The Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mr. Salah Ahmed Jama, and the UK Minister of State for International Development and Africa, Baroness Chapman, jointly chaired a virtual meeting attended by donors and international organizations.

The meeting took place at a time when SoDMA was making strong efforts to address the severe drought affecting the country. Approximately 6.5 million people are suffering from food insecurity, while more than 2 million people are in life-threatening conditions, with malnutrition continuing to rise.

The meeting was attended by the Commissioner of the somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), Mr. Mahmoud Moallim Abdulle, who delivered a briefing on the humanitarian situation in the country, particularly the impact of the prolonged drought on Somali communities. The meeting was also attended by representatives from the World Bank, the European Union, OCHA, WFP, FAO, IFAD, Save the Children, Oxfam, CARE International, and other organizations concerned with humanitarian assistance and development in Somalia.

Earlier this February, the Federal Government of Somalia submitted a comprehensive plan to the international community to respond to the drought situation and strengthen the resilience of communities against disasters.

Finally, the Deputy Prime Minister closed the meeting by thanking all participants and donors who pledged funding for the food insecurity and malnutrition response plan, and urged them to speed up the implementation of support in order to strengthen emergency response and sustainable development in the country.