Back From the Brink

Seven months on from the declaration of the first famine of the 21st century, this report considers some of the lessons to
be learned and sets out the urgent action that the international
community needs to take to prioritise saving lives and rebuilding
livelihoods in Somalia. It has been jointly prepared by four
international organisations closely involved in delivering or
coordinating humanitarian aid in Somalia: Islamic Relief, the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), The Humanitarian
Forum and the Turkish Red Crescent Society.
The report’s recommendations set out how the international
community can address shortcomings in the delivery of
humanitarian aid and help achieve the kind of political progress
that is required to achieve long-term peace and prosperity.
A renewal of political will and a redoubling of diplomatic effort
are needed to seriously tackle what we see as the four key
contributory factors in this crisis:
• drought
• conflict
• inadequacies and inflexibility in aid funding
• severely restricted humanitarian access.