GAROWE, Somalia — The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and Germany’s development bank KfW have signed an agreement to implement a new project aimed at improving land and water management and strengthening climate-resilient livelihoods in Somalia’s Puntland region.
The Sustainable Land and Water Management in Puntland (SLM-P) project is intended to address some of the pressures facing rural and pastoral communities, including land degradation, water shortages and climate-related shocks.
The agreement comes as Puntland seeks to strengthen the resilience of its agricultural and pastoral economy. The region’s latest five-year development plan places resilience to climate and environmental pressures among its major priorities.
The project builds on broader efforts by UNOPS and international partners to improve water access, sustainable natural-resource management and climate-resilient infrastructure in Puntland. A separate $11.8 million initiative launched this year by the African Development Bank, UNOPS and the World Food Programme is supporting climate-resilient agricultural and pastoral livelihoods in Puntland and Hirshabelle.
For communities that depend heavily on livestock and agriculture, better management of land and water can help reduce the effects of drought and other climate shocks while protecting livelihoods and food production.
Earlier KfW-supported planning for sustainable land, water and soil management in Puntland identified the Nugaal region as a priority, with the aim of reducing soil degradation and erosion while improving water infrastructure for agro-pastoral communities.
The latest agreement therefore adds to a growing portfolio of international-backed programmes seeking to move Puntland from repeated emergency responses toward longer-term investments in climate resilience, natural-resource management and sustainable livelihoods.
UNOPS has made climate-resilient infrastructure and capacity-building a major part of its work in Somalia, working with government institutions and development partners on projects designed to help communities withstand droughts, floods and environmental degradation.
