The 2016-2017 drought has brought Somalia to the brink of famine. An estimated 6.7 million – half the population – are acutely food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance. Somalia has seen around 7 percent of its population (760,000 people) newly displaced, and the scarcity of safe drinking water has led to outbreaks of Acute Watery Diarrhea /Cholera resulting in around 800 fatalities. The drought has caused large-scale crop failures and livestock deaths, impacting livelihoods and food supply. This shock is taking place in an existing fragile conflict environment with high levels of poverty, widespread water shortages, food insecurity, displacement and deep communal tensions.
The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), through the Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development and the Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management, has requested support from the WB/GFDRR, together with the EU and the UNDP, to undertake a comprehensive Drought Impact & Needs Assessment (DINA).
Financed by the ACP-EU NDRR Program, the DINA established that damages amounted to USD 1.02 billion, and losses estimated at USD 2.23 billion. The total effect of the drought in Somalia is expected to exceed USD 3.25 billion and the total recovery needs are estimated at USD 1.77 billion. Agriculture (irrigated and rain-fed crops) and urban development, as well as municipal services are the sectors with the greatest needs, representing 28 percent and 17 percent of total needs, respectively.
Following the completion of the DINA, the project is developing a Resilience Recovery Framework (RRF) to provide the FGS and its partners with an operational and investment framework for ensuring a programmatic and integrated approach for multi-sectoral recovery. It aims to define and align the national recovery vision, guiding principles, and priorities to long-term development objectives. The RRF also establishes a sequenced and prioritized cross-sectoral framework of recovery interventions, informing investment interventions supported by external partners.