Dh11.4m UAE-UK effort to help Somali women

Dubai: Joint funding of Dh11.4 million to help Somalia tackle the issue of sexual violence in conflict was expected to be announced yesterday by Foreign Secretary William Hague and Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The new funding, agreed during the first state visit to the UK by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, comes ahead of a major London conference on Somalia on May 7 at which tackling sexual violence will be discussed. The Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) remains one of the foreign secretary’s top priorities.

The Government of Somalia has publicly committed to improving the lives of women in Somalia, addressing the problem of sexual violence and combating the impunity which surrounds these terrible crimes. The £2 million (£1 million each from the UK and UAE) will provide support to the Federal Government, including training and capacity-building and help them to deliver PSVI recommendations due to be made by the United Nations Team of Experts when they visit Somalia later this year.

Suffering

Commenting on the announcement, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “Women and girls in Somalia have suffered acutely from sexual violence as a result of the conflict. I am pleased that through the UK’s close partnership with the UAE we can go some way to supporting the Federal Government of Somalia’s efforts to address this issue and improve the lives of women and girls.”

Shaikh Abdullah said in a statement, “The UAE applauds the UK’s strong leadership in bringing countries together to tackle the unacceptable prevalence of sexual violence in conflict situations. Through this contribution, the UAE is delighted to be able to support the Somali government in its efforts to protect and empower women.”

The UAE and UK are providing £1 million each to support the Government of Somalia in tackling sexual violence. This funding will be used to build the federal government’s capacity to tackle the issue of sexual violence and to support the Federal Government in delivering on recommendations due to be made by the Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict’s office following an assessment of the issues in Somalia by a team of experts.