Women carry jerry cans of water from shallow wells dug from the sand along the Shabelle River bed, which is dry due to drought in Somalia's Shabelle region. REUTERS/Feisal Omar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Cape Town – In the midst of the drought that has affected more than half of Somalia’s population, Special Presidential Envoy for Drought Response for the Federal Republic of Somalia, Abdirahman Abdishakur, travels to the US in aid of assistance.
Abdishakur posted a tweet on Sunday saying he was “travelling to New York to raise awareness on the drought” that is edging Somalia closer to a humanitarian disaster.
Today, I am travelling to New York to raise awareness on the drought that is edging #Somalia closer to #famine. At #UNGA77 I will lobby for an enhanced humanitarian response & for increased investment in our country's resilience.
— Abdirahman Abdishakur (@AAbdishakur) September 11, 2022
#PreventFamine #SDGs #SomaliDiaspora pic.twitter.com/3ZlSA0ZGkD
“At #UNGA77 I will lobby for an enhanced humanitarian response & for increased investment in our country’s resilience,” said Abdishakur.
He added in an official statement that during his trip to the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly that he would also meet North American and European diaspora to discuss their role in crisis relief for his country.
“I will not only raise awareness… I will seek partnerships with governments, financial institutions, private sector, diaspora groups and climate change experts to take action to avert the worst outcomes in the current crisis,” he said.
While the country is in the midst of an emergency, Abdishakur said they needed to look to the future as rains were set to fail for at least two more seasons.
Meanwhile, Xinhua News Agency reported last week that China urged the international community to make an effort to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Somalia due to risks of famine and malnutrition.
“We also welcome the implementation of the highly indebted poor country’s initiative for Somalia by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which helps the country tide over its difficulties through resistance and debt relief,” said Dai Bing, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN.
“China feels deeply for the current difficulties of the people in Somalia.
“We will accelerate the assistance process, and do everything we can to help Somalia respond to the drought and jointly discuss lasting solutions to prevent and mitigate disasters,” he said.
IOL
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