Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Her Excellency Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi, Minister for Environment and Climate Change of the Federal Republic of Somalia

Rome - Director-General QU Dongyu and H.E. Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi, Minister for Environment and Climate Change of the Federal Republic of Somalia held a bilateral meeting on 15 February during which the Minister noted that FAO has one of its largest field programmes in Somalia, which supports government priorities in addressing economic, social, environment and other aspects of development.  She also noted that FAO’s new strategies on Climate Change, and on Science and Innovation, support implementation of FAO’s Strategic Framework, and by extension to its Members.

The Minister highlighted that the federal Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is just over six months old, and expressed her hope for FAO’s support to its priority areas of work moving forward as part of a 5-year action plan that includes priority areas of work such as land restoration; clean energy; climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts; and ecosystem services, among others.  The Minister also informed that, as a priority for the work of the Ministry, they would like to establish a Climate Prediction Center in the country in order to bolster predictive and early warning capacities given the impacts of the climate crisis.

She also informed the Director-General that baseline data is often scarce in Somalia and that consequently the Ministry intends to spearhead baseline studies relative to land degradation, the environment, climate change and others, and requested FAO’s technical support in this regard. 

The Director-General confirmed that FAO would be pleased to have technical consultations with the Ministry on these priorities matters, and indicated that FAO senior technical staff is available to engage and follow-up on the priorities outlined by the Minister.

He also agreed with the Minister that data is key for targeted and timely support, noting that FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Geospatial Platform has been developed for this specific purpose.  The Director-General stressed that the Ministry, as a new entity, has the opportunity to shape itself into a modern, technical and service-oriented ministry that can set a positive example for the region and beyond.

Finally, the Minister and her delegation expressed appreciation for the work of key FAO programmes in the country, such as the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) and Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM).