Somalia

In 2021, in Somalia, the Fund fosters trust and social cohesion among diverse groups, in particular with regard to elections. Projects managed by UNDP and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) contributed to the construction of the electoral dispute resolution mechanism building of the Federal Government and improved the capacity of the ad hoc Electoral Dispute Resolution Committee. To enhance electoral security, a joint initiative with the Folke Bernadotte Academy helped to establish women’s situation desks in 13 Fund-supported Joint Operations Centres to address the specific electoral security concerns of women. Beyond elections, the organizations Life and Peace Institute and Somali Peace Line conducted over 630 community dialogues. The dialogues brought together young people, community members and clan elders in Baidoa, Jawhar and Caabudwaaq to jointly address community needs, including challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and foster supportive relations. Despite the gains, results were mixed following a $2 million effort of UNICEF to reduce child recruitment by armed forces and armed groups, demonstrating how difficult the road to peace is after decades of conflict. While grave violations of children’s rights continue to be a concern, the initiative managed to reach 861 former child soldiers or children at high risk, with only one reported case of recidivism. Important shifts in perception among Somali military actors, from viewing child soldiers as perpetrators to acknowledging them as victims, were another important achievement that resulted in the referral of more underage ex-combatants to children’s services rather than prosecution.