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Somalia

WHO Somalia: Technical Programme Update May-August 2022

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Foreword making progress in the midst of uncertainty

Somalia is facing one of the worst droughts in its history. About 7.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and nearly 1 million people have been internally displaced. A recent projection of the Famine Review Group, which is responsible for Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, showed that parts of the country may face famine during October–December 2022. This is alarming given that the country’s fragile health system has not yet fully recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which severely disrupted essential health services in the country. From the very beginning of this drought, World Health Organization (WHO) has clearly stated that the drought is a health crisis as much as it is a food and climate crisis. The strong advocacy of WHO to improve access to health care for those affected by the drought and those already vulnerable has gained ground. There has been increased integration of health with other life-saving interventions and coordinated delivery of interventions.

WHO’s main concern has been to prevent excess deaths directly or indirectly attributed to drought. As such, WHO has stepped up its life-saving interventions and our efforts have had a meaningful effect: none of districts where drought has affected food, water and nutrition security, has observed any excess deaths attributed to drought. Data, from WHO sources and a Famine Review Group survey in August, did not show that deaths reported in the districts where these surveys were done had exceeded the emergency threshold for declaration of a famine.

Our work in Somalia got renewed momentum when Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, Regional Director for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean, visited Somalia in May this year. This was his second visit in less than 3 years which showed his commitment to improving the health system of the country through innovation, agile response and effective investment. WHO’s emergency response plan for drought was launched during his visit with a request for US$ 35 million from our donors and partners to support our work to save the lives of people trapped in the perpetual crisis of climate shocks. Amidst many challenges, WHO’s normative and technical works continue and we thank our partners and donors for their continued support to our ongoing work. We also thank our dedicated staff whose determination to serve the people, and improve and protect their health in a difficult and operationally challenging environment is already paying off.

Dr Mamunur Rahman Malik
WHO Representative in Somalia