Support to the Somalia Humanitarian Fund - UNDP 2017

March 2017 – Somalia’s relatively positive political trajectory over the past year has not led to significant improvements in the country’s humanitarian situation. Acute humanitarian needs remain high due to ongoing conflict and insecurity displacement poor basic services food insecurity malnutrition and climatic variability while overall humanitarian vulnerability also increased country-wide throughout 2016. In recent months Al Shabaab has regained control of several towns in south and central Somalia leading to new displacement and concerns over humanitarian access in these areas. More than six million people including more than one million internally displaced persons require humanitarian assistance. Several seasons of severe drought have led to the very real fear that the country could slide into famine in 2017. GAC’s support to the Somalia Humanitarian Fund channels resources to humanitarian partners to respond to the critical needs of people affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country. This funding will: (1) support life-saving activities by filling critical funding gaps; (2) promote needs-based assistance in accordance with humanitarian principles; (3) strengthen coordination of humanitarian assistance; (4) improve the relevance and coherence of humanitarian response by strategically funding priorities as identified under the Humanitarian Response Plan; and (5) expand the delivery of humanitarian assistance in hard-to-reach areas of the country by partnering with local and international non-governmental organizations.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved coordination of the humanitarian response to effectively address priority humanitarian needs; (2) improved timeliness in implementing life-saving activities; (3) increased humanitarian access by partnering more effectively with local non-governmental humanitarian organizations; and (4) increased oversight and monitoring of humanitarian assistance projects in hard-to-reach areas. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crisis or that are facing acute food insecurity.