Somalia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Issa Mohamud Abdirahman met with the UN’s top humanitarian official in Mogadishu on Sunday to address worsening aid access and funding shortfalls threatening millions across the Horn of Africa nation.
The meeting between Abdirahman and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia George Conway comes as the country grapples with a complex emergency marked by recurring climate shocks, persistent conflict, and one of the world’s largest internal displacement crises. Nearly 7 million Somalis require humanitarian assistance this year, according to UN estimates.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abdirahman said, “[QUOTE ABOUT GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT TO FACILITATE HUMANITARIAN ACCESS AND PROTECT AID WORKERS].”
Conway reportedly emphasized that [INDIRECT QUOTE REGARDING URGENT NEED FOR SUSTAINED INTERNATIONAL FUNDING AND IMPROVED SECURITY CONDITIONS FOR DELIVERY OF AID].
The discussions focused on strengthening coordination between federal authorities and UN agencies operating in Somalia, where militant group Al-Shabaab continues to restrict access in vast rural areas. Humanitarian partners have repeatedly cited bureaucratic hurdles and security risks as major operational challenges.
Somalia remains highly vulnerable to climate extremes. Back-to-back failed rainy seasons followed by devastating floods in late 2023 reversed recent gains in food security. The UN’s 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan, requiring $1.6 billion, remains significantly underfunded at just over 40 percent of target.
Both officials reaffirmed commitments to the humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach, aiming to address root drivers of vulnerability rather than only responding to acute emergencies.
