MOGADISHU, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Deputy heads of two United Nations agencies arrived in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Thursday for a three-day mission to galvanize continued global support for Somalis suffering the effects of hunger, conflict, and climate change.
The deputy heads of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are due to meet people on the front line of the climate crisis, government officials, donor partners, and aid workers, seeking to scale up response efforts, the two UN agencies said in a statement.
OCHA Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya and FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol will also underline the importance of prioritizing and empowering women affected by the humanitarian crisis in the country.
"We have to equip farmers and communities to prepare for and respond to these crises, and to recover quickly from them -- we have to help them build resilience. We know these approaches can work, especially when we empower women," Bechdol said.
According to the UN, nearly 7 million people in Somalia need life-saving assistance, and 1.7 million children are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2024.
While in Somalia, both Bechdol and Msuya will celebrate International Women's Day on Friday with Somali women, including farmers, who have been displaced by recurrent climate shocks, conflict, and insecurity.
Msuya said Somali women have withstood a cascade of crises that are not of their making. "The international community must honor their resilience with decisive action to help them recover and rebuild."
Somalia experienced its worst drought in decades in 2023 while ending the year with a once-in-a-lifetime heavy flood brought on by El Nino and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole phenomenon.
According to the UN, the climate crisis continues to drive humanitarian needs in a country that has endured decades of conflict, with one in five Somalis still facing high levels of acute food insecurity. ■
