Somalia
http://ochaonline.un.org/somaliaThe humanitarian crisis that has engulfed the country for the better part of nearly two decades has reached its lowest point. A combination of conflict, economic crisis and deepening drought has placed nearly half the Somali population in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Since the start of the latest conflict in January 2007 between the Transitional Federal Government, supported by the Ethiopian forces, and the insurgents, 1.3 million people have been displaced. One third of the population (3.2 million) is now food insecure. Rates of malnutrition in most of southern and central Somalia and in urban areas hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) are well above the emergency threshold of 15 per cent. An estimated 180,000 children are acutely malnourished.
In 2009, humanitarian organisations will continue to address the widening crisis and increasing insecurity, which has included targeted attacks and kidnapping of humanitarians. Insecurity, limited response capacity and resources are likely to remain major obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
In order to improve operational and response capacity, humanitarian actors will focus on strengthening community and local capacity in order to protect already limited social and economic assets. By engaging communities and authorities, humanitarian partners will aim to develop and deliver an integrated minimum package of basic social services, based on geographic specific priorities and target groups. Through advocacy, programming, community mobilization and access to services, OCHA and its partners will work to ensure the protection of civilians, with a special focus on vulnerable populations.
OCHA will provide improved analysis on access related issues, including how the aid community delivers assistance and can continue to provide the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and international community with high quality information and analysis on the evolving humanitarian situation in the country. Strengthened engagement will take place with stakeholders including the Somali Diaspora, the private sector and civil society. The aid community will continue efforts to build the technical capacity of Somali NGOs, which are frequently the main implementers on the ground.
Given the constantly fluctuating security situation in Somalia, it is imperative that OCHA Somalia maintains a flexible operational approach. In 2009 OCHA will unfortunately continue to be based in Kenya but will aim to maintain a targeted field presence across the country. OCHA’s presence in Puntland and Somaliland will focus on the needs of IDPs; and raising awareness regarding protection issues. In Southern Central, where higher levels of vulnerability exist, OCHA will focus on strengthening coordination for better service delivery and supporting the level of preparedness among the humanitarian community to respond to complex emergencies and natural disasters. This presence will actively be looking to capitalize on new opportunities to access populations in need.
However, overall security of humanitarian staff, particularly of national partner agencies, will be a basic concern. Efforts to improve staff safety while maintaining an enabling environment for humanitarian activities will be strengthened throughout the year.
In 2009, OCHA will work to highlight the extreme humanitarian situation in Somalia and advocate for better allocation of financial resources across all sectors, including with the support of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). OCHA is planning the establishment of a Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) for Somalia, which will ensure more balanced financial support across all sectors of the consolidated appeal and more equitable allocation of resources for the delivery of an integrated humanitarian response. OCHA will continue to manage the Humanitarian Response Fund to support small-scale sudden emergencies. OCHA will continue to support inter-agency assessments, identify priority needs and facilitate the planning of common responses to affected populations. It will provide strong field coordination to strengthen the cluster approach with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. OCHA will improve monitoring mechanisms to measure the effect of emergency response.
OCHA will promote and support principled humanitarian action by raising awareness of the Joint Operating Principles (JOP), a framework endorsed by relief organizations globally, which aims to strengthen coherence and promote best practices among the aid community in Somalia.
Key Objectives, Outputs and Indicators
