MOGADISHU, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The deepening climate and displacement crises unfolding in Somalia demand international attention, said a senior official from the United Nations migration agency after ending a four-day visit to the region on Thursday.
"The people of Somalia are living through some of the harshest impacts of the climate crisis, which is driving internal displacement, straining cities already under pressure, and fuelling tensions over dwindling resources," Ugochi Daniels, deputy director general for operations at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
"And they carry this burden despite contributing almost nothing to global emissions," said Daniels, who met with government officials, community leaders, women's groups, and IOM field teams during her visit to Mogadishu and the northern port city of Bosaso.
She witnessed how Somali communities are grappling with relentless droughts, floods, and conflict -- forces that have displaced some 3.6 million people and left almost half the population impacted by climate-related disasters.
"Somalia is not just a place of hardship; it is a testament to resilience," Daniels said, noting that communities are driving innovative, homegrown solutions that tackle the impacts of the climate crisis while laying the groundwork for peace and stability.
According to the IOM official, in 2024 alone, Somali communities raised over 500,000 U.S. dollars through IOM's Co-Funding System, matched by over 2 million dollars from the IOM, to invest in projects such as solar energy, clean water access, and small-scale farming.
"This is what climate resilience looks like in practice -- communities shaping their own future, with the world backing them up," Daniels said. "But these efforts need sustained support. Cuts to humanitarian funding and reduced development resources threaten to undo years of progress and leave millions even more exposed."
She pointed to IOM Somalia's holistic approach that bridges humanitarian relief with long-term recovery and resilience, which includes strengthening early warning systems and disaster preparedness, advancing social infrastructure and social protection mechanisms, building climate-resilient infrastructure and basic services, and diversifying sustainable livelihoods. Enditem
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