IPI Global Observatory - Interview with Mark Bowden, UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator for Somalia

In this interview, Mark Bowden, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator for Somalia, discusses the challenges facing Somalia after the 2011 food crisis, as well as the nation’s dependency on humanitarian assistance. Somalia has been receiving humanitarian assistance for decades, with on average 43 percent of its gross national income based on foreign aid. There are 2.5 million people in Somalia who are dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival, and a further 1.3 million people who are supported by it. In 2011, Somalia was dubbed the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Despite early warning systems that pointed to famine, donors were reluctant to provide aid due to potential terrorist threats in the areas that would receive it. As a result, donors waited much later to allocate the resources necessary to mitigate the crisis. Mr. Bowden also spoke about the inherent tensions between the work of the humanitarian community and the political arms of the United Nations, and addressed the implications of emerging humanitarian players in Somalia. The interview was conducted by Jérémie Labbé, Senior Policy Analyst, International Peace Institute.Listen to interview (or download mp3):

more..Interview with Mark Bowden, UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator for Somalia