Somalia Unveils New Strategy for Humanitarian Response at Baydhabo Forum

GOOBJOOG NEWS | BAYDHABO: Somalia has called for a bold shift in humanitarian response strategy, urging national ownership and sustainable solutions as the Somalia Humanitarian Forum (CHF-2025) concluded in Baydhabo, amid warnings of rising vulnerability and shrinking aid.

Organized by the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) and the Southwest State Ministry of Relief and Disaster Management, the three-day forum brought together Somali leaders, international partners, civil society, and donors to confront the country’s worsening humanitarian crisis, driven by prolonged drought, mass displacement, and the mounting impact of climate change.

In his, George Conway, the UN Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, warned that dwindling aid funding is placing millions at risk.

“The humanitarian situation in Somalia remains profoundly difficult,” he said. “Unless resources increase, essential services will be severely disrupted.”

However, Somali officials used the platform to assert a new vision: one led by Somali institutions, grounded in local resilience, and aimed at reducing long-term dependency on external aid.

“This is not just a humanitarian challenge, it’s a governance issue, a development issue, and a sovereignty issue. Somalia must lead its own response. We welcome international support, but the solutions must be Somali-owned,” said Mohamud Moalim Abdulle, Commissioner of SoDMA.

The forum emphasized that donor fatigue, combined with global crises, underscores the urgency for a strategic reset, one that leverages the Somali government’s growing institutional capacity, engages the diaspora, and empowers local actors on the frontlines.

Calls for collaboration were echoed by Conway, who stressed the need for “a unified, coordinated effort” involving the UN, government, local NGOs, private sector, and Somali communities at home and abroad.

In his closing remarks, Ali Saed Fiqi, Speaker of the Southwest Parliament, hailed the forum as a turning point: “This is how we reclaim agency over our future. Our people deserve a system that not only responds to crisis, but prevents it.”

The forum’s outcomes are expected to inform a new national humanitarian strategy, positioning Somalia as a regional model for locally-led disaster preparedness and response.