STORY: Somali activists call for robust action to tackle climate challenges
DATELINE: Sept. 2, 2023
LENGTH: 0:01:47
LOCATION: Mogadishu
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT/POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of human rights officers conducting a session at a three-day training on climate change and human rights
2. various of participants attending the training
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Somali): ABDILATIF HUSSEIN OMAR, Executive director of Action for Environment
4. various of participants attending the training
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Somali): SUWEYDA MOHAMED ABDI, Chairperson of the Green Light Association

STORYLINE:

Young activists from Somalia wrapped up a three-day training session in the capital of Mogadishu Thursday, calling for effective action to combat the negative impacts of climate change on vulnerable groups across the country.
   
The 22 young activists who spoke at the UN-backed training on the nexus between human rights and climate change said the country has been experiencing a humanitarian crisis due to climate shocks which have led to widespread drought and flooding, according to a statement issued Thursday evening.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Somali): ABDILATIF HUSSEIN OMAR, Executive director of Action for Environment
"Floods which are a result of climate change destroy farms and damage crops, which leads to food insecurity and that is the reason why most of the people in IDP camps are given nutritional food in order to treat malnutrition."

The training was part of a wider effort to help create a vibrant cohort of young Somali environmental activists. 

Some 8 million people in the East African country are in need of urgent assistance, with 6.5 million expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity and 1.3 million displaced due to conflict or climatic shocks, according to the UN.

Suweyda Mohamed Abdi, chairperson of the Green Light Association, another organization that promotes environmental conservation and sustainable development in Somalia, said her organization is actively involved in activities to reverse the effects of climate change through awareness campaigns in schools and tree-planting exercises. 

SOUNDBITE 2 (Somali): SUWEYDA MOHAMED ABDI, Chairperson of the Green Light Association
"On our environmental campaigns, we have made great strides and initiated weekly clean-ups at Lido Beach, and this has been very successful."

Participants were primarily made up of university students and academics and civil society representatives studying or working on climate change issues. They focused on a range of human rights topics interlinked with climate change, such as the right to a healthy environment.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Mogadishu.
(XHTV)