Resilience and Climate Change

Years of conflict, under investment and natural disasters caused by climate change are taking lives, destroying livelihoods and threatening biodiversity.

Somalia faced its most devastating drought on record from 2021 to 2023, marked by five consecutive failed rainy seasons. This crisis displaced hundreds of thousands, jeopardized livelihoods, and raised the specter of famine in certain areas.

In 2022, the drought impacted 7.8 million people, nearly half of the country's population. Drought-induced displacement in Somalia surpassed 1.3 million people, a five-fold increase since early 2022, with nearly 40 percent of the population requiring urgent food assistance. Hunger and disease have already claimed many lives. In 2023, El-Nino flash floods affected at least 247,000 people in 384 informal settlements.

Only 52 percent of Somalia's population has access to a basic water supply, leading to families fetching water from distant and unsafe open wells due to expensive prices imposed by unregulated private water suppliers.

Somalia also faces an alarming deforestation rate of approximately 35,000 hectares per year, resulting in the felling of 4.375 million trees annually. The challenges to implement recommendations from agreements like the Rio Convention persist, hindering the country's progress.

Environmental issues, such as land degradation and overfishing, further afflict Somalia. Factors like overgrazing, soil erosion, topsoil loss, and tree cutting contribute to land degradation, impacting the socio-political climate.

The government's capacities at all levels remain weak, characterized by limited coordination and policy coherence. In the face of escalating climate change and conflict, Somalia urgently needs comprehensive analyses and responses to address climate-related security risks.

Our Response

UNDP works with the government of Somalia to help communities and institutions protect the environment, generate clean energy and prepare for climate change. All our work is carried out in line with the government’s National Development Plan and in close coordination with UN partner agencies.

Our Key Initiatives

• Supporting national and sub-national institutions in formulating climate-resilient policies and implementing legislative reforms.
• Promoting alternative energy sources to reduce local charcoal consumption.
• Strengthening institutional coordination and building capacities for better adaptation planning.
• Helping increase energy access and promoting investment in renewable energy mini-grids.
• Providing integrated support in sustainable water resource management, environmental governance, and disaster risk reduction

Our Key Achievements

Policy Development

• We supported the development of key policies, strategies, and frameworks, including the National Climate Change Policy, National Environmental Strategy and Action Plan, National Environment Management Act, Charcoal Policy and the National Water Resources Strategy.
• Our support enabled the country to complete the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) report, establishing national priorities for enhanced climate action, resilience building, technology transfer and resource mobilization. We also supported nationally led coordination platforms for the integration of Rio Conventions into policies and plans at all levels.
• We assisted in validating the National Hydro-met Policy, ensuring its compliance with World Meteorological Organization standards. The finalized policy and its implementation roadmap are currently accessible at the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, ready for adoption.

Alternative Energy

• With our backing, 10,151 households underwent a transition to eco-friendly and sustainable energy sources. This initiative, which primarily targeted households led by women (95%), involved the adoption of fuel-efficient stoves, alternatives to charcoal, and solar solutions. As a result, deforestation and charcoal consumption were significantly reduced and new employment opportunities were created.
• Through media campaigns, we sensitized over 2 million people on sustainable natural resource management, leading to reduced charcoal demand. We facilitated the transition of 5,000 households to alternative livelihoods like vegetable farming, beekeeping and fodder production.
• The expansion and integration of solar energy as an alternative solution have proven effective in reducing energy costs. For example, the implementation of solar power systems in five hospitals played a pivotal role in cutting down institutional energy expenses while simultaneously improving operational capacity.

Capacity Development

• We actively engaged with 17 government institutions and 3,241 individuals in capacity development for environmental management, disaster risk reduction, and water management.
• We helped build the foundations to upscale the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements at the national and sub-national levels.
• A comprehensive set of best practices and innovative financial instruments relevant to the Somali context has been adopted at both national and subnational levels.
• Environment ministries at the federal and federal member states now have functional websites and social media platforms.
• The coordination of water management at all levels was strengthened and gained momentum through a series of IWRM Institutional Coordination and Leadership Engagement.
• Capacity-building support for operationalizing the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) helped NEOC in situational monitoring of the worsening drought and famine situation and response actions in the country. We also provided technical, operational, and equipment support for setting up two early warning systems in Somaliland and Puntland.

Disaster Risk Reduction

• We played a key role in preparing Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction plans for four vulnerable cities and implementing local DRR funding frameworks in nine high-risk districts. Our support extended to the drafting of Somalia's National DRR plan, showcasing a comprehensive government-wide strategy to mitigate risks in disaster and climate-vulnerable regions.
• · The new Recovery and Resilience Framework, backed by UNDP and the UN, is aimed at finding long-term solutions for natural disasters, thereby reducing the need for recurring humanitarian responses.

Access to Water and Nature Based Solutions

• We helped improve access and availability of water to vulnerable communities through the construction of medium-scale water infrastructures. Over 21,340 women-headed households have benefited from interventions aimed at protecting livelihoods from drought and floods and ensuring access to reliable sources of water and sustainable energy.
• To reduce the impacts of climate change on communities, we supported the construction of reservoirs and dams across the country, keeping people and livestock alive during droughts and building resilience.
• Climate-smart water harvesting infrastructures, such as wells, canals and a water desalination plant have been strategically employed to adapt to climate change, benefiting 4,600 households, including 2,254 women-headed households.
• Over 62,696 households, with 52% being women-headed, have experienced positive outcomes through the implementation of nature-based solutions aimed at safeguarding the local livelihoods of vulnerable groups.
• Across Somalia, we helped rehabilitate 6285 ha of rangelands to restore their productivity.

Education

We helped develop a first ever scholarship programme for master’s degrees in environmental studies at Amoud University and helped launch Somalia s first Master of Science in Integrated Water Resources Management at Somali National University. In its first year, 29 national students, with a 30% representation of women, successfully completed their courses in climate change, environmental studies, and natural resource management.