UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Somalia COVID-19 Preparedness OCHA - WFP
/
2:54
/
MP4
/
215 MB

Edited News | OCHA , WFP

UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Somalia COVID-19 Preparedness OCHA - WFP

With seven confirmed COVID-19 cases in Somalia, the United Nations and their humanitarian partners in the country are urgently reprioritizing activities to help prepare the response to the pandemic.

“Somalia has so far recorded seven confirmed cases - according to WHO - and no deaths, and has closed schools, banned large gatherings and suspended international and domestic passenger flights,” said Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) at a virtual press conference today in Geneva.

Limiting the spread of the virus and preventing any new infections are the focus of the humanitarian response and efforts currently underway to enhance surveillance, rapid response and testing -- as well as diagnosis and tracing -- of all suspected cases.

Agencies are working with the Government to train health workers, establish isolation centres, deploy health personnel at key entry points, and ramp up hygiene responses”, explained OCHA’s Jens Laerke. Health workers have been deployed to all 23 officially designated points of entry into Somalia, including the four international airports at Mogadishu, Garowe, Bossaso and Hargeisa”.

The risk of COVID-19 spreading in communities remains high because of crowded living conditions in urban centres, combined with inadequate hygiene practices.

“Of concern is the fact that the number of health workers in parts of the country is two per 100,000 people compared to the global standard of 25 per 100,000 people”, Laerke said. “Less than 20 per cent of health facilities have the required equipment and supplies to manage epidemics”.

The OCHA spokesperson emphasized that while responding to COVID-19, it remains necessary to maintain critical humanitarian programs already ongoing and mitigate the impact of the virus on the livelihoods of vulnerable populations.

“There are 2.6 million internally displaced people in Somalia who have limited or no access to health services, and 4.1 million food insecure people, and also people living in locust-infested or flood-prone areas”, he said.

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has scaled up its activities in Somalia due to the registered COVID-19 cases.

WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs said today that “the COVID- 19 outbreak in Somalia can easily exacerbate the fragile food security situation in the country and it could also roll back our efforts to build resilience of families”. She added that “Somalia is among the countries in the world with consistent indicator with poor nutrition and help and a COVID-19 outbreak would devastate the already fragile health care system.”

The WFP-managed United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) has airlifted testing kits and masks donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Group across the country. WFP needs to ensure its equipment and staff can rapidly reach the areas where mostly needed.

WFP in April will provide 2 months ration of the equivalent of 2 months of cash-based transfer to over 1 million severely food insecure people across Somalia”, Byrs said. “We will continue giving nutrition assistance to over 500 000 pregnant and nursing mothers and young children to treat and prevent malnutrition”.

As usual routes for humanitarian and health workers are disrupted, WFP is expanding its logic and planning services to support humanitarian aid. It has been setting up hubs in Shanghai (China), Liège (Belgium) and Atlanta (USA) to the already existing one in Dubai (UAE) to be able to bring supplies from where they are being manufactured directly to the countries in need.

WFP is also looking into ways how they can continue feeding children since school meals are not any longer possible with Somalia’s schools’ closures. “We are assisting 160,000 children in 650 schools across Somalia, and of course, since the schools are closed, we need to find ways to continue helping these families and helping these children with rations that are distributed under the best possible sanitary conditions”, Byrs said.

