NAIROBI -- The Somali government and its international partners will prioritize investments in projects that enhance the resilience of local communities in the face of climate shocks, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Maryam Qasim, Somalia's minister for humanitarian affairs and disaster management, said Mogadishu will commit additional resources to programs that strengthen the capacity of citizens to cope with recurrent droughts that have worsened food and water insecurity in the Horn of African state.
"We are building robust safety net schemes to ensure our communities are strong enough to overcome shocks such as droughts," Qasim told journalists in Nairobi. "The government has also intensified efforts to address impact of climate change on livelihoods."
Statistics from humanitarian agencies indicates that an estimated 6.2 million people, or half of Somali population, are in need of emergency food aid as a result of a prolonged drought.
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