Malnutrition rates in Somalia are improving slowly, but remain among the highest ... malnourished children live in south
Somalia Key Messages Authorized by the Humanitarian Coordinator
17 October 2013 • Issue #4
I. Key Messages 1. Despite the improvement in the humanitarian situation since the 2011 famine, needs remain vast and the gains are still fragile: 870,000 people are unable to meet basic food requirements without assistance and a further 2.3 million only barely meet their food needs and rely on sustained support for other necessities. We need to continue life-saving assistance and bolster programming to build people’s resilience so that a period of poor rains does not turn into another severe humanitarian crisis. OctoberDecember rainfall in the eastern Horn of Africa is forecast to be below normal, which could result in elevated food insecurity in agro-pastoral areas of Bakool, Bay and Hiraan regions. 2. Malnutrition rates in Somalia are improving slowly, but remain among the highest in the world with 206,000 children under 5 years of age acutely malnourished, 41,000 of whom suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Approximately two-thirds of malnourished children live in southern Somalia, where humanitarian access remains constrained and the vast majority of those worst off are internally displaced. Humanitarian partners are helping to bring malnutrition levels below the emergency threshold, including by enhancing early screening for malnutrition and referral to nutrition services and through efforts to improve nutrition, hygiene, and feeding practices for infants and young children. 3. Polio resurfaced in Somalia in May 2013 after a six-year absence. As of 4 October, there were 170 confirmed cases. In a country where 1 million children were not vaccinated against any diseases between 2009 and 2012, polio was able to spread more rapidly. An estimated 600,000 children in the least accessible parts of southern and central Somalia have still not been vaccinated against the disease and are at high risk, even as health workers vaccinated more than 4 million people since May. Mass vaccinations and other emergency activities, including vaccinations at transit points, are reducing further spread. In the meantime, humanitarians continue to work to mitigate the worst effects of the withdrawal of Médecins Sans Frontierès (MSF) from Somalia in August. MSF provided assistance at 20 health facilities, many of which are in the most dangerous and difficult-to-access parts of Somalia. While the gap in the provision of health services cannot be filled in the short term, humanitarians are identifying partners and funding to provide services for the most vulnerable people. 4. Sexual and gender-based violence is a critical concern in Somalia. More than 800 cases of sexual and gender-based violence were reported in the first half of the year in Mogadishu alone. Many more cases were likely not reported due to the stigma of sexual violence and the lack of access to justice. Women and girls living in settlements for displaced people are especially vulnerable. The Government of Somalia's zero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse is encouraging, but a comprehensive strategy must be implemented to prevent such acts, ensure services for survivors, and address overall gender inequality. Prevention of conflict-related sexual violence is a key part of Somalia’s peace-building and state-building processes. The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.
5. An estimated 1.1 million people are internally displaced in Somalia, with high concentrations in Mogadishu and other urban centres. Humanitarian partners are concerned about wide-spread insecurity in the settlements where internally displaced people reside, as well as ongoing evictions. Between June and mid-October tens of thousands of very vulnerable people were evicted from central Mogadishu. Most are now in makeshift settlements along kilometres 7 to 13 on the road from Mogadishu to Afgooye. The Federal Government of Somali’s relocation plan for displaced people in Mogadishu that humanitarians have supported since January 2013 was undermined by pre-emptive action by gate-keepers to move people to new settlements, lack of security at the identified relocation site, and the reduction in UN activities following the attack on the UN compound on 19 June. In September, the relocation task force, comprising local officials and humanitarian partners, convened to reengage on the plan so that durable solutions that ensure people’s well-being can be found. One million Somalis are also refugees in the region. Conditions in Somalia are not yet conducive for wide-scale return. Any returns should be voluntary and conducted in a phased manner, starting with facilitated returns in pilot areas. 6. Somalia remains one of the most challenging and dangerous environments in the world to deliver humanitarian assistance. This was highlighted by the attack on the UN Common Compound in June 2013 and the pull-out of MSF in August. Those who deliver to people in need reaffirm their commitment to principled delivery and staff safety. Collective effort is required to address humanitarian access issues, especially in southern and central Somalia where the needs are greatest but access is most difficult. All parties to the conflict must respect international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles. 7.
Humanitarians urgently need funding to consolidate the gains in Somalia. With the Consolidated Appeal 39 per cent funded, most funding has gone to preventing the unacceptable loss of life. Funding for the resilience programming necessary to break the cycle of crises has been insufficient. The Government and international partners reaffirmed their commitment to invest in resilience programming in the New Deal Compact, which was endorsed in Brussels on 16 September. While the New Deal focuses on increasing service delivery, funding for the vast humanitarian needs and resilience programming in the Consolidated Appeal is vital to bridge the gap until development funding streams come on line.
Contact Details Russell Geekie, Head of OCHA Somalia Public Information,
[email protected], +252.618960006
The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.
