Somalia at a glance

The crisis and the response

• Prolonged drought, increased insecurity, further displacement, worsening restrictions on humanitarian access and high food pr ices have resulted in the worst food security situation since 1992.
• US restrictions on funding operations in al-Shabab-controlled areas – and an overall cut in US humanitarian funds for Somalia – caused operational cutbacks in south and central Somalia.
• The operational environment worsened: extortion and insecurity led a further reduction in international staffing, forcing more INGOs to operate remotely from Nairobi through Somali partners.
• Approximately two-thirds of those in need of food were reached in the first half of 2009, but only 44 percent in the second half .
• The humanitarian response is generally insufficient, ineffective in most sectors, often provided too late, based on inaccurate data and not provided uniformly and impartially to vulnerable populations.

Donor performance

• By October 2010, the 2010 CAP is 60 percent covered.
• Frustrated at politicisation of the response and uncritical donor support of the transitional government, many humanitarians want an end to UN ‘double-hatting’ and a separate HC post to advocate for more impartial addressing of humanitarian needs.
• Humanitarians criticised donors for not robustly advocating for humanitarian access and GHD Principles.
• Some donors are commended for understanding the need for programme flexibility in a volatile environment.
• There are concerns about OCHA’s role as both coordinator and allocator of funding

Key challenges and areas for improvement

• Donors should heed calls to support internally-driven reconciliation processes, rather than those which reflect regional and international political interests.
• More donors should fund preparedness, maintenance of contingency stocks and building capacity of Somalis.
• There is a need to clarify whether UN Security Council resolutions targeting terrorism are – as the US argues – applicable to humanitarian aid.

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