Activities of Secretary-General in Somalia, 11-12 April
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Somalia on his annual solidarity visit for Ramadan early on Tuesday morning, 11 April. At the airport, he was received by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Somalia, Abshir Omar Jama.
Soon after his arrival, he headed to Villa Somalia for a meeting with Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. They discussed the devastating impact of the drought, the impact of climate change and the security situation, including operations against Al-Shabaab.
The meeting was followed by a joint press media encounter with the President, in which the Secretary-General said he was also in the country to ring the alarm on the humanitarian crisis, noting that Somalia is experiencing its worst drought in recorded history.
The Secretary-General pointed out that although Somalis make virtually no contribution to climate change, they are among the greatest victims. He noted that nearly 5 million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, and rising prices are making matters worse. He called on donors and the international community to step up their support to urgently fund the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan, which is currently just 15 per cent funded.
The Secretary-General then flew to Baidoa, where he visited the same internally displaced persons settlement that he visited six years earlier, in 2017. For almost an hour, he walked through the camp and listened to the stories of families, seeing first hand the challenges brought by the dire humanitarian situation in the country.
In a brief press encounter at the end of the visit, the Secretary-General stressed that it is time for the international community to mobilize much more support for the Somalis to guarantee the security of their people and fight terrorism, and support for the Somalis to solve the humanitarian drama that he witnessed in the camp.
In the afternoon, upon his return to Mogadishu, the Secretary-General had a meeting with representatives of Somali civil society organizations working in areas such as women’s affairs and empowerment, climate change and youth and marginalized groups. This was followed by a meeting with the United Nations country team.
Later in the evening, with members of the federal Government and representatives of the international community, the Secretary-General attended an iftar — the meal prepared for sunset to break the daily fasting observed during Ramadan.
The next day, on 12 April, in a press conference early in the morning, the Secretary-General said that he was happy to be back in Somalia during the Holy Month of Ramadan, continuing his annual tradition of Ramadan solidarity visits, which date back to his time as High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Secretary-General noted that his last visit to the country in 2017 was during a large-scale humanitarian operation to prevent famine and today, the situation is once again alarming. He noted that climate change is causing chaos and a devastating drought has already resulted in the tragic loss of 43,000 lives — in 2022 alone.
The Secretary-General strongly appealed to donors to stand with Somalis in their time of need. He stressed that the international community has the responsibility and the interest to support Somalia with the resources needed to defeat Al-Shabaab, to build resilience and stabilize the areas liberated and to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance.
Before departing Mogadishu, the Secretary-General held a town-hall meeting with United Nations staff in Somalia. He arrived back in New York on Wednesday evening, 12 April.