Note: This document may not always reflect the actual appropriations determined by Congress. Final budget allocations for USAID's programs are not determined until after passage of an appropriations bill and preparation of the Operating Year Budget (OYB).
SOMALIA
FY 1998 Development Fund for Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,000,000 FY 1998 P.L. 480 Title II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,936,000 Introduction
The United States remains engaged in Somalia with a modest assistance program because it is a potential source of instability in the Horn of Africa, which threatens our investments in neighboring countries, like Ethiopia. It is also in the U.S. interest to prevent the reoccurrence of widespread famine, which could again require an even more costly humanitarian intervention.Currently, the situation in Somalia remains little changed. Somalia still lacks a national government. At the same time, the mass starvation that existed in Somalia in the early 1990s continues to be averted. Unfortunately, civil strife still haunts many parts of the country, most of it based on clan and sub-clan disputes. There is no consistent pattern to this clan warfare; it rises and falls as a result of unpredictable events. Regions which are calm one week can be embroiled in conflict the next. Planning of any kind in this type of environment can be very precarious. The ever present danger is that Somalia could very easily slip back into a crisis condition, requiring another massive and expensive humanitarian response. Radical fundamentalist Islamic forces are also gaining strength, particularly in rural areas; they could emerge to fill the power vacuum created as warring factions dissipate themselves.
The Development Challenge.
Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world. In almost all standard poverty indicators, including life expectancy, per capita income, child morbidity and mortality, it has perennially ranked in the lowest 10%. It is chronically food deficient. Somalia's ecological environment is extremely fragile and dependent on rainfall, which is rarely consistent.For half a decade there has been no central government in Somalia and this situation is probably not going to change for the foreseeable future. There are several ongoing international efforts to forge national reconciliation; thus far, these have yielded very limited progress. During the past year, one of the faction leaders, General Aideed, was killed; however, his death does not seem to have altered the status quo, and Somalia remains a "failed state."
Food security is restricted by the lack of availability of food, due to weather and security constraints, and access to food, due to insufficient incomes. In view of this insecure food environment, and the fragmented political and security situation existing in Somalia, the country presents, in the context of Greater Horn of Africa, considerable opportunities for both food security enhancement and conflict prevention.
In a number of areas of the country, however, indigenous organizations have established themselves and have begun to assume responsibility at a local level. These include local administrative structures at the district and regional levels, and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Building upon these nascent organizations, by helping them to increase their institutional and organizational capacities, offers one of the best opportunities for success in Somalia both now and in the future.
Other Donors
The Somalia Aid Coordination Body (SACB)--comprised of 70 different entities including all the donor countries and UN agencies, other donors, United Nations agencies and NGOs working in Somalia, has been active since early 1994, and proven to be a dynamic and potent force in the development of a common donor approach to Somalia, perhaps unique in the world. To date, the SACB has focused itsefforts somewhat disproportionately on political and security issues. Recently, however, more results-oriented sectoral development committees have been established. Many of these committees, such as those concentrating on health, water, and food security, fit neatly with USAID's recently approved Integrated Strategy Plan (ISP). USAID/Somalia will also be tracking results achieved by the SACB, of which USAID assistance forms a part.The European Union (EU) continues to be Somalia's largest donor. It has donated approximately $120 million under LOME III. The United States is the second largest donor. The Italians, British, French, Dutch and Swedes are all active participants in the SACB and have modest assistance levels.
The United Nations in late 1996 issued a Joint Appeal on Somalia, endorsed by the SACB, which the donors will review and against which they will be making pledges, depending on their own country priorities.
FY 1998 Program
The likelihood of a functioning national government being established in Somalia during the 1997-1998 period is remote. USAID will continue to respond to humanitarian relief situations in order to prevent them from becoming large-scale, costly emergencies. USAID will also devote its attention to the delicate food security equation by seeking to maintain and/or increase agricultural production and by facilitating the movement of food commodities from surplus to deficit areas. One of the most promising areas of USAID assistance is the rebuilding of civil society. This is taking the form of working with NGOs and local administrative structures, bringing about responsive and responsible government at the local level. Additionally, emphasis will be given to the natural inclination of Somalis toward entrepreneurship through the development of small-scale businesses.Additionally, the return of some of the 500,000 Somali refugees in the region is anticipated. USAID will help facilitate the return and reintegration of these people through coordination with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
USAID only recently approved an Integrated Strategy Plan for Somalia. Therefore, tracking of results for program objectives will begin in FY 1997.
