Vice President of Hirshabelle launches joint UN and Government project to address displacement

Midnimo-II aims to support the Government of Somalia to provide long term, durable solutions to displacement across Hirshabelle and Galmadug. It is the second phase of the Midnimo project, expanding on the success of Midnimo I which focused on Jubaland, South West State and Balcad in Hirshabelle. It is funded by the United Nations Peace Building Fund, as part of the UN’s ongoing work to build peace and stability in Somalia.

The project is part of a five-project portfolio funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund, that was launched in Mogadishu by the Federal Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation, with the support of United Nations Integrated Office in Somalia.

The launch of the project in Hirshabelle was attended by officials from the Office of the President of Hirshabelle and from a number of Hirshabelle government ministries.  Representatives from NGOs, civil society, youth sectors and from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) also attended the event.  The Hirshabelle component of the project is coordinated by the state’s Inter-Ministerial Committee which is chaired by Hirshabelle President H.E Mohamed Abdi Waare.

Speaking during the Hirshabelle project launch, Vice President Ali Abdullahi Hussein emphasized the need to work together to address the root causes of displacement. “We must ensure a dignified and voluntary return, and local integration of IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons). The Midnimo-II project plays an important role in this,” he said.

According to the Somalia Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2019, there are 2.6 million internally displaced people and 131,200 refugees and refugee returnees across Somalia, with 80 percent of the displaced population living in urban areas.

As a result of such a large population moving into urban centres, existing infrastructure has become insufficient to meet the demand, leaving vulnerable populations at higher risk, in particular leaving women and children at risk of exploitation and abuse due to lack of access to income and basic services.

To address these needs project aims to support IDP and host communities to identify and drive solutions to displacement through community interaction and input on the project activities. It will be implemented by the Governments of Hirshabelle and Galmadug and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and UN-Habitat. 

The joint activities of the three UN agencies is part of a one UN approach to addressing development challenges in Somalia. UNDP will work to support livelihoods and employment, as well as public-private partnerships and markets, for better job opportunities for people in displaced and host communities.  IOM will facilitate community engagement on project priorities and on building social cohesion and stability within communities. IOM will also support the establishment of a social accountability mechanism to ensure services reach all members of a community, including vulnerable community members.  

UN-Habitat will work with local government to improve land management and land legislation, and to build the capacities of local government to carry out effective town planning and improvement of settlements. The UN human settlements agency will also support the construction of infrastructure projects prioritized by IDP and host communities.

Following the successful start of the project in Hirshabelle, Midnimo II will be launched in Galmudug in May-June 2019.