The World Bank Board of Directors approved a $40 million International Development Assistance (IDA) grant for Somalia as part of the Emergency Locust Response Program, which seeks to respond to the threat posed by the locust outbreak and strengthen systems for preparedness in affected countries in Africa and the Middle East.
The locust invasion has gravely impacted the livelihoods of nearly 2.6 million living in forty-three districts of Somalia. The agriculture sector remains the backbone of the economy and accounts for about 75 percent of GDP.
The Shock Responsive Safety Net for Locust Response (SNLRP) will focus on addressing the immediate impact of the locust infestation on poor and vulnerable households by meeting their short-term food security and consumption needs and protecting their livelihoods and human capital assets through emergency cash transfer.
“The locust invasion risks are aggravating the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia and leading to reduced access to food, loss of income, resource-based conflict, and limited migration options,” said World Bank Country Director for Somalia, Felipe Jaramillo. “We are supporting the Federal Government of Somalia to put in place a social protection system under the Baxnaano program that can respond quickly to protect subsistence farmers and pastoralists, from falling into deeper levels of food insecurity, as well as preventing the sale/loss of their productive assets.”
After more than two decades of conflict and insecurity, Somalia is gradually establishing the foundations for stability and a new political settlement. However, wide-spread poverty and vulnerability to natural disasters, epidemics and unemployment shocks threaten this progress and the well-being of millions of Somalis. For example, Somalia has experienced 14 droughts since 1960, averaging one every four years. Today, nearly 70 percent of Somalis live below the international poverty line with poverty being more acute in rural areas, making Somalia the third poorest country in the region.
Original source: World Bank
Published on 29 June 2020
