation College as part of skills development and capacity-building of the Federal Government of Somalia in aviation services. The training, which took place over two months, was the first if its kind in the Somali capital and included an attachment period during which the students covered diverse topics such as: Daily Flight Schedule Planning, Air Operations, Ramp Management, Rescue and Fire Fighting Services, Airframe and Inspection, as well as Personnel Licensing, among others. A second group also began training this month. |
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