Somali Observatory for Humanitarian Affairs The Voice of Reality.. The Eye of Humanitarian Truth in Somalia
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GENEVA – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that the health and nutrition crisis facing children in Somalia is worsening amid declining humanitarian funding and the closure of dozens of health and nutrition facilities, while the country continues to face the effects of drought, displacement and conflict, alongside growing climate-related risks. The agency said the reduction in aid is already having a direct impact on children’s and families’ access to essential services at a time when humanitarian needs are increasing and pressures on the most vulnerable groups are intensifying.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said during a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva that 205 health and nutrition facilities had already closed as a result of unprecedented cuts in humanitarian aid, with the impact becoming increasingly visible in services provided to children. He added that during the first six months of this year, admissions of children to stabilization centres for treatment of severe acute malnutrition and related complications increased by 32 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Elder said the decline in functioning facilities means mothers and their children are having to travel longer distances to obtain treatment, potentially delaying medical intervention and resulting in children arriving at health facilities in more serious conditions. He noted that the increase in admissions to stabilization centres does not necessarily reflect a direct rise in the number of children becoming malnourished, but is also linked to reductions in preventive, early-detection and community-based services, meaning some children are reaching specialized care only after their health has significantly deteriorated.
Somalia is simultaneously facing a combination of overlapping pressures, including severe drought in parts of the north, conflict and displacement, rising fuel and fertilizer costs, as well as anticipated climate-related risks in the coming months. UNICEF warned that these factors could further weaken household capacity to secure food and healthcare for children, while declining humanitarian services could widen the gap between the scale of needs and the available capacity to respond.
In the health and nutrition sectors, UNICEF said funding cuts have already contributed to a 30 per cent reduction in health and nutrition service coverage, while nearly one million children under five, adolescent girls and women are at risk of losing access to nutrition services. The agency also indicated that about 1.9 million children are projected to be affected by malnutrition in Somalia this year, including nearly half a million children at risk of severe acute malnutrition, underscoring the urgent need to maintain prevention, treatment and community-based services.
UNICEF stressed that the consequences of funding shortages extend beyond health and nutrition to water, education and child protection, noting that continued resource reductions could threaten essential services on which millions of people depend. The agency said more than 1.6 million people need access to safe water, while more than 800,000 people are at risk of losing essential hygiene supplies, as education and child protection services are also coming under increasing pressure because of funding shortfalls.
The agency called for the preservation and strengthening of life-saving services rather than their reduction, emphasizing that protecting the most vulnerable children requires an integrated response covering health, nutrition, water, education and protection. Continued cooperation among the Somali government, humanitarian partners and donors is also needed to direct available resources toward the areas and groups facing the greatest needs, while strengthening community-based services, prevention and early detection to reduce the need for late and more costly medical interventions.
The latest warning comes as Somalia faces a complex humanitarian crisis driven by the combined effects of climate shocks, conflict, displacement, deteriorating livelihoods and declining humanitarian funding. UNICEF has previously noted that limited access to health and nutrition services, combined with drought and deteriorating water and sanitation conditions, increases the risks of malnutrition and disease among children. Against this backdrop, sustaining essential services is increasingly important beyond the immediate emergency response, as maintaining health and nutrition facilities, supporting health workers, strengthening community-based services and improving early-warning systems can help prevent children’s conditions from deteriorating before they reach critical stages. Addressing the underlying drivers of the crisis through support for food security, livelihoods, safe water and community resilience also remains essential to reducing children’s exposure to recurring shocks and shifting the humanitarian response from treating the consequences of crises toward strengthening prevention and preparedness.
