IOM strives to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity in Somalia by supporting safe and dignified living conditions for people in situations of displacement due to disasters and conflict. IOM seeks to strengthen preparedness and address the drivers and longer term impacts of crises, integrating the efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change. IOM will continue to respond to crises when assistance is requested by the Government and will work with civil society actors to create conditions for recovery, stabilization, social cohesion, peacebuilding, and durable solutions to internal displacement.

8.9, Very high |
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5, Very high |
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193 of 193 |
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State of Fragility | Extreme fragility |
The migration and mobility landscape of Somalia is dynamic, diverse, and complex, characterized by seasonal migration, regular and irregular migration, and a large internally displaced population. Migration drivers in Somalia are multiple and interconnected, with a range of push and pull factors such as persisting unemployment, large diaspora population, conflict, natural hazards, climate change and environmental degradation.
Somalia remains one of the most complex and protracted humanitarian crises in the world with 6.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance (HNRP 2024). Among those, 80 per cent are internally displaced persons, 65 per cent are children, and over 50 per cent are women and girls. According to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), in September 2024, 3,262,080 people were internally displaced due to recurrent droughts, floods, conflict and the presence of non-state armed groups, insecurity and forced evictions, making it one of the highest numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world (IOM DTM 2024; IDMC Internal Displacement in Africa (2009-2023)). In addition, the scheduled withdrawal of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which is expected to be completed by December 2024, will create a security vacuum, with downside risks to be especially pronounced, reducing humanitarian access and increasing the cost of humanitarian operations in Somalia.
Climate change and natural hazards are also long-term drivers of internal displacement in Somalia.
The migration and mobility landscape of Somalia is dynamic, diverse, and complex, characterized by seasonal migration, regular and irregular migration, and a large internally displaced population. Migration drivers in Somalia are multiple and interconnected, with a range of push and pull factors such as persisting unemployment, large diaspora population, conflict, natural hazards, climate change and environmental degradation.
Somalia remains one of the most complex and protracted humanitarian crises in the world with 6.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance (HNRP 2024). Among those, 80 per cent are internally displaced persons, 65 per cent are children, and over 50 per cent are women and girls. According to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), in September 2024, 3,262,080 people were internally displaced due to recurrent droughts, floods, conflict and the presence of non-state armed groups, insecurity and forced evictions, making it one of the highest numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world (IOM DTM 2024; IDMC Internal Displacement in Africa (2009-2023)). In addition, the scheduled withdrawal of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which is expected to be completed by December 2024, will create a security vacuum, with downside risks to be especially pronounced, reducing humanitarian access and increasing the cost of humanitarian operations in Somalia.
Climate change and natural hazards are also long-term drivers of internal displacement in Somalia. Somalia is one of the fastest urbanizing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, but the phenomenon of rural-to-urban migration has been driven by internal displacement. Somali pastoralists or farmers depending on climate-vulnerable livelihoods have been forced to abandon their lands and livelihoods, lose other productive assets and move to the cities without receiving support to get the skills needed to be competitive in urban economies. Indeed, in the last round of emergency trend tracking, 56 per cent of displaced persons left their areas of origin due to drought and mainly come from Bakool, Gedu and Mudug, all of which are rural areas (DTM, ETT, 5 December 2024). The lack of services and social networks further reduce the opportunities available to IDPs. Lack of urban planning, protection, services and economic opportunities puts enormous pressure on host communities and local governments, which often lack the means and capacities to deal with these complex and multifaceted challenges.
The recovery landscape in Somalia remains highly unpredictable and dynamic, influenced by a complex interplay of security, political, and social factors. While successful military operations have gradually brought districts and strategic towns under the control of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), Al-Shabaab maintains a robust presence in many areas, often continuing to play on the local suspicions of the central Government as an instrument for accumulating resources and political control, enriching and empowering only a few clans at the expense of others, and seeding inter-communal divisions. The presence of violent extremist groups remains a significant challenge in Somalia, posing a major threat to national security, longer-term recovery and regional stability.
In terms of international migration flows, Somalia is not only a country of origin but also of transit, destination, and return for tens of thousands of migrants, returnees, and refugees experiencing irregular journeys along the eastern, southern, and central Mediterranean routes, linking the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Europe. Thousands of migrants are stranded in Somalia, many of whom are vulnerable to exploitation and human rights abuses, particularly along the eastern and central Mediterranean routes (IOM,2024).
As an active member of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Cluster system, IOM ensures that project activities are in line with the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) and the priorities of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT).
