STORY: Somali government, UNDP and UN-HABITAT

launch Innovation Challenge for young people

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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 31/JANUARY/2018, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, Mark Lowcock, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and
Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations and Achim Steiner, Under
Secretary-General and Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
meet the staff members at the Drought Operations Coordination Centre
2. Med shot, Mark Lowcock, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and
Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations and Achim Steiner, Under
Secretary-General and Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
meet the staff members at the Drought Operations Coordination Centre
3. Close up, Vincent Lelei, Deputy UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia
4. Wide shot, staff members present during the meeting
5. Med shot, staff members present during the meeting
6. Close up, staff members present during the meeting
7. Med shot, Mark Lowcock, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and
Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations and Achim Steiner, Under
Secretary-General and Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
meet the staff members at the Drought Operations Coordination Centre
8. Wide shot, Mark Lowcock, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and
Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations and Achim Steiner, Under
Secretary-General and Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
meet the staff members at the Drought Operations Coordination Centre
9. Wide shot, the High-Level delegation meets Somali Youth innovators
10. Close up, Michael Keating, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-
General (SRSG) for Somalia
11. Wide shot, Mark Lowcock, UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Achim Steiner, Under Secretary-General and
Administrator, United Nations Development Programme and Mahmoud
Mohieldin, Senior Vice President for the 2030 Development Agenda, United
Nations Relations and Partnerships, World Bank meet Somali Youth innovators
12. Med shot, Achim Steiner, Under Secretary-General and Administrator, United
Nations Development Programme and Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice
President for the 2030 Development Agenda, United Nations Relations and
Partnerships, World Bank
13. Wide shot, the High-Level delegation meets Somali youth innovators
14. Med shot, some of the innovations from the Somali youth on display
15. Close up, the High-Level delegation meets Somali youth innovators
16. Med shot, the High-Level delegation meets Somali youth innovators
17. Close up, Michael Keating, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-
General (SRSG) for Somalia
18. Wide shot, the High-Level delegation meets Somali youth innovators
19. Med shot, the High-Level delegation meets Somali youth innovators
20. Wide shot, the delegation chairs the conference meeting with the youth
21. Med shot, Mark Lowcock, UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and Achim Steiner, Under Secretary-General
and Administrator, United Nations Development Programme and Mahmoud
Mohieldin, Senior Vice President for the 2030 Development Agenda, United
Nations Relations and Partnerships, World Bank
22. Close up, a participant present during the conference
23. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) ACHIM STEINER, UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL AND
ADMINISTRATOR, UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME.
“To the Government of Somalia, I would like to say thank you for giving us an
opportunity to try this out. You are the best hope that something will be
different tomorrow. We write a lot of reports, we do a lot of emergency support.
But what we love the most is to work with people like you because if we can
succeed with you, to help you to the next level, you will take Somalia to its next
level.”

24. Wide shot, youth participants present at the conference

25. Med shot, Michael Keating, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-
General (SRSG) for Somalia
26. Close up, a participant present during the conference
27. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) MARK LOWCOCK, UN UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR
HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR, UNITED
NATIONS.
“No country wants to be reliant on emergency assistance. And the only way I can
achieve my dream of not being needed anymore is if Achim is fantastically
successful in helping all of you to be fantastically successful. So, as far as I am
concerned, you are the solution to my problems so good luck and thank you and
please keep going.”

28. Wide shot, youth participants present at the conference

29. Med shot, Achim Steiner, Under Secretary-General and Administrator, United
Nations Development Programme and Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice
President for the 2030 Development Agenda, United Nations Relations and
Partnerships, World Bank
30. Close up, participants present at the conference
31. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) MAHMOUD MOHIELDIN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR
THE 2030 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA, UNITED NATIONS RELATIONS AND
PARTNERSHIPS, WORLD BANK.
 “I saw very good ideas today. (As) the World Bank, we do business with
governments directly. But we have a very strong private sector arm, which is
called the International Finance Corporation or the IFC. I am pleased to know
from my colleague today that we have a fund of around $10 million dedicated for
Somalia to help the start-ups, small and micro entreprises. So, that could join
forces very soon.”

32. Med shot, participants present at the conference

33. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) ABDULLAHI ALAS, RESILIENCE COORDINATOR IN THE
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF PLANNING, INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT.
“We really don’t want to be dependent on humanitarian (support). And this is
the way out. This is the way people could be resilient and this is I think
something that we can really look into.”

34. Wide shot, participants present at the conference

Somali government, UNDP and UN-HABITAT launch Innovation Challenge for

young people

Mogadishu, 31 January 2018 - Youth in Somalia are being urged to develop solutions
for tackling the many problems facing internally displaced persons (IDPs) in their
country.

A major “innovation challenge” initiative to seek ideas from young Somalis on

improving the living conditions of IDPs was launched today by the Federal
Government of Somalia and two UN agencies, the United Nations Development
programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-
HABITAT).

The challenge is part of an ongoing UNDP-led project dubbed “Innovate for Somalia”
in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic
Development and the Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry. The third of its kind,
the new innovation project is open to young Somali IDPs, returnees and young
people from host communities.

Top UN officials including the Under Secretary-General and Administrator of the

UNDP, Achim Steiner, the Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN
Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, and World Bank Senior Vice-President
Mahmoud Mohieldin expressed their full support for the project during their
discussions with young Somalis on the second day of their visit to Somalia.
Youth participants at the camp explained their business ideas to the visiting UN
officials and Mr. Mohieldin, which range from online applications and tools, to
improved milk processing and livestock feeding techniques.

“No country wants to be reliant on emergency assistance,” Mr. Lowcock told a

gathering of young innovators in the capital Mogadishu. “And the only way I can
achieve my dream of not being needed anymore (as UN Emergency Relief
Coordinator) is if Achim (Steiner) is fantastically successful in helping all of you to be
fantastically successful. As far as I am concerned, you are the solution, and good
luck,” he remarked.

An official of the federal planning ministry welcomed innovative ideas developed by

young Somalis that can address the various social and economic difficulties facing
their country.

“We really don’t want to be dependent on humanitarian support. This is the way
out, and this is something we can look into,” said the ministry’s resilience
coordinator Abdullahi Alas.

Mr. Steiner advised the youth to develop professional networks to promote their
innovations. “We do a lot of emergency support. But what we love the most is to
work with people like you because if we can succeed with you, to help you to the
next level, you will take Somalia to its next level,” he said.

The senior World Bank executive called on young Somalis to maximize the
opportunities provided by the government, civil society and Somalia’s development
partners under the innovation challenge.

“As the World Bank, we do business with governments directly. But we have a very
strong private sector arm, and I am pleased to know from my colleague today that
we have a fund of around $10 million dedicated for Somalia to help the start-ups,
small and micro enterprises,” noted Mr. Mohieldin.

The inaugural “Innovate for Somalia” camp was held in October 2017, where young
people were given the opportunity to pitch their business ideas in order to raise
start-up funding. The most viable solutions for improving the living conditions and
livelihoods of IDPs will be supported through entrepreneurship trainings, incubation
and access to finance.
The senior UN officials and Mr. Mohieldin also visited the Drought Operations
Coordination Centre on the final day of their visit to get a briefing on the efforts of
UN agencies and local and international non-governmental organizations to meet
the needs of millions of Somalis who have been hard hit by the drought.

END