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Somalia Launches Policy Overhaul to Strengthen Climate Resilience

Storyline:Climate & Environment

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: The federal government of Somalia has launched a new effort to strengthen national resilience to climate-related disasters, as the country continues to face escalating environmental and humanitarian challenges.

On Tuesday, the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) opened a high-level national consultation forum in Mogadishu to review and update the country’s disaster management policy.

The initiative is seen as a critical step toward improving preparedness and long-term risk reduction in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations.

“We are taking a unified, inclusive approach to ensure that Somalia has a disaster policy that reflects the current realities and future risks facing our communities,” said SoDMA Chairperson Mahmoud Moallim Abdulle at the forum’s opening.

The forum brings together senior government officials, including State Minister for Energy and Water Resources Mohamed Abdullahi Farah and the Director General of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Abdirisak Ahmed Ali, alongside representatives from United Nations agencies, humanitarian partners, federal member states, and civil society.

Recurring droughts, floods, and displacement have placed enormous strain on Somalia’s population and institutions. The government says the revised disaster policy will focus on strengthening coordination, decentralizing response mechanisms, and integrating climate adaptation across sectors.

“Somalia is not only responding to emergencies, we are building systems to withstand them,” Abdulle said, calling for collective responsibility and sustainable solutions that leave no one behind.

International partners, including the World Food Programme (WFP), have welcomed the move as a sign of growing institutional maturity and commitment to proactive governance.

The forum, expected to continue over two days, forms part of a broader national strategy to reduce disaster risks and ensure that communities are better protected from future shocks.