Somalia’s deputy prime minister has stated that funding for vulnerable countries to address the permanent harm caused by the climate crisis should be expedited and readily accessible.
Salah Jama expressed that the agreement made on the first day of Cop28 last week regarding a loss and damage fund is positive for countries on the frontlines, such as Somalia. However, he also emphasized the need for rapid implementation and resolution of bureaucratic obstacles in order to access the funding.
Jama, who is currently at the climate summit in Dubai, stated that it is necessary to provide funds as grants instead of loans. This is particularly important for Somalia, as the country is already burdened with significant debt and cannot take on any more.
According to the speaker, nations like Somalia that have recently experienced severe floods are facing challenges in obtaining available funding for climate issues. This funding has primarily been directed towards wealthy countries and is not easily accessible for countries that are rebuilding after conflict or have unstable political systems.
“We aimed to amplify the voices of our communities who have suffered from extreme weather events caused by climate change, such as droughts and floods,” he explained to the Guardian. “We are hopeful that the loss and damage funds and other measures will assist in mitigating these impacts.”
At Cop27 in Egypt in 2022, it was finally agreed to establish a fund for loss and damage, following years of resistance from wealthier nations who bear the primary responsibility for emissions. However, the specifics of the fund’s operations were not determined.
On Thursday, the agreement was made to have the World Bank as the host of the fund, with an initial amount of $429 million (£340 million). Research suggests that the annual cost of loss and damage due to the climate crisis could be around $400 billion.
According to Jama, African nations are responsible for less than 3% of overall greenhouse gas emissions. However, despite this small contribution, they are disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change. This is evident in the current situation in Somalia, where one-third of the country is experiencing devastating floods, resulting in the loss of livelihoods and disruption of people’s ways of life.
The act of providing assistance to those countries must be done in a just manner.
In addition to financial resources, Jama stated that Somalia requires assistance with technical expertise in order to develop water and agriculture infrastructure.
According to him, special attention should be given to countries such as Somalia when addressing the issue, as the effects of climate change greatly harm our communities.
According to Jama, the recent flooding caused by a prolonged drought has resulted in the loss of over 100 human lives and tens of thousands of livestock.
The situation is chaotic and difficult to bear. We are here to call for significant assistance for our country. Other nations are facing similar challenges as well.
Source: theguardian.com
