Somalia’s deputy prime minister has emphasized the need for expedited and easily accessible funding to aid vulnerable countries in addressing the permanent harm caused by the climate crisis.
Salah Jama announced that the agreement reached on establishing a fund for loss and damage during the first day of Cop28 last week was positive for countries on the frontlines, such as Somalia. However, he emphasized the importance of expediting the implementation process and addressing any bureaucratic obstacles that may hinder access to the funding.
Jama, currently in Dubai for the climate summit, emphasized the importance of providing grants instead of loans to Somalia. This is due to the country’s inability to handle additional debt, as much of the funding has been in the form of loans thus far.
According to him, nations like Somalia, which experienced unprecedented floods, face challenges in obtaining available climate funds. These funds are primarily targeted towards prosperous countries and are not accessible to nations rebuilding from conflicts or with unstable governments.
“We aimed to amplify the voices of our communities who have suffered from the impacts of climate change, ranging from droughts to floods,” he stated to the Guardian. “We are relying on the loss and damage funds and other agreements to assist in mitigating these effects.”
After facing resistance from wealthier nations, who bear the brunt of emissions, the establishment of a loss and damage fund was finally approved at Cop27 in Egypt in 2022. However, the specific procedures for the fund have yet to be determined.
On Thursday, the agreement was made to have the World Bank manage the fund, which will start with a total of $429 million (£340 million). According to various studies, the damages caused by the climate crisis are estimated to be around $400 billion per year.
According to Jama, although African countries are responsible for less than 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, they are disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change. This has resulted in many people losing their livelihoods, as seen in the current situation in Somalia where floods have devastated a third of the country and disrupted people’s way of life.
“We must prioritize providing support to those countries in order to achieve justice.”
Jama stated that in addition to financial resources, Somalia requires assistance in the form of technical support to develop its water and agriculture infrastructure.
He stated that special attention should be given to countries such as Somalia when addressing this issue, as the effects of climate change are particularly harmful to their communities.
According to Jama, over 100 individuals have lost their lives and tens of thousands of animals have perished due to the recent flood caused by a long period of drought.
The situation is chaotic and difficult to bear. This is why we are calling for significant intervention and advocating for our country. There are also other nations facing similar circumstances to ours.
Source: theguardian.com
