The President of Puntland State, Saed Abdullahi Deni, received a delegation from the international community in Garowe, led by the United Nations Ambassador to Somalia, James Swan, together with the head of UNFPA Somalia, Niyi Obuolape and the head of the United Nations Office in Puntland, Guy Griffin.
The drought in Puntland and Somalia was one of the most important issues discussed at the meeting.
The ongoing drought is a crisis that is causing need and suffering across Somalia and the region. The scale of the challenge is immense, although it is clear to me from our discussions that the Puntland Government and the humanitarian community are doing their utmost to respond. UN Agencies are already responding through urgent programmes of cash transfer, nutrition assistance, water and sanitation support and health services. The situation is dire however and we all know that more needs to be done. To this end the United Nations continues to advocate with the donor community for the mobilization of more resources to meet this challenge across the country and here in Puntland.
President Deni and I exchanged ideas on how best to advance Somalia’s state-building processes now that a new Federal Government is in place. We discussed the importance of a deep collaboration between the Federal Government and Federal Member States, to lead progress on national priorities.
James Swan
Puntland has submitted a request to the international community to play a prominent role in responding to the drought situation and helping the people affected by the drought.
Security, democratization and development projects carried out by international organizations in Puntland were also discussed at the meeting.
On security, I expressed my concern about last week’s troubling incident at the Bossaso airport. President Deni assured me of the Government’s commitment and active efforts to ensure continued stability and promote reconciliation.
James Swan
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