Somaliland: EU Launches Berbera Beach Project with Berbera Municipality, UN-Habitat

Today, the European Union held a ground-breaking ceremony to launch the Berbera Beach Development, part of the EU funded Urban development project that was launched in 2020. The Beach component will be implemented by the Berbera Municipality and UN-Habitat over the next 7 months.

The Berbera Beach project, which will particularly focus on inclusion and livelihood creation, will have the following areas: a family area, a female-only area where girls and women can enjoy the beach and the sea freely, sports and youth facilities for girls and boys, a market area, a recycling facility and pocket spaces reserved as public areas to rest, play, host street vendors or small cultural activities.

“The new Berbera beach project will not only be an attractive recreation opportunity for the people of Berbera, but also a unique economic opportunity. It will attract a large number of visitors and thus create revenues for the region, business opportunities for the private sector, and direct and indirect employment for residents,” said the EU Ambassador to Somalia, Nicolas Berlanga Martinez.

“The public space development at the beach will unlock its potential as an asset for tourism. Consequently, these public spaces will create a vibrant and accessible environment that integrate the needs of a variety of stakeholders, especially the most vulnerable groups such as children, youth, girls, waste pickers and those working in the informal sector,” said Ishaku Maitumbi, Officer in charge of UN-Habitat Somalia Programme.

The municipality identified the beachfront as a priority area for the urban regeneration of Berbera following the current trends of the city growth and the recommendations from the review of the 2017 Strategic Development Plan.

Background:

The Berbera Beach development is part of the larger EUR 7.5M Berbera Urban Development project that was launched in January 2020. UN-Habitat in collaboration with the Berbera Municipality is implementing this urban development project aimed at contributing to inclusive and sustainable urban development and economic growth through improved waste management, infrastructure and services.

Other than the beach development, the municipality aims to improve infrastructure and services of the Beach Road and the main street connecting the beachfront with the city centre. This is a great opportunity to increase connectivity and accessibility of the road, developing a people-oriented network of public spaces, as well as support the future development of the city.

The Berbera public space regeneration project follows the UN-Habitat principle for quality public space network to envision an inclusive and vibrant city. The project also works towards the achievement of the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals 11 to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable and provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces for all by the year 2030.

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