Agency Goal: Encouraging Economic Growth
Somalia continues to suffer from an extremely precarious security environment. Some areas are quite insecure, while others are relatively peaceful. In the last few years, Somalia has made great gains in increasing household food security. These gains, however, are quite fragile, due to security constraints, failure of rains in some areas, and flooding in other areas.
One USAID objective is to improve food security in Somalia to prevent the country from sliding back into chaos. Agricultural production areas are being targeted, but much will depend on the ever changing security situation in these areas. Initially, USAID/Somalia will focus in the Lower and Middle Juba and to a lesser extent in Hiraan and the Lower and Middle Shabelle. In areas where security conditions permit, Title II food, administered by the World Food Program (WFP), will be used to support local initiatives that enhance food security through rehabilitation of the agricultural sector and providing inputs to farmers.
These projects will benefit farmers and their families through direct inputs of seeds and tools, and, for example, by improving rural feeder roads, enhancing efficiency of available water use, and rehabilitating arable land. Additionally, much of USAID's assistance to agriculture will be in support of stabilizing areas where Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees are likely to return.
The WFP and the UNHCR are USAID's primary partners in this Strategic Objective. However,implementation will be carried out through U.S., international and Somali NGOs, many of which are also working with us on the other objectives.
* Strategic Objective 1: Improve Foundation for Food Crop Production in Target Areas
* Strategic Objective 2: Critical Needs Met for Targeted Vulnerable Groups.
* Special Program Objective 1: Community Capacity Increased to Meet their Own Needs in Target
Areas.
Agency Goal: Stabilizing Population Growth and Protecting Human Health
All of the funding requested for this goal will be used for health activities. Access to critical health care services in Somalia is extremely limited. Diarrhoeal and respiratory diseases, along with malaria, continue to be the most common ailments, which are often fatal when combined with malnutrition. USAID provides assistance to UNICEF and NGOs to maintain a network of primary health care services throughout the country, with the aim of reducing mortality and morbidity among target groups. Importance is attached to maternal and child health care, nutritional surveillance, health education, and child immunization. USAID is a member of the SACB-linked Health Coordination Steering Committee, which ensures coordination and collaboration among agencies implementing health projects in Somalia. The Steering Committee focuses on both emergency response to outbreaks, for example of cholera, TB and malaria, and longer term development issues such as health financing.
The United States and the European Union are exploring joint programming, aimed at cutting costs and increasing efficiency and breadth of services. Both currently support UNICEF's immunization program and jointly provide funding to NGO-implemented programs in the health, water and sanitation sectors.
Strategic Objective 2: Critical Needs Met for Targeted Vulnerable Groups. Agency Goal: Building Democracy
Somalia continues to exist as a "failed state", where quite often the barrel of the gun substitutes for the rule of law. However, while efforts to form a central government in Somalia may be discouraging, there is more reason for optimism with regard to what is happening in local government in many regions. Most of Somalia at the district level has some form of a local administrative structure in place.
In many cases, district level administrative structures are aggregating and forming multi-district or regional administrative structures. Thus, at the local level the foundation is being built for a decentralized confederation or federation of regional governments. Of the 18 former regions in Somalia, nine regions have functioning governments; two regions have a partial regional authority; two regions are attempting to form governments; one regional government has been suppressed; and, only four regions, including Mogadishu, are unable to form regional administrations due to continuing insecurity. USAID/Somalia program objectives are encouraging this process. It is hoped that this patchwork of local administrations may, over time, percolate into a viable, decentralized national state, operating as either a confederation or a federation. For the short term, shared lessons learned between these local administrative structures should translate into better local service delivery, and into a more coherent civil society.
USAID supports several activities to strengthen democracy in Somalia. Through a grant to the United Nations Development Office for Somalia (UNDOS), fledgling local administrative structures are being provided with technical assistance so that they can efficiently provide services to their constituents. The genesis and raison d'etre of these local administrative structures is to promote peace and, second, to deliver services. In FY 1997/1998, USAID will finance the UNDOS work in two regions: Middle Shabelle and Hiraan, where at present the situation is relatively peaceful and there is great promise for immediate impact. The Swedish Government will fund work in five other regions. This will include
needs assessment studies, training as well as some hands on specific technical assistance. Other donor partners, such as Italy and the EU, will contribute to the overall UNDOS operations budget.
