Press Release
1 March 2011
Nairobi,Kenya(TNN) -British Secretary of State for International
Development, Andrew Mitchell MP, today announced increased support
from the UK for Somalia, which will go towards improving security
and living conditions for people on the ground.
The UK will triple development support to Somalia over the next
three years, to create employment and other opportunities to give
Somalis hope of a place where they can make a living in peace.
Announcing the conclusion of a global review of the bilateral
development programme in the House of Commons, Andrew Mitchell said:
“We will focus our effort where the need is greatest, not only
saving but transforming millions of lives by providing access to
food, clean drinking water, basic healthcare and education.”
“We are increasing our efforts to tackle poverty in a number of
conflict and fragile states. We know that no conflict or fragile
state will achieve the Millennium Development Goals without sig
nificant extra help.”
The UK’s new bilateral programme for Somalia will promote long-term
stability in order to transform the lives of the Somali people, by:
(i) responding promptly to the humanitarian needs of the people of
Somalia;
(ii) working with communities in areas of relative stability such as
Somaliland to strengthen peace and governance;
(iii) creating jobs long-term jobs;
(iv) improving access to better healthcare, especially for women and
children.
The Head of DFID’s Kenya and Somalia office in Nairobi, Alistair
Fernie said: “The aims of DFID’s programme in Somalia are to address
the humanitarian effects of the conflict, consolidate local areas of
stability and promote more legitimate government to build
longer-term peace. Our inc reased aid will deliver results to
the people of Somalia in spite of the difficult conflict circumstan
ces. ”
UKaid in Somalia will provide at least 500,000 people a year with
emergency humanitarian assis tance. This will be used to treat
severe malnutrition, increase child immunisation, and provide water
and basic health care for communities in need.
UKaid will help create long-term jobs for 45,000 people. It will
also improve health facilities, and train more doctors across the
country so that Somalis get better access to
healthcare, avoiding preventable deaths particularly among women and
children.
To achieve these results, the UK government will continue to work
through a range of trusted UN and non-governmental implementing
partners, who are able to operate on the ground acro ss most
of Somalia, and whose work is subject to rigorous scrutiny.
Alistair Fernie added: “Progress and stability in Somalia are also
vital for the security of the wh ole region, and for the UK.
The results we hope to achieve in Somalia are not only delivered fr
om the British people, they are also for the British people.”
Note to Editors:
1. UK aid allocations to help build peace and stability in Somalia
could rise from £26m in 2010/11 to £80m per year over the next three
years, depending on the results achieved by 2013/14.
2. UK aid is channelled through UN agencies and other well
established and trusted partners, with tough safeguards to ensure
that the aid is used properly on the ground. Our key UN par tners
will be the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the
International Labour Organisati on (ILO), UN Development Programme (UNDP),
UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
We may work with the World Food Programme (WFP) if we are convinced
that their controls ha ve improved. Although FAO and ILO scored
poorly in DFID’s review of multilateral aid, evidence suggests that
in Somalia they can deliver. We will monitor this closely.
3. We expect that most of our support to Somali NGOs will be through
international NGOs.
4. UK Secretary of State Andrew Mitchell visited Hargesia on January
31, where he explained that 40 percent of UK’s aid to Somalia will
go to Somaliland. Somaliland has shown that greater democracy and
stable government are possible, even in this difficult country.
Source: British High Commission, Nairobi,
Kenya
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