IOM plays an active role in coordination with other humanitarian actors. IOM serves as a co-lead for the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster, a co-chair of the Information Management and Assessments (IMA) Working Group, a co-chair of the IDP Working Group, co-chair of the Community Engagement and Accountability Task Force (CEA TF), a member of the UNCT/HCT, as well as an active member of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Health, Nutrition, Shelter and Non-Food Items (SNFI), and Protection Clusters. IOM is also an active member of the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Sub-Cluster, the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and Disability Inclusion Technical Working groups as well as the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Inter- Agency Taskforce.
As part of a wider commitment to coordination efforts while supporting localization IOM has implemented partnerships with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) such as Somali National Women’s Organization and Somali Union of the Blind, which implement protection, GBV and disability inclusion activities across Somalia. Within the cluster system, IOM has the unique role of managing the Common Pipeline established by IOM in 2023 for in-kind shelter and non-food and WASH items. With this pipeline, IOM is pre-positioned to answer any sudden crisis onset with kits, but is also ready to resort to its existing network of partners that are well-trained through their experience with the Common Pipeline. IOM also serves as the co-chair of the Operational Cell (OC) that has been established to enable area-based coordination in 10 priority districts identified by the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP).
The CCCM Cluster aims to be a coordinating platform for camp management partners while also supplying vital data to various stakeholders, such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to further support the overall humanitarian response. The CCCM Cluster currently has seven sub-national cluster coordination hubs, with South West State and Jubaland serving as two hubs co-led by IOM.
As an active member of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Cluster system, IOM ensures that project activities are in line with the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) and the priorities of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT).
IOM plays an active role in coordination with other humanitarian actors. IOM serves as a co-lead for the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster, a co-chair of the Information Management and Assessments (IMA) Working Group, a co-chair of the IDP Working Group, co-chair of the Community Engagement and Accountability Task Force (CEA TF), a member of the UNCT/HCT, as well as an active member of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Health, Nutrition, Shelter and Non-Food Items (SNFI), and Protection Clusters. IOM is also an active member of the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Sub-Cluster, the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and Disability Inclusion Technical Working groups as well as the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Inter- Agency Taskforce.
As part of a wider commitment to coordination efforts while supporting localization IOM has implemented partnerships with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) such as Somali National Women’s Organization and Somali Union of the Blind, which implement protection, GBV and disability inclusion activities across Somalia. Within the cluster system, IOM has the unique role of managing the Common Pipeline established by IOM in 2023 for in-kind shelter and non-food and WASH items. With this pipeline, IOM is pre-positioned to answer any sudden crisis onset with kits, but is also ready to resort to its existing network of partners that are well-trained through their experience with the Common Pipeline. IOM also serves as the co-chair of the Operational Cell (OC) that has been established to enable area-based coordination in 10 priority districts identified by the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP).
The CCCM Cluster aims to be a coordinating platform for camp management partners while also supplying vital data to various stakeholders, such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to further support the overall humanitarian response. The CCCM Cluster currently has seven sub-national cluster coordination hubs, with South West State and Jubaland serving as two hubs co-led by IOM. Additionally, IOM serves as cluster focal point for the Gedo region, providing further support to the Jubaland sub-national cluster. The CCCM cluster holds monthly coordination meetings at both the national and sub-national levels, in addition to ad-hoc workshops, trainings and other strategic engagements.
The Operational Cell (OC), which represents 12 humanitarian actors in Somalia, including 6 NGOs and 6 UN agencies, and which IOM co-chairs with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), was established by the HCT to enable area-based delivery of integrated response in priority districts as per the HNRP commitments and HCT endorsed guidance.
IOM leads the Danwadaag Durable Solutions Consortium, a group of local and international NGO partners, demonstrating a critical ability to navigate the political economy and make concrete progress towards durable solutions in urban centres. The consortium carries out evidence-based interventions and invests in innovative monitoring and evaluation methods to ensure its programming is effective and responsive to the specific needs and priorities of displacement-affected communities.
In addition, in coordination with Federal Member States (FMSs) and local authorities, IOM leads the Durable Solutions Progress (DSP) survey, which aims to support the implementation of the National Durable Solutions Strategy (NDSS) by providing representative data amongst IDP and host community households.
