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Hope for Somalia: Nairobi conference
Delegates at the Nairobi conference
On 6 October, 34 humanitarian organisations from 15 countries met to break down barriers to help the suffering in Somalia. The Humanitarian Forum brought together these organisations for a one-day workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the humanitarian situation in Somalia, to build stronger relations between Western/multilateral organisations and Islamic actors working there and to give voice to local Somali organisations.
"This is a very opportune time to talk about Somalia. It poses one of the world's more complex challenges," said Mark Bowden, UN Resident Coordinator. Mohamed Dahir of Hijra, a Somali NGO said, "The missing link is the Somali people. We need to drop the culture of dependency. INGOs need to help by building systems in Somalia,"
The meeting discussed the issues and challenges, and the potential for improving the effectiveness of aid in the region. It increased the number of engaged humanitarian actors in Somalia, developed a shared understanding of plans, approaches and constraints. This will improve the effectiveness of aid delivery in Somalia and facilitate new partnerships amongst humanitarian actors.
The workshop is an example of how the Humanitarian Forum can link humanitarian actors through a constructive dialogue. Abdillahai, Somalia country director for Oxfam, said that "The relationship between Islamic and Western organisations has not been discussed like this before."
Speaking before the meeting, Dr Hany el Banna, President of The Humanitarian Forum, said "This is a groundbreaking event. Somalia is a complex country and its humanitarian tragedy shames the world. This workshop is about bringing together different communities who up until now have not been able to communicate fully. It is about building trust between East and West, traditional and non-traditional, international and local. If we can build those bridges we can start to see big changes for Somalia's most vulnerable people."
The Humanitarian Forum helps people in need by building trust between communities and by improving humanitarian action. We work with humanitarian and development organizations internationally and in partner countries, through training, good governance, cooperation and humanitarian standards. We are a global network of organizations from Muslim donor and recipient countries, the West and the multilateral system.
