Climate Change Projects in Somalia Are Undercut by Nepotism and Discrimination

[Deeq A.]

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud wrote the introductory message in Somalia’s discriminatory National Adaptation Programme of Action on Climate Change (NAPA).

Mogadishu (Report PP) —  Climate change is one of the environmental challenges facing Somalia, a fragile nation-state recovering from state collapse. Recurrent droughts, crop failures, and floods adversely affect the lives of millions of Somalis of different socio-economic backgrounds. Those problems posed by climate change to the lives of Somalis can be mitigated by the effective implementation of policies. The Somalia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is mandated to “protect, conserve, and restore the environment of Somalia in order to improve and maintain the quality of life of its citizens through sustainable development.” The National Adaptation Programme of Action on Climate Change (NAPA) is the pathway to implement five projects to which the Ministry has committed funds from the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Flaws in Somalia’s National Adaptation Programme of Action on Climate Change (NAPA)

Abidkarim Hussein Guled is the Special Presidential Envoy for Somaliland, formerly the Somali Federal Interior Minister and one-time President of Galmudug State of Somalia.

An investigation by Puntland Post news website found that Somalia’s National Adaptation Programme of Action in Climate Change, written in 2013 with an introductory message by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, contains political favouritism and ethnic discrimination. Before the NAPA was launched, workshops had been held. Participants from the district of Las-Anod are listed in Table 21: List of Participants in Somaliland (page 81). Las-Anod is federally a part of the Puntland State of Somalia, but the Federal Government of Somalia allowed the Somaliland Administration to claim secession-based jurisdiction over Las-Anod. For this reason, the Federal Ministry of Environment and Climate Change considers the district to be part of territories controlled by Somaliland Administration. This designation partly fuels the conflict in Sool. The NAPA has not been revised to reflect the federal laws about the distribution of development aid and guidelines for the Federal Government of Somalia to work in partnership with Federal Member States. The flaw in NAPA contradicts the sentiment expressed in the introductory message by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud: “Every person has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being, and every person has the right to have a share of the natural resources of the country whilst being protected from excessive and damaging exploitation of these natural resources.”

Ethnic discrimination in NAPA

Khadija Mohamd Al-Makhzoumi is an MP and the Somalia Minister for Environment and Climate Change.

Another flaw in the NAPA pertains to the categorisation of Somali social groups. Citing the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), NAPA classifies the ethnic make-up of Somalis thus: “While 85% of the population is Somali, the balance of 15% comprises people of Bantu and non-Somali origins.” The Jareer Weyn are a Somali clan. If the claim made by some Somali clans about their Arab genealogy does not render them non-Somali, why has NAPA singled out Jareer Weyn to categorise them as non-Somali? This categorisation constitutes ethnicity-based discrimination of Jareer Weyn Somali citizens based on their physical features. Missing in the list of the “major” Somali clans in NAPA are the Banadiri clan and other politically and traditionally discriminated clans, such as Gaboye. The NAPA violates Somalia’s provisional constitution.

Nepotistic appointments and conflict of interest

Although the Somalia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is one of the few ministries that receives external funding to help Somalia cope with the impact of climate change, nepotism and conflicts of interest undermine programmes funded by the Green Climate Fund. The Minister, Khadija Mohamd Al-Makhzoumi, is an MP and the wife of Abidkarim Hussein Guled, the Special Presidential Envoy for Somaliland, formerly the Somali Federal Interior Minister and one-time President of Galmudug State of Somalia. Abdikarim’s appointment by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as a Special Presidential Envoy constitutes a conflict of interest that is reflected in how the Ministry implements projects, how it communicates its priorities and how it recruits staff.

Keeping beneficiaries in the dark

The website of the Somalia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is written in English despite Somali being the official language of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

The website of the Somalia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is written in English. It does not have Somali language pages since Somali is the official language of the Federal Republic of Somalia. It contains scanty information about projects (5) and disbursements (10). It is unclear how much of the funds the Ministry has so far spent on the 5 projects listed on the website: (1) GCF Readiness in Somalia; (2) Preparatory Support (National Adaptation Plans Support Programme); (3) Promoting Resilience Through an Integrated Approach to Water, Environment, and Drought; (4) Support to Develop a Green Climate Fund (GCF) concept note and full proposal on Climate Resilient Agriculture (FAO); and (5) IWRM (Integrated Water Resource Management). Lack of data on the five projects the Ministry is implementing deprives funders, researchers and assessors of the opportunity to determine how the National Adaptation Programme of Action has been applied, even in its flawed and discriminatory form. The motivation to keep Somali citizens in the dark about the beneficiaries of the five projects may have to do with existing nepotism-based bias towards certain constituencies.

© Puntland Post, 2024

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