Since 2006, IOM Somalia has established a strong track record in the delivery of frontline services to crisis-affected populations, while steadily developing models and partnerships for longer-term recovery. As the UN Migration Agency, IOM collaborates with partners to address the diverse mobility dimensions of crisis in Somalia, seeking to deliver on the promise of migration, while supporting the world’s most vulnerable. The mission maintains a strong operational presence in all regions of the country through a multitude of projects implemented by over 1,000 staff in seven offices, with its head office in Mogadishu and support office in Nairobi. Since 2017, IOM has expanded its humanitarian efforts, delivering aid in areas such as camp coordination and camp management, shelter, health, WASH, protection, and mental health.
IOM’s large footprint in the field is possible thanks to the utilization of third-party contractors who are able to access hard-to-reach locations. In addition, recruitment of third-party staff from project locations ensures acceptance and continuity of projects and enables the Organization to respond quickly in areas that are difficult to access. IOM implements activities through a mixed approach of direct and indirect implementation as it partners with national and civil society organizations. IOM in Somalia has established implementing partner agreements with over 70 organizations.
IOM Somalia focuses on addressing humanitarian needs and reducing vulnerabilities linked to longer-term interventions through protection-sensitive and conflict-sensitive programming; supporting durable solutions for displaced populations, tailored to local needs and priorities; and contributing to peacebuilding, and addressing drivers of instability and conflict, and the impacts of climate change. IOM supports government and civil society actors to create conditions for stabilization and to manage safe, orderly, and regular migration, including in pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This includes interventions related to tailored protection responses to vulnerable individuals, in particular women, girls and persons with disabilities;, the safe and dignified return and sustainable reintegration of migrants, including providing services through Migrant Reception Centres (MRCs) and building the capacity of the staff in those centres; integrated border governance (IBG) including humanitarian border management; and humanitarian support to climate-and conflict-affected Somalis, specifically IDPs and vulnerable migrants.
Since 2006, IOM Somalia has established a strong track record in the delivery of frontline services to crisis-affected populations, while steadily developing models and partnerships for longer-term recovery. As the UN Migration Agency, IOM collaborates with partners to address the diverse mobility dimensions of crisis in Somalia, seeking to deliver on the promise of migration, while supporting the world’s most vulnerable. The mission maintains a strong operational presence in all regions of the country through a multitude of projects implemented by over 1,000 staff in seven offices, with its head office in Mogadishu and support office in Nairobi. Since 2017, IOM has expanded its humanitarian efforts, delivering aid in areas such as camp coordination and camp management, shelter, health, WASH, protection, and mental health.
IOM’s large footprint in the field is possible thanks to the utilization of third-party contractors who are able to access hard-to-reach locations. In addition, recruitment of third-party staff from project locations ensures acceptance and continuity of projects and enables the Organization to respond quickly in areas that are difficult to access. IOM implements activities through a mixed approach of direct and indirect implementation as it partners with national and civil society organizations. IOM in Somalia has established implementing partner agreements with over 70 organizations.
IOM Somalia focuses on addressing humanitarian needs and reducing vulnerabilities linked to longer-term interventions through protection-sensitive and conflict-sensitive programming; supporting durable solutions for displaced populations, tailored to local needs and priorities; and contributing to peacebuilding, and addressing drivers of instability and conflict, and the impacts of climate change. IOM supports government and civil society actors to create conditions for stabilization and to manage safe, orderly, and regular migration, including in pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This includes interventions related to tailored protection responses to vulnerable individuals, in particular women, girls and persons with disabilities;, the safe and dignified return and sustainable reintegration of migrants, including providing services through Migrant Reception Centres (MRCs) and building the capacity of the staff in those centres; integrated border governance (IBG) including humanitarian border management; and humanitarian support to climate-and conflict-affected Somalis, specifically IDPs and vulnerable migrants. IOM follows an integrated approach to address the highest priority needs, including supporting economic opportunities and private sector revitalization, strengthening social cohesion between communities, and enhancing the resilience of people affected by conflict, climate change and displacement.
With its established presence, structure, and areas of programming mentioned above, IOM has the technical expertise to implement and respond to displacement in Somalia through a multi-faceted approach as its staff includes, among others, emergency coordinators; durable solutions advisors; cluster coordinators; psychologists; environmental and other engineers; economists; and protection, WASH, shelter, CCCM, health, NFI, livelihoods, economists and peacebuilding experts. IOM also has experts on safeguarding and conflict sensitivity. All the technical staff are supported by strong project managers, procurement, finance, human resource, and programme support staff and teams, as well as technical specialists at the Regional Office such as MHPSS and conflict sensitivity experts.
