Operating environment was marked with small-scale attacks, political tensions between the State of Puntland and ‘Somaliland’ and forced evictions.
Drought, insecurity and conflicts, remain key drivers of displacement and lack of comprehensive land tenure framework remains one of the key drivers for forced evictions.
According to monitoring agencies drought will continue in 2018 and can lead to further increased vulnerability of persons of concern.
Major developments
A whole-of-society approach – a new improved way of UNHCR response
Between 17 to 18 December, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees visited Somalia. During his visit the High Commissioner thanked the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia (FRS) for the cooperation and support accorded to UNHCR by the FRS and pledge to the FRS that UNHCR will continue to support persons of concern. The High Commissioner further emphasized that UNHCR will continue investing in housing, education and livelihoods for returning refugees, IDPs and the local population—a whole-of-society approach, a new improved way of UNHCR response known as the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). The High Commissioner also visited implementation sites in Mogadishu in Kismayo, where he laid a foundation stone of a school and opened a settlement for 100 households as well as a school, hospital, police unit, and community market.
The Centrality of Protection Strategy is a paramount in the Humanitarian Response Plan
On 6 December, the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) for Somalia adopted the Centrality of Protection Strategy (Strategy). The Strategy was prepared under the leadership of UNHCR and is a result of a wide consultative process among the UN agencies, NGOs, UN mission, donors and researchers on Somalia. The Strategy is paramount in the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and underpins the 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview, as well as the sector-specific operational response plans in this HRP.3 The aim of the Strategy is to identify and address three key protection risks/threats the populations affected by both drought and multi-layered conflict face, including IDPs, in Somalia today. Namely, the issue of exclusion of populations due to exclusion and discrimination, including those based on societal discrimination, power structures, vulnerability, age, and gender; protection risks/threats with increasing displacement and limited options for solutions; and the need to access conflict affected communities subjected to indiscriminate attacks and destruction of assets vital for their survival by empowering their self-protection and resilience mechanisms.