Through the CARE umbrella grant, USAID bolsters another pillar of civil society: the non-profit, independent sector. The NGOs funded by CARE are mostly indigenous, and are engaged in sustainable, grassroots development activities that are addressing needs not able to be reached by local government administrations. The United States and the EU are actively exploring options for joint programming in building democracy.
* Special Program Objective 1: Community Capacity Increased to Meet Their Own Needs in Target
Areas
Agency Goal: Providing Humanitarian Assistance
Somalia is still struggling to recover from the crisis of 1991-92 when the country experienced mass starvation. The Somali economy as a whole remains extremely fragile. Somalia's infant, child and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world. Many households have few or no resources to fall back on in the event of a setback, making vulnerable populations prone to rapid deterioration.
Due to its unpredictable drought periods and lack of employment opportunities, Somalia has always been a country at risk with regards to localized food insecurity. USAID is working with WFP to support people in rural areas who are affected or displaced by harvest failure or civil strife, food aid, in order for them to resume normal living conditions. In partnership with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and WFP, USAID provides food for supplementary and therapeutic feeding to vulnerable groups, mainly malnourished children, at organized feeding centers and mother-and-child clinics throughout the country.
In addition, the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning System program (FEWS), in cooperation with the SACB-led Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU) and NGOs, systematically collects information on food production, market conditions, malnutrition levels, import and export activities and local coping mechanisms. FEWS analyses factors contributing to food insecurity, including rainfall data, livestock grazing patterns and market prices of food. By analyzing these and other trends, FEWS can help predict areas of food insecurity and facilitate early targeting of vulnerable groups.
Strategic Objective 1: Improve Foundation for Food Crop Production in Target Areas. * Special Program Objective 1: Community Capacity Increased to Meet their Own Needs in Target
Areas.
SOMALIA
FY 1998 PROGRAM SUMMARY
Encouraging Broad-based Economic
Growth
Stabilizing Population
Growth & Protecting
Human Health
Protecting
the
Environment
Building
Democracy
Providing
Humanitarian Assistance
Totals
USAID Strategic Objectives and Special Programs Objectives SO1: Improve Foundation for Food Crop Production in Target Areas. Dev. Fund for Africa
P.L. 480 Title II
1,000,000
---
---
---
---
---
---
---
---
3,436,000
1,000,000
3,436,000
SO2: Critical Needs Met for Targeted Vulnerable Groups. Dev. Fund for Africa
P.L. 480 Title II
790,000
---
710,000
---
---
---
---
---
---
1,000,000
1,500,000 1,000,000
SPO1: Community Capacity Increased to Meet Their Own Needs in Target Areas. Dev. Fund for Africa
P.L. 480 Title II
1,000,000
---
---
---
---
---
500,000
---
---
500,000
1,500,000
500,000
Total Dev. Fund for Africa
P.L. 480 Title II
2,790,000
---
710,000
---
---
---
500,000
---
---
4,936,000
4,000,000
4,936,000
USAID Representative: John H. Bierke
ACTIVITY DATA SHEET
PROGRAM : SOMALIA
TITLE AND NUMBER: Improved Foundation for Food Crop Production in Target Areas, 649-SO01
STATUS: Continuing
PROPOSED OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: FY 1998: $1,000,000 DFA, $3,436,000 P.L. 480, Title II
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1997; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 1999
Purpose: To rehabilitate the agriculture sector in Somalia, in order to improve household food security.
Background: Somalia has had no central government since the ouster of Siad Barre in 1991. The country's agriculture sector, in particular, has been in a constant state of crisis due to continuing insecurity, drought and flooding, making food security precarious for hundreds of thousands of people.
USAID Role and Achievements to Date: USAID support includes technical and budgetary assistance to its implementing partners in a comprehensive effort to rehabilitate Somalia's agriculture sector. As a result, progress is being made in the areas of infrastructure and supply of farmers' inputs. Total crop production has risen from 43% of the pre-war average level in 1995 to 63% of pre-war average today.
Description: USAID aims to improve agricultural infrastructure through flood prevention, road rehabilitation and more efficient use of available water supplies; and increase for farmers the availability of agricultural inputs and services, such as seeds and tools, with the aim of making the agriculture sector more productive. In view of continuing insecurity in Somalia and the lack of a national government, USAID aims to prevent the decline of current production levels, and, if possible, to increase these levels.