The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) is the primary partner for all of IOM’s activities in Somalia. This is reflected in the renewed Memorandum of Understanding that IOM Somalia signed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July 2024. IOM designs and implements its activities in close coordination with the FGS, Federal Member States (FMS), UN partners, international and national NGOs, civil society organizations (CSOs), and other relevant stakeholders. Strong and stable relations with the authorities of the host country are essential for access and acceptance.
IOM invests heavily in capacity development of the government by seconding staff to the Somalia National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS) and the National Commission for Refugees and IDPs (NCRI), and further supports these entities with material and equipment. The Organization also has binding relations with Somalia Disaster Management Authority (SoDMA) and NCRI through letters of understanding and memoranda of understanding.
At the federal level, IOM interacts directly with the Ministry of Planning Investment, and Economic Development (MoPIED), the National Independent Registration Authority (NIRA), the Ministry of Internal Security, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Public Works, the Immigration Citizenship Agency, the Department of Diaspora Affairs (DODA), and the Durable Solutions (DS) Secretariat. IOM also engages at the state level with the line Ministries such as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and at the local level with mayors’ offices and district commissioners.
IOM supports the Government to ensure that basic social services are equally accessible to all, including to people on the move, especially in crisis settings. IOM facilitates coordination under the lead of the Government and HCT, and provides equipment for emergency responses including health, WASH, education, protection, shelter, CCCM and early recovery. IOM also works on government-led solutions and has supported local and federal authorities deliver policies and programmes, and it has made a tremendous contribution to improve data and analytics for solutions. This expertise has played a role in rebuilding trust between displacement-affected communities and national institutions, and in maintaining durable solutions as a high priority on the agenda of policy-makers in Somalia.
The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) is the primary partner for all of IOM’s activities in Somalia. This is reflected in the renewed Memorandum of Understanding that IOM Somalia signed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July 2024. IOM designs and implements its activities in close coordination with the FGS, Federal Member States (FMS), UN partners, international and national NGOs, civil society organizations (CSOs), and other relevant stakeholders. Strong and stable relations with the authorities of the host country are essential for access and acceptance.
IOM invests heavily in capacity development of the government by seconding staff to the Somalia National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS) and the National Commission for Refugees and IDPs (NCRI), and further supports these entities with material and equipment. The Organization also has binding relations with Somalia Disaster Management Authority (SoDMA) and NCRI through letters of understanding and memoranda of understanding.
At the federal level, IOM interacts directly with the Ministry of Planning Investment, and Economic Development (MoPIED), the National Independent Registration Authority (NIRA), the Ministry of Internal Security, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Public Works, the Immigration Citizenship Agency, the Department of Diaspora Affairs (DODA), and the Durable Solutions (DS) Secretariat. IOM also engages at the state level with the line Ministries such as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and at the local level with mayors’ offices and district commissioners.
IOM supports the Government to ensure that basic social services are equally accessible to all, including to people on the move, especially in crisis settings. IOM facilitates coordination under the lead of the Government and HCT, and provides equipment for emergency responses including health, WASH, education, protection, shelter, CCCM and early recovery. IOM also works on government-led solutions and has supported local and federal authorities deliver policies and programmes, and it has made a tremendous contribution to improve data and analytics for solutions. This expertise has played a role in rebuilding trust between displacement-affected communities and national institutions, and in maintaining durable solutions as a high priority on the agenda of policy-makers in Somalia.
IOM works closely with the border management authorities and law enforcement agencies to build stronger human rights-sensitive border governance through the provision of training and materials on humanitarian border management as well as equipment and tools and training on protection, in particular on countering human trafficking and smuggling of migrants. In addition, IOM supports the FGS in the development and/or implementation of policies and other strategic documents integrating gender mainstreaming, human mobility and displacement, enhancing the human rights of all human beings, particularly of migrants and displaced populations, such as the National Transformation Plan (NTP), the National Solutions Pathways Action Plan, the National Diaspora Policy, or integrating human mobility and displacement in climate change policies with the goal to steer Somalia towards climate-resilient development. IOM will continue supporting the Government in strengthening its policy frameworks, including the National Migration Policy Framework, to better address human mobility. IOM also supports the Government and the UNCT with Common Country Analysis (CCA) review process and National Development Plan to advocate for advancement of socioeconomic support for IDPs. IOM also supports the implementation of the current UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2021 – 2025 and will support the development of the new UNSDCF for Somalia that will be valid from 2026 to 2029.

