The National Climate Change Policy 2020 (NCCP) has as vision to attain a prosperous and climate resilient economy through the adoption and successful implementation of appropriate and effective climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.
The guiding principles of the Policy are: the right to sustainable development, integrated approach and prioritization of the most common good, prioritization of vulnerable groups, regions, and sectors and promotion of community ownership and participation, international partnership, and country-driven and cooperative government. Other vital principles are scientific information, decentralized implementation, mainstreaming approach, equity, fairness and social inclusion, prioritization of adaptation over mitigation and cost-effectiveness. The objectives of the policy can only be reached when cross-cutting issues that have strong impact across all sectors and receive special attention. The cross-sectorial themes identified as critical in this policy document are: capacity building, research, technology and innovation, international cooperation, information and communication, education and public awareness and mainstreaming climate change. The strategic priorities areas of the NCCP are structured in a manner consistent with the outlined objectives.
In terms of adaptation, sectors that need particular attention are agriculture, livestock, water, marine resources, forestry and biodiversity, infrastructure and urban settlements. Policy Statements for Climate Resilient Agriculture include: Launch and improve research activities in climate-smart agriculture; Promote capacity-building for farmers and build awareness on climate change issues; Develop climate-resilient cropping and strengthen the capacity to identify and promote adoption of improved seed and crop varieties that are tolerant to climate related stresses; Promote diversified land use practices, including agro-forestry, dry-land farming, urban/backyard vegetable production, beekeeping, poultry production, to reduce risk and increase the capacity of farmers to cope with droughts and floods; Promote appropriate technologies for small-scale irrigation, water re-use and water harvesting (e.g., waste/water recycling), rainwater harvesting, etc.); Develop drip irrigation that will reduce the amount of water needed for irrigation as well as other water conservation techniques. Policy Statements for Livestock sector are: Modernize traditional livestock rearing systems; Provide capacity building for livestock keepers; Enhance livestock management systems for the rural poor; Identify and strengthen local breeds that have adapted to local climatic stress; Improve local genetics through cross-breeding with heat and disease-tolerant breeds; Work towards a better understanding of the impacts of climate change on livestock, developing new breeds and genetic types; Establish early warning systems and other forecasting and crisis-preparedness systems; Enhance disease control & animal health; Breed feed crops & forage resistance to drought and heat. Policy Statements for Water sector include: Support the protection of river catchments and other sources of freshwater to secure a steady supply; Facilitate and promote water recycling, reuse and efficiency to secure steady supply of freshwater; Prioritize community level infrastructure including berkeds, shallow wells, and ponds; Gather and monitor data related to the ground and surface water resources to ensure quality and access to clean water; Undertake comprehensive hydrological analyses to understand vulnerability levels for Somalia; Periodically review existing national and water-related sectoral policies(such as agriculture, energy, environment); Develop a National Water Resources Management Master Plan, which explicitly integrates climate change; Ensure climate change is incorporated in water resources infrastructure design; Ensure improved water supply for livestock, wildlife and environment in line with the changing climate; Promote water harvesting for domestic, animal, agriculture and industrial use; Establish and strengthen water diplomacy with neighbouring countries; etc. For Marine resources policy statements include: Invest in safer harbours and landing measures to improve safety at sea due to increased storm severity; Provide capacity building to civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and partnerships ; Design and implement programmes on fisheries management and disease control; Enhance community awareness on coastal disasters and enhance plantation and regeneration of mangroves and coastal forests to combat erosion; Develop of salinity-tolerant crop cultivars. In the forestry and biodiversity sector policy statements include: Conserve and enhance forestry resources which act as both sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases; Strengthen afforestation programmes and research in forest ecosystem resilience to facilitate adaptation efforts to climate change; Conserve and rehabilitate species that are near extinction and sustain their adaptive capacity; Strengthen framework for Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and other financing mechanisms; Reduce deforestation and forest degradation; Support research to enhance understanding of climate change impacts on wildlife; Monitor and reduce the prevalence of invasive plant species; etc. Other Sectors are infrastructure and disaster preparedness.
Mitigation measures are limited and focused on the following sectors: energy; agriculture; land-use; forestry; waste; health; human right; gender; employment and migration.