DONOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOMALIA DROUGHT

UNCLAS NAIROBI 001956 SIPDIS AIDAC AFDROUGHT SIPDIS STATE FOR NGAREY STATE PASS TO USAID/W USAID/W FOR AA/DCHA, WGARVELINK, LROGERS DCHA/OFDA FOR GGOTTLIEB, PMORRIS, CGOTTSCHALK, KCHANNELL DCHA/FFP FOR JDWORKEN, MANDERSON AFR/EA FOR JBORNS USUN FOR EMALY ADDIS ABABA FOR JAUGSBERGER BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER ROME FOR FODAG GENEVA FOR NKYLOH NSC FOR JMELINE, TSHORTLEY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID SO SUBJECT: DONOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOMALIA DROUGHT EMERGENCY Summary ¶1. To date, donor governments and agencies, including USAID, have contributed over 87.8 million U.S. Dollars (USD) towards the United Nations (U.N.) humanitarian appeal for the drought emergency in Somalia, in addition to more than 60.0 million USD outside the appeal. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, USAID has provided over 84.1 million USD in food and non-food assistance for drought relief in Somalia. However, U.N. agencies report funding shortfalls of 60 to 95 percent. The rainy season has begun in Somalia and many donors are waiting to see how the rains progress before allocating further funding. Regardless of the rains, humanitarian assistance will be required in Somalia through 2006 to mitigate the effects of and recover from the current drought, as well as to build resiliency to future climatic shocks. End summary. U.N. Appeal for Somalia ¶2. On March 21, the U.N. released the revised Consolidated Appeal (CAP) for Somalia. The revised CAP seeks nearly 327 million USD, up from the original appeal of 176 million USD requested in November 2005. The increase reflects additional food and non-food requirements to address the needs of 2.1 million food insecure and drought-affected people in southern and central Somalia, as well as the estimated 400,000 internally displaced persons throughout the country. ¶3. On April 7, the U.N. launched a Regional Humanitarian Appeal for the Greater Horn of Africa in Nairobi requesting nearly 426 million USD, which includes the Somalia-specific appeal. Contributions to U.N. Appeal ¶4. Of the 327 million USD requested by the Somalia CAP, approximately 13 million USD, or 15 percent, is covered by carryover contributions. In addition, the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated 10 million USD to the regional CAP, of which 2.4 million USD is earmarked for Somalia-specific programs. ¶5. According to the U.N. Coordination for Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) Financial Tracking System, as of May 3, the U.N. has received 87.8 million USD in funding, including carryover and CERF contributions, covering approximately 27 percent of the total requirements for Somalia. The USG is the largest donor to the Somalia CAP with approximately 45.8 million USD in contributions to food and non-food sectors. ¶6. Other major donors include Norway (8.9 million USD),the United Kingdom (5.5 million USD),Sweden (4.4 million USD),Ireland (1.6 million USD),Netherlands (1.4 million USD),and Italy (1.3 million USD). Eight other donors contributed an additional 3.4 million USD. ¶7. Approximately 79 percent of contributions (69.7 million USD) is earmarked for food assistance through the U.N. World Food Program (WFP),covering 40 percent of food requirements between January and December 2006. USAID's Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) is the largest contributor of food assistance to Somalia. In FY 2006 to date, USAID/FFP provided 48,350 metric tons (MT) of emergency food aid to WFP, valued at approximately 33.3 million USD. ¶8. Non-food sectors have received substantially less financial support than the food sector. Total contributions to non-food sectors to date amount to 18.0 million USD. Donors have contributed (in millions) 2.0 USD for coordination and support services, covering 19 percent of requirements; 2.4 USD for protection, human rights, and rule of law (14 percent covered); 2.7 for security (10 percent covered); and 2.6 USD for health (9 percent covered). The agriculture sector received 926,230 USD and the water and sanitation received 735,186 USD, covering 5 and 6 percent of requirements, respectively. ¶9. In FY 2006 to date, USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) provided 700,000 USD to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for nutritional surveillance and 1.2 million USD to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) for emergency water and sanitation interventions throughout Somalia. ¶10. In addition to the 87.8 million USD in contributions, the U.N. has received pledges from donors for 11.2 million USD for programming in agriculture, security, water and sanitation, and food assistance. Other Contributions ¶11. In addition to contributions towards the Somalia CAP, donors provide funding to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations (IOs). In FY 2006 to date, USAID/OFDA has provided nearly 900,000 USD to three implementing partners to carry out nutrition, water and sanitation, and food security programming in drought-affected regions in southern and central Somalia. USAID/OFDA is currently reviewing proposals from NGOs for additional interventions in the most affected regions. USAID/FFP has provided 54,000 MT of food assistance, valued at more than 48.1 million USD, to CARE for distribution in southern and central Somalia. ¶12. According to the OCHA Financial Tracking System, donors have pledged more than 14.1 million USD to NGOs and IOs operating in Somalia. [Note: Donations to NGOs and IOs are input into the OCHA Financial Tracking System on a voluntary basis by donors. Not all contributions are captured by the system.] The largest recipient of pledges is the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with a total of 8.9 million USD, including 6.8 million USD from the United Kingdom, 1.1 million USD from Australia, and 929,204 USD from Norway. ¶13. Another major donor in the current response is the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO). ECHO has 5.0 million USD for drought-specific emergency interventions and an additional 45.4 million USD for longer-term drought recovery and mitigation programming in Somalia. Donor Intentions ¶14. Donors responded quickly to early warnings on drought and the U.N. Appeal for Somalia. In recent discussions with USAID, donors stated that they are waiting to see how the current rainy season progresses before allocating additional funds to drought programming in Somalia. If the rains are good, then funding will be directed towards recovery; however, if the rains end early and the harvest fails, additional emergency assistance will be required to avert famine conditions. Regardless of the performance of the rainy season, the humanitarian community agrees that assistance will be needed in Somalia at least through ¶2006. Local Somali Initiatives ¶15. Not all contributions to the drought response have come from foreign actors. According to USAID/REDSO partner Warn-torn Societies Project (WSP) International, civil society in Somalia has responded to the drought by mobilizing resources in Mogadishu and among the Somali diaspora. Civil society groups have raised more than 230,000 USD and local civic leaders have contributed 500 MT of food. In addition, Mogadishu businessmen donated eight water trucks and the Mogadishu drought committee rented seven more for water trucking operations in southern districts. USAID has also received reports of local Muslim aid societies providing assistance to drought-affected communities in Somalia. ¶16. The general public has also been mobilized. WSP International reports that on February 17, the Somali Institute of Management and Administration Development (SIMAD),a local non-profit educational institute, organized a one-time fundraising event in collaboration with major radio and telecommunications companies. During the four-hour radio program, listeners pledged more than 70,000 USD in cash, plus donations in gold, food, and clothing. Conclusions ¶17. Rains have begun to fall in southern and central Somalia; however, it is too soon to determine the full impact of the current rainy season on the drought- affected communities there. However, regardless of the performance of the rains, humanitarian assistance and donor commitment will be required at least through the end of 2006 to aid the recovery process. ¶18. Donors have already provided significant financial support for immediate drought relief. While many donors are currently taking a cautious "wait and see" stance before allocating further assistance, most agree that continued support is needed to mitigate the impact of the current drought, as well as to build resilience within the most vulnerable populations through long- term development assistance. BELLAMY