UK announces new funding for urgent life-saving humanitarian aid in Somalia

Mogadishu – 7 July 2023-

The UK has announced over $7 million to provide vital humanitarian aid to Somalia’s most vulnerable.

On 14 June 2023, the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to provide $7.6 million this financial year, including $6.3 million for the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) as part of over $61 million the UK Minister for Africa, Andrew Mitchell MP, pledged to Somalia for the financial year 2023-2024.

Last year, the SHF worked through partners on the ground to support 1,340,000 Somalis affected by severe drought, curb the spread of cholera and other diseases, and boost famine prevention efforts.

The SHF allocates the majority of its funding to international and national non-governmental (NGO) partners. So far in 2023, 71 per cent of funding has been directly allocated to local NGOs for lifesaving support in the hardest-to-reach areas of Somalia. 

UK Ambassador to Somalia Mike Nithavrianakis said of the new funding to UN OCHA:

“We’re really pleased to be providing further, vital aid to Somalia’s most vulnerable. We know what a difference targeted humanitarian assistance can make to communities most impacted by drought across Somalia. The UK remains a steadfast partner of Somalia and its people.”

“Famine in Somalia has been averted for now through a concerted scale up of the humanitarian response. However, the crisis is far from over, as urgent and high needs persist,” stated Mr. George Conway, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia ad interim.

“The unwavering support from the UK is critical in enabling our partners to sustain their life-saving efforts and protect the hard-won gains of the humanitarian community.” 

Background information for editors

•         In financial year 2022-2023 the UK provided $1.9 million to support humanitarian efforts in Somalia. In 2022, the SHF assisted 1.34 million people with multi-sectoral interventions.

•         The Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) is a multi-donor, country-based pooled mechanism created in 2010 to allocate funding for the most urgent life-saving interventions in Somalia. With the SHF, governments and private donors can channel their contributions into a common, non-earmarked fund to deliver life-saving assistance to people who need it most.

•         The Fund supports the highest-priority projects of the best-placed responders – mainly international and national NGOs and some UN agencies – through an inclusive and transparent process that meets priorities set out in the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). This ensures that funding is available and prioritized locally.

•         Across East Africa the UN estimates that almost 72 million people require humanitarian aid this year due to a combination of pressures, following five seasons of failed rains, conflict and flooding.

•         The London School of Tropical Medicine estimate 43,000 excess deaths occurred in Somalia in 2022 due to drought, half of which were children under five years old. 

•         Famine has been averted in Somalia, but humanitarian needs remain high; about half of the population are in need of assistance. The current Gu rains have improved access to water and pasture, but more uninterrupted rainfall is needed to alleviate the extended impact of drought.

•         The FCDO will host a conference at Wilton Park 17-19 July to bring together key stakeholders to look at how we can improve access to climate finance for Somalia and other countries facing the impact of climate change.

CONTACT

Mohamud Ali l Communications Manager l British Embassy, Mogadishu l

Mobile:  +254713416640, +254722930730

Email: mohamud.ali@fcdo.gov.uk