The United Nations is seeking the UAE’s support on a humanitarian issue they say has seemingly been “abandoned” by the international community.
As regional crises in Syria, Yemen and South Sudan grip the world’s attention, one million Somalis remain internally displaced or forcefully in exiled in refugee camps, 27 years after the country’s civil war.
The UN is hoping the UAE and other countries will refocus their support towards the world’s most protracted refugee situation.
“It’s a refugee situation of a population that has been displaced from their country over the last 27 years living in exile in the sub-region,” said Mohammed Abdi Affey, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy on the Somali Refugee Situation.
“The countries hosting the refugees have a sense of abandonment by the international community because global attention moved to new crises so the Somali population which got displaced continue to be trapped in the refugee camps in the sub-region.”
He said funding to support the population has dwindled over the years.
“We speak now of a shortfall, we only have 15 to 18 per cent of the required budget support, but they need constant attention and support. Initially, we had over 50 per cent but this tells you that there is a fatigue in attention because of other emerging crises that compete for equal attention so the world attention has shifted.”
During his three-day visit to the UAE, Mr Affey visited a number of organisations including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, the Sharjah Research Academy and Human Appeal International in Ajman, all of which have expressed interest in helping.