Somalia and the UN have launched a multi-donor trust fund to strengthen partnerships between the government, UN and international partners in support of the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
The UN said in a statement that the Somalia Joint Fund, formerly known as Somalia Multi-Partner Trust Fund, with more than 500 million U.S. dollars in contributions since 2014, is one of the largest country-level development funds globally.
Adam Abdelmoula, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, said that country-level pooled funds such as the Somalia Joint Fund were critical for the UN’s ability to better support development aspirations of the countries concerned.
“The Somalia Joint Fund will provide the necessary flexibility to respond to complex challenges facing Somalia and to maximise synergies across the UN system through joint action,” Abdelmoula said.
He said that the fund, which was launched in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, would also serve as a platform for open and honest dialogue between Somalia and its international partners.
The Somalia Joint Fund, administered by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office in New York, seeks to mobilise 60 million dollars annually in the next three years to support the most critical and strategic priorities in Somalia.
Mohamud Abdirahman, Minister of Planning, Investment and Economic Development, Somalia, said that the fund provided the government with a mechanism to ensure international alignment with national priorities and strengthen national ownership of international development assistance.
