Somalia, WFP Ink Two-Year Plan to Strengthen Disaster Preparedness

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Somalia is seeking to improve how it prepares for droughts, floods and other emergencies under a new two-year partnership with the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

The agreement puts greater emphasis on acting before disasters strike, including through better risk forecasting, early-warning systems and preparedness measures.

SoDMA Chairman Mohamud Moallin Abdulle and WFP Somalia Country Director Hameed Nuru signed the agreement, which is intended to strengthen Somalia’s ability to identify emerging risks and respond before they develop into larger humanitarian crises.

Under the partnership, government authorities and humanitarian agencies will work to improve the link between early warnings and action on the ground, allowing assistance and other measures to be prepared ahead of potentially severe weather and other emergencies.

The agreement will also support disaster-risk management, food security and humanitarian response, while strengthening the ability of communities to withstand repeated shocks.

Somalia has faced successive droughts and floods in recent years, with climate-related emergencies contributing to displacement, food insecurity and the loss of livelihoods.

The shift towards anticipatory action reflects a growing effort to reduce the impact of such crises by preparing communities and response systems before conditions deteriorate.

The two-year arrangement will therefore focus not only on responding to emergencies, but on strengthening the systems needed to anticipate risks, protect lives and livelihoods and improve Somalia’s longer-term disaster resilience.