  1. Wide shot, outside UN Palais with broken chair
  2. SOUNDBITE (EN): Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): Somalia has so far recorded seven confirmed cases according to WHO and no deaths and has closed schools, banned large gatherings and suspended international and domestic passenger flights”.
  3. Medium shot: UN Palais with closed entry
  4. SOUNDBITE (EN): Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “Agencies are working with the Government to train health workers, establish isolation centres, deploy health personnel at key entry points, and ramp up hygiene responses. Health workers have been deployed to all 23 officially designated points of entry into Somalia, including the four international airports at Mogadishu, Garowe, Bossaso and Hargeisa.”
  5. Close up: UN Palais
  6. SOUNDBITE (EN) : Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): Of concern is the fact that the number of health workers in parts of the country is two per 100,000 people compared to the global standard of 25 per 100,000 people. Less than 20 per cent of health facilities have the required equipment and supplies to manage epidemics”.
  7. Close up: UN Palais
  8. SOUNDBITE (EN): Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): There are 2.6 million internally displaced people in Somalia who have limited or no access to health services, and 4.1 million food insecure people, and also people living in locust-infested or flood-prone areas”.
  9. Wide shot: Flag alley in front of UN Palais
  10. SOUNDBITE (EN): Elisabeth Byrs, Spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP): “Covid 19 outbreak in Somalia can easily exacerbate the fragile food security situation in the country and it could also roll back our efforts to build resilience of families. Somalia is among the countries in the world with consistent indicator with poor nutrition and help and a Covid 19 outbreak would devastate the already fragile health care system.”
  11. Close up: UN Palais with flags
  12. SOUNDBITE (EN): Elisabeth Byrs, Spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP): “WFP in April will provide 2 months ration of the equivalent of 2 months of cash-based transfer to over 1 million severely food insecure people across Somalia. We will continue giving nutrition assistance to over 500 000 pregnant and nursing mothers and young children to treat and prevent malnutrition”.
  13. Wide shot: UN Palais with flags
  14. SOUNDBITE (FR): Elisabeth Byrs, Spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP): Nous assistons 160 000 enfants dans 650 écoles à travers toute la Somalie, et bien sûr, étant donné que les écoles sont fermés, nous devons trouver des moyens de continuer à aider ces familles et à aider ces enfants par le biais de rations qui sont distribuer dans des conditions sanitaires les meilleures possible ».
  15. “We are assisting 160,000 children in 650 schools across Somalia, and of course, since the schools are closed, we need to find ways to continue helping these families and helping these children with rations that are distribute under the best possible sanitary conditions”.

    1. Wide shot, UN entry, Pregny Gate

Similar Stories

Gaza health update - WHO 24 October 2025

1

1

Edited News | WHO

Gaza health update - WHO 24 October 2025 ENG FRA

‘We need all routes to open’: in Gaza WHO calls for ramp-up of medevacs, easier access for essentials

Two weeks since a ceasefire agreement entered into force in Gaza the World Health Organization (WHO) noted progress on the flow of aid while calling for more evacuations of critical patients and eased entry for essential medicines and supplies.

SG Guterres Early Warnings - WMO

1

12

1

1

Edited News | WMO , UNITED NATIONS

SG Guterres Early Warnings - WMO ENG FRA

UN chief urges boost to life-saving weather warning systems, stresses role of climate change science

No country is safe from the devastating impacts of extreme weather — and saving lives means making early-warning systems accessible to all, UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.

Gaza aid update - WFP

1

1

1

Edited News | WFP

Gaza aid update - WFP ENG FRA

Gazans’ response to food distributions ‘overwhelming’ as humanitarians scale up under fragile ceasefire

In Gaza, the ceasefire is enabling UN humanitarians to reach more desperate people with life-saving food, but greater access is needed to contain the spread of famine.

Gaza aid and border crossings - WFP, OCHA 17 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WFP , OCHA

Gaza aid and border crossings - WFP, OCHA 17 October 2025 ENG FRA

UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.

Gaza update – UNDP, UNICEF, OCHA, ICRC 14 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNDP , UNICEF , OCHA , ICRC

Gaza update – UNDP, UNICEF, OCHA, ICRC 14 October 2025 ENG FRA

Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid continues to reach  desperate Palestinians.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Machado: reaction from UN rights office

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Machado: reaction from UN rights office ENG FRA

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s decision to name Maria Machado as this year’s laureate, in recognition of her work promoting the Venezuelan people’s democratic hopes.

Gaza ceasefire agreement – UNRWA, UNICEF, WHO 10 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA , UNICEF , WHO

Gaza ceasefire agreement – UNRWA, UNICEF, WHO 10 October 2025 ENG FRA

As Gazans jammed the main route leading north on Friday after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced, UN aid teams repeated their call to open all crossings into the devastated enclave to prevent famine spreading.

Gaza - Israel war 7 October 2025 - OCHA - UNICEF - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO

Gaza - Israel war 7 October 2025 - OCHA - UNICEF - WHO ENG FRA

Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain: UN humanitarians

Two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, UN humanitarians on Tuesday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an aid surge to alleviate Palestinians’ suffering, as talks on a US-driven peace plan continued in Egypt.

Justice for Syria's disappeared - Riyad Avlar – 06 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News

Justice for Syria's disappeared - Riyad Avlar – 06 October 2025 ENG FRA

Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at Human Rights Council on Ukraine: “This war needs to end”

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at Human Rights Council on Ukraine: “This war needs to end” ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.

30 minutes in a Gaza hospital - UNICEF - WHO - ICRC

1

1

1

Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC

30 minutes in a Gaza hospital - UNICEF - WHO - ICRC ENG FRA

Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital 

UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s Oral update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti

2

1

2

Edited News | OHCHR

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s Oral update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.

The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.