Relentless droughts have drained the Banaadir region's water sources, forcing female residents to embark on exhausting, health-threatening treks to find clean water. To address these dire conditions, IOM constructed four boreholes and a 3,000-meter pipeline network to expand water distribution through 80 newly constructed kiosks. To ensure longevity, user committees comprised of displaced and host community members were trained to manage and maintain this critical infrastructure. Zahra and thousands of other residents in the region now have sustainable access to water for their families and livestock, saving lives and revitalizing communities. Read more












IOM is committed to the localization agenda by encouraging humanitarian responses that provide more support for the leadership, delivery and capacity of local responders and participation of affected communities in addressing humanitarian needs. IOM is also committed to the localization agenda beyond humanitarian response to ensure that local and national actors continue providing a local perspective to IOM programming while ensuring programme sustainability.
IOM regards affected populations as partners and recognizes their dignity and capacity and empowers them in the efforts that matter to them. A participatory approach will continue to be applied to increase accountability to affected populations. All activities will be supported through the meaningful participation of the affected populations, where communication strategies are developed collectively to ensure appropriate outreach and communication to different segments of the community. IOM’s approach is based on a dynamic combination of local embeddedness, interdisciplinary expertise, and operational depth.
IOM is committed to the localization agenda by encouraging humanitarian responses that provide more support for the leadership, delivery and capacity of local responders and participation of affected communities in addressing humanitarian needs. IOM is also committed to the localization agenda beyond humanitarian response to ensure that local and national actors continue providing a local perspective to IOM programming while ensuring programme sustainability.
IOM regards affected populations as partners and recognizes their dignity and capacity and empowers them in the efforts that matter to them. A participatory approach will continue to be applied to increase accountability to affected populations. All activities will be supported through the meaningful participation of the affected populations, where communication strategies are developed collectively to ensure appropriate outreach and communication to different segments of the community. IOM’s approach is based on a dynamic combination of local embeddedness, interdisciplinary expertise, and operational depth. IOM relies on direct collaboration with formal and informal local community and government institutions, in addition to private sector and NGO implementing partners. For example, communities are engaged through a community-based planning approach in proactive interaction, dispute resolution, natural resource management mechanisms, and the restoration of economic value chains with localized investment and implementation modalities. IOM engages with women in particular in conflict resolution mechanisms and natural resources management mechanisms and has achieved 59 per cent of participation of women in decision-making regarding water management in some operational areas. IOM also focuses on including local actors in different coordination mechanisms. For example, IOM leads the Operational Cell and the Rapid Response Mechanism, where both international and local actors have been identified for the coordination of the humanitarian assistance at the district level. Further, IOM relies heavily on local partners to ensure adequate distribution of SNFI to communities, including hard to reach ones, through its Common Pipeline system.
IOM in Somalia contributes to the localization agenda by working with over 30 local organizations and is developing more tailored tools to strengthen its management of partners through capacity strengthening, advocacy, visibility, co-design, co-implementation, and co-evaluation of programmes and initiatives. In addition, building on one of the most dynamic diaspora in the world, IOM has had a long-standing engagement with the Somali diaspora since 2008 through its labour mobility programming, raising funds for local people by local people by supporting the Somalia diaspora to fund community-based initiatives, and by engaging diaspora members on project evaluation, ensuring independence while maintaining a local view and understanding of local language and local context.
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Objective 1Saving lives
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Objective 2Solutions to displacement
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Objective 3Pathways for regular migration
Saving lives and protecting people on the move

IOM will work to alleviate human suffering through support to populations who remain in displacement, whether in camps or out of camps, mainly in rural areas; host communities in areas of displacement where services are inadequate or overstretched; IDPs who wish to return to their areas of origin or who have already returned in their areas of origin but are facing severe conditions such as residual insecurity, damage to properties and public infrastructure, limited access to services and livelihood opportunities, and fractured social relations; and vulnerable refugees, returnees and migrants. Based on evidence collected on displacement trends and drivers, IOM aims to reduce risks and vulnerabilities of affected populations by focusing on rapid and integrated humanitarian assistance and enhancing the quality and relevance of the SNFI, protection, MHPSS, WASH, CCCM, and health assistance to assisted populations, ensuring a dignified approach that mainstreams protection interventions, but that also is conducted through a conflict-sensitive approach in line with the regional rollout of IOM’s conflict sensitivity analysis system (CSAS). IOM will also maintain its capacity to respond to sudden displacements caused by violent events, natural hazards or any other cause through its pre-position of relief items, and disaster preparedness actions.
