The UK recognises the importance of stabilisation to security in Somalia and the region. We coordinate with international partners, the UN and the Somali Government to understand the needs of communities and support stabilisation efforts, including through our Early Recovery Initiative. The UK supports Somalia's National Programme for the Treatment and Handling of Disengaged Combatants, which aims to establish a safe pathway for low-risk combatants to disengage from non-state armed groups and sustainably reintegrate into communities. The UK also supports the Somalia Stability Fund (SSF), contributing £38 million since 2016 and leveraging a further £52.7 million from others donors over the same period demonstrating their confidence in the Fund and UK leadership. During my visit to Somalia in November, I [Minister Mitchell] pursued these issues as well as proposals to enhance UK support with the Federal Government of Somalia, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Somali Defence Minister and National Security Adviser.

The UK recognises the importance of stabilisation to security in Somalia and the region. We coordinate with international partners, the UN and the Somali Government to understand the needs of communities and support stabilisation efforts, including through our Early Recovery Initiative. The UK supports Somalia's National Programme for the Treatment and Handling of Disengaged Combatants, which aims to establish a safe pathway for low-risk combatants to disengage from non-state armed groups and sustainably reintegrate into communities. The UK also supports the Somalia Stability Fund (SSF), contributing £38 million since 2016 and leveraging a further £52.7 million from others donors over the same period demonstrating their confidence in the Fund and UK leadership. During my visit to Somalia in November, I [Minister Mitchell] pursued these issues as well as proposals to enhance UK support with the Federal Government of Somalia, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Somali Defence Minister and National Security Adviser.

The UK recognises the importance of stabilisation to security in Somalia and the region. We coordinate with international partners, the UN and the Somali Government to understand the needs of communities and support stabilisation efforts, including through our Early Recovery Initiative. The UK supports Somalia's National Programme for the Treatment and Handling of Disengaged Combatants, which aims to establish a safe pathway for low-risk combatants to disengage from non-state armed groups and sustainably reintegrate into communities. The UK also supports the Somalia Stability Fund (SSF), contributing £38 million since 2016 and leveraging a further £52.7 million from others donors over the same period demonstrating their confidence in the Fund and UK leadership. During my visit to Somalia in November, I [Minister Mitchell] pursued these issues as well as proposals to enhance UK support with the Federal Government of Somalia, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Somali Defence Minister and National Security Adviser.

The UK recognises the importance of stabilisation to security in Somalia and the region. We coordinate closely with international partners, the UN and the Somali Government to understand the needs of communities in areas recently recovered from al-Shabaab and to support stabilisation efforts. In November, I met the Somali Defence Minister and National Security Adviser and raised the need for robust planning to meet these needs during and after military operations. Our Early Recovery Initiative supports stabilisation efforts by funding Somali-led responses to priorities identified by communities, including water and protecting critical infrastructure such as bridges. However, due to significant Improvised Explosive Device contamination and the persistent threat of Al-Shabaab counter attacks, it is not feasible for humanitarian and development actors to provide more sustained health and education services in these areas at this time.

The UK is supporting discussions in communities across Somalia to encourage an end to harmful practices, including child marriage. In 2018 our programme reached over 11,000 community members and 900 religious leaders across the country. We also continue to support UN efforts with the Ministry of Women and Human Rights to strengthen the implementation of policy and appropriate legislation aimed at protecting children from this practice.

Since the devastating famine in 2011, the UK has been helping families and communities in Somalia better cope with drought and other shocks by improving water supplies, agriculture, health care and promoting economic development. We have also invested in early warning systems to better identify when and where drought will hit hardest. This means that when help is needed it can be quicker and better targeted. All this work enabled us to play a leading role, along with Somali and international partners, in preventing famine during a major drought in 2017. It is also reducing significantly the impact of humanitarian disasters due to drought and other causes in Somalia in the future.