Host Country and Other Donors: No host country government exists. USAID is the main donor for most of the activities in the agriculture sector. The governments of Japan, Italy and the Netherlands provide monetary and food resources designed to complement the USAID-supported strategy. The Food Security Task Force under the SACB, other donors, UN agencies and NGOs, helps to coordinate the implementation of these projects.
Beneficiaries: Direct beneficiaries are farmers and their families in the major USAID-targeted areas of Lower and Middle Juba Regions and Lower and Middle Shabelle Regions. All of southern Somalia benefits from lower food prices. Additionally, improved food security will help anchor returning refugees and displaced people in their home areas.
Principal Contractors, Grantees or Agencies: USAID implements these activities through WFP (P.L. 480 Title II assistance) and, as subgrants through the CARE umbrella grant, with U.S., international and Somali NGOs such as World Vision and the International Rescue Committee.
Major Result Indicators: Baseline Target Baselines and targets are currently under To be set by June 1997 development. Area under improved natural resource management practices Production per vulnerable household Yield, based on poor, average and good growing and security conditions Number of farmers benefiting from feeder road rehabilitation Number of farmers benefiting from irrigation canal rehabilitation Number of farmers benefiting from river bank protection Number of farmers receiving agricultural inputs Number of farmers benefiting from improved agricultural infrastructure Area Planted Area Harvested
ACTIVITY DATA SHEET
PROGRAM: SOMALIA
TITLE AND NUMBER: Critical Needs Met for Targeted Vulnerable Groups, 649-SO02
STATUS: Continuing
PROPOSED OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: FY 1998: $1,500,000 DFA, $1,000,000, P.L. 480, Title II
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1997; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 1999
Purpose: To meet critical needs of the most vulnerable while strengthening the capacity to engage in productive activities.
Background: A complex emergency situation continues to prevail in Somalia for the sixth consecutive year. Since the fall of the Siad Barre dictatorship in January 1991, formation of a national government has eluded the Somali people. The absence of civil structures, a destroyed infrastructure, lack of social services, and unpredictable fighting, banditry, kidnapping, and looting, continue to severely restrict rehabilitation and recovery efforts. The general food situation in Somalia is precarious. Food insecurity is exacerbated by low purchasing power of most Somalis, due to lack of income and employment opportunities. The nutritional state of vulnerable groups is extremely fragile. Undernourished children and mothers are particularly susceptible to killer diseases; poor sanitary conditions, in general, reinforce the looming threat of cholera. Ongoing civil strife has resulted in substantial population displacement.
USAID Role and Achievements to Date: USAID resources support improvement in identifying and targeting vulnerable groups. Structured information gathering groups such as FEWS (Famine Early Warning System) and United Nations Development Office for Somalia are being strengthened and integrated into larger joint information gathering groups. Support is being given to rehabilitation of irrigation and other essential water delivery mechanisms, to the improvement of food delivery mechanisms, and to increasing and improving health services.
Description: With USAID support, UNICEF will continue its efforts to strengthen health facilities through the provision of staff training and medical kits to Maternal/Child Health (MCH) centers and health posts. UNICEF will improve the capacity of health professionals to deliver health care according to acceptable standards, and strengthen Somali health staff capacity to manage an effective Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) program that increases coverage of the high risk populations in Somalia. USAID will also support non-governmental organizations with health subgrants which focus on preventative, rather than curative, community level primary health care services. Activities include the establishment of village health posts and maternal/child health centers, the training of community health workers and traditional birth attendants, child survival interventions, and health education.
USAID-supported subgrants (with international disaster assistance funds) which increase potable water and improve sanitation conditions are being implemented by Action International Contre La Faim (AICF)/France and Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). The aim of these water and sanitation projects is to alleviate the immediate plight of vulnerable groups, improve health and hygiene conditions, and improve the utilization of household food resources for the wider population as well. Wells and latrines are being constructed and rehabilitated and regular chlorination is taking place with community health training to prevent cholera. Emergency food aid is being provided through World Food Program (WFP) and UNICEF in therapeutic and supplementary feeding programs. WFP will support food distribution to vulnerable groups as a result of drought or flooding. Logistical support is given to the UN aircraft, which enables the UN and other USAID implementing partners to respond to emergencies and to administer, supervise, equip, and staff projects.
