Somali activists advocate action  against climate challenges

Young activists from Somalia have called for effective action to combat the negative impacts of climate change on vulnerable groups across the country.

The activists made the call as they wrapped up a three-day training session, on Thursday, in Mogadishu.

TheNewsZenith reports that the UN-backed training focused on the nexus between human rights and climate change.

The 22 young activists said Somalia has been experiencing a humanitarian crisis due to climate shocks.

According to them, these have led to widespread drought and flooding, according to a statement issued late Thursday.

“Floods, which are a result of climate change, destroy farms and damage crops. This leads to food insecurity and malnutrition,” said Abdilatif Hussein Omar, Executive Director of Action for Environment, a civil society organisation.

The training was part of a wider effort to help create a vibrant cohort of young Somali environmental activists.

“The next step is to create network of young climate activists from the academia, civil societies, media and student clubs.

“Such network is necessary so that they can continue advocating for effective climate change response in relation to human rights issues,” said Abdifatah Hassan Ali, a human rights official with the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia.

Ahmed Abdi Osman, a climate change official from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Somalia, remarked that “Somalia is one of the countries most affected by climate change”.

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Osman said plans were underway to address the impacts. Some eight million people in the East African country are in need of urgent assistance.

He added that 6.5 million of this figure will experience high levels of acute food insecurity and 1.3 million displaced due to conflict or climatic shocks, quoting the UN data.

Some participants noted that the training session would complement the advocacy activities of young Somalis.

Suweyda Mohamed Abdi, Chairperson of the Green Light Association (GLA), said her organisation is actively involved in activities to reverse the effects of climate change.

“We are doing this through awareness campaigns in schools and tree-planting exercises.,” she said.

GLA is another organisation that promotes environmental conservation and sustainable development in Somalia.

“On our environmental campaigns, we have made great strides. We also initiated weekly clean-ups at Lido Beach, which has been very successful,” Abdi said.

Participants comprised of university students, academics and civil society representatives studying or working on climate change issues.

They focused on human rights topics interlinked with climate change, such as the right to a healthy environment. (Xinhua)