Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Urges International Community to Scale Up Climate Finance

Addis Ababa, September 8, 2025 (FMC) – Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud today called on the international community to provide climate finance at an adequate scale and on appropriate terms, stressing that Africa’s development and global decarbonization are inseparable.

Speaking at the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in Addis Ababa, President Hassan Sheikh highlighted Somalia’s vulnerability to climate change despite its negligible contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.

“The climate crisis is exacting a severe toll on the Somali people,” he said, citing the devastating 2021–2023 drought that affected 7.8 million people—nearly half of Somalia’s population—causing widespread food insecurity, loss of livelihoods, and millions of internally displaced persons.

President Mohamud outlined Somalia’s climate initiatives, including submission of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0—the first among East African nations—and the launch of the “Green Somalia Initiative,” which aims to plant 10 million trees. He also noted the establishment of the National Climate Fund and the 2024 launch of the Green Climate Fund partnership to mobilize $100 million for climate action in Somalia.

Concluding his address, President Mohamud urged global partners to “operationalize and capitalize loss and damage mechanisms, turning pledges into predictable, timely disbursements that reach frontline countries like Somalia directly.”

He emphasized Africa’s moral and strategic case, stating, “Decarbonizing the global economy is inseparable from delivering development in Africa,” and called on the summit to transition “from declarations to collective, tangible delivery.”