Host Country and Other Donors: No host government exists. USAID is one of the main donors of relief activities in Somalia, with the other major donor being the European Commission Humanitarian Organization (ECHO). Regular SACB sectoral meetings in the areas of health, water and sanitation, and food security are attended by donors, UN agencies, and NGOs.
Beneficiaries: Beneficiaries include approximately 1.5 million women and children and other vulnerable groups in the central and southern zones of Somalia. Target populations include children under the age of five, pregnant and lactating women, the elderly and handicapped, war wounded, displaced families, orphans and the unemployed.
Principal Contractors, Grantees or Agencies: Currently, USAID implements these activities through UNICEF, CARE, WFP, World Vision, American Refugee Committee, International Medical Corps, AICF/France, Save the Children Fund/UK, International Committee for the Red Cross, International Committee for the Development of Peoples, and ADRA.
Major Results Indicators: Baseline TargetAcute malnutrition rates decreased To be set by June 1997 Access to primary health care increased Increased % of counterpart proposals based on structured information gathering and assessment 80% of agreed upon commodity baskets delivered Number of people served by chlorinated wells is increased
ACTIVITY DATA SHEET
PROGRAM: SOMALIA
TITLE AND NUMBER: Community Capacity Increased to Meet Their Own Needs in Target Areas, 649-SPO1
STATUS: Ongoing
PROPOSED OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: FY 1998: $1,500,000 DFA, $500,000 P.L. 480, Title II
Initial Obligation: FY 1997; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 1999
Purpose: To strengthen local administrative structures local administrative structures (LAS) to make them more efficient and more responsive to the needs of citizens; to increase the capabilities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)--the independent sector--to address community needs outside the reach of local government and to facilitate entrepreneurial income generating activities of the private sector.
Background: Even though no national government has emerged in Somalia, a number of embryonic local governments have and are being formed. Some of these show great promise. In addition, many NGOs are carrying out a vast array of activities throughout the country, many of which warrant greater support. Somali entrepreneurial talent needs opportunities to be further tapped.
USAID Role and Achievements to Date: USAID support includes activities that will inventory needs of specific local governments and then design specific technical assistance and training packages to address those needs. Through the CARE umbrella grant a significant number of NGOs have developed and grown in Somalia. In the absence of government and other structures, NGOs have taken on service delivery and other functions that would otherwise go unmet.
Description: USAID will assist the United Nations Development Office of Somalia (UNDOS) in carrying out the LAS needs assessments as well as with the follow-on technical assistance. In the absence of any central government, this should enable local governments to stand on their own after some time and eventually to become the fabric of a national state. There are three major facets to the SPO1. First, through a grant to United Nations Development Office for Somalia (UNDOS), work is being carried out to strengthen LAS, e.g., UNDOS plans to help in the development of a better and more transparent revenue collection system, so that more resources are available for community services, such as education, health and security. As a sub-component, USAID is coordinating with EU under the New Transatlantic Agency to co-finance activities and target resources at specific, promising local governments that have the best chances of success. Secondly, under the CARE umbrella grant, NGOs are strengthened so that they too can help provide communities with services that are presently outside the scope of any local government. Additionally, a small part of the CARE grant focuses on very small, private sector entrepreneurs with micro lending, which contributes to employment generation and some economic stimulation in the communities. A third facet of the SPO involves enormous amounts of mission time meeting with local Somali leaders and elders trying to explain aid programs and to forge cooperation and coordination, especially where there is factional or clan animosity. This is an extremely important part of community capacity building, with real elements of conflict prevention included in it.
Host Country and Other Donors: Work with the LAS has sparked a lot of interest among the donors. Much of the work on LAS is being carried out through UNDOS. USAID/Somalia and Sweden have specifically targeted resources to LAS activities. The European Union (EU), Italy and the United Nations Development Program are making a general contribution to the UNDOS budget, some of which will go to LAS. The EU is also assisting local governments unilaterally to help rebuild damaged local government buildings as well as other damaged or deteriorated infrastructure.
Beneficiaries The beneficiaries are local government employees, citizens who benefit from improved services, recipients of NGO assistance and small entrepreneurs.
Principal Contractors, Grantees or Agencies: USAID will implement activities through UNDOS and the CARE umbrella grants. CARE also subgrants to a host of international and indigenous NGOs.
Major Results Indicators: Baseline Target Number of municipal and regional services To be set by June 1997. provided by LAS. Revenue collection increased by X percent in target areas. Number and value of loans to small entrepreneurs.
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