Driving solutions to displacement

IOM Somalia’s programming will contribute to addressing the long-term impacts of the crisis and displacement in Somalia, by supporting local NGOs and state and federal governments to find durable solutions for IDPs and returnees through a holistic and integrated approach, aligned with the Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement. IOM Somalia will work to support the prevention of internal displacement due to the effects of conflict and climate change through holistic interventions, in particular, community stabilization in strategic economic and productive areas. IOM will complement this work with support to land tenure security to reduce conflict over natural resources and therefore conflict-related displacement. To enable this outcome, IOM will work with and strengthen the capacities of farmers, pastoralists, community leaders, and other affected groups to ensure a community-based and locally-owned approach to strengthening natural resource management mechanisms.
IOM will also facilitate access to solutions for displacement-affected communities in urban areas through a package of interventions supporting sustainable urban resilience. This programming will support displacement-affected communities to integrate, return or relocate in a safe, dignified and voluntary manner. IOM also aims to strengthen government institutions’ ability to rebuild social contracts with displacement-affected communities through district and nation-wide solutions planning. The rebuilding of social contracts will also include working with former combattants or affiliated individuals to violent and extremist organizations and support their reintegration into society. Central to urban resilience interventions will be neighbourhood-level service planning and support to tenure security. Trade, livelihoods and private sector development activities will look at the economic sustainability of the displacement response. In areas affected by displacement, support for inclusive area-based coordination led by authorities will be incentivized. IOM will complement these interventions with data for solutions efforts to generate evidence-based policies and programmes, thereby supporting IDPs on solutions pathways. IOM’s work on data for solutions will also seek to mitigate a knowledge gap stemming from a lack of up-to-date information on IDP caseloads.
Finally, IOM will support a set of interventions to institutionalize the work on solutions to displacement country-wide by supporting mechanisms for multi sectoral and multi-tiered government coordination and policy-making.
Facilitating pathways for regular migration

With the objective to enhance pathways for safe, orderly, and regular migration and maximize the developmental gains of migration, IOM will prioritize actions to promote alternatives to irregular migration for prospective crisis-affected migrants by enhancing the capacity of the FGS, communities, and stakeholders on all aspects of the migration journey, while promoting the wellbeing of crisis-affected migrants and mobile populations. IOM will focus on diaspora engagement, labour migration and social inclusion, protection assistance, and border management.
In terms of policy support, IOM supports the drafting and implementation of the national migration policy, national diaspora policy, national transformation plan, and national stabilization strategy, among others, and ensures that those policies integrate the needs of crisis-affected migrants. IOM also supports the mainstreaming of migrants and displaced populations into sector strategies and plans.
To achieve the mentioned objective, IOM delivers assistance through migrant reception centres (MRCs), strengthening border officials’ capacity with a rights-based approach and by providing equipment, leading work on legal identity, and enhancing the skills of Somalia health and education workforce by deploying Somali diaspora to deliver on the job training and skills and knowledge transfer to local work force, such as through experts on breastfeeding, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and hiring of female teachers.
Percentage of funding required contributing to the long term outcomes expressed on IOM's Strategic Results Framework.
IOM’s multisectoral programming aims to reduce risks for affected populations and enhance their resilience - ultimately fostering safe and inclusive communities. IOM’s programming strives to make Somali communities safer for returnees, lessen the chances of further displacement and increase the likelihood of returns to communities following forced displacement, with all programmes and teams committing to mainstreaming protection and abide by protection principles.
IOM will ensure protection mainstreaming and GBV risk mitigation are integrated across all its operations and programmatic interventions in affected areas, aiming to reduce the risks faced by beneficiaries and improve their access to essential services. Guided by IOM’s Approach to Protection and IOM’s Institutional Framework for Addressing GBV in Crises (GBViC), the Protection team working alongside the other programmatic teams, through trainings for example, will ensure that any response is provided in a way that avoids any unintended negative effects (do no harm), is delivered according to needs, prioritizes safety and dignity, is grounded on participation and empowerment of local capacities.
IOM’s multisectoral programming aims to reduce risks for affected populations and enhance their resilience - ultimately fostering safe and inclusive communities. IOM’s programming strives to make Somali communities safer for returnees, lessen the chances of further displacement and increase the likelihood of returns to communities following forced displacement, with all programmes and teams committing to mainstreaming protection and abide by protection principles.
IOM will ensure protection mainstreaming and GBV risk mitigation are integrated across all its operations and programmatic interventions in affected areas, aiming to reduce the risks faced by beneficiaries and improve their access to essential services. Guided by IOM’s Approach to Protection and IOM’s Institutional Framework for Addressing GBV in Crises (GBViC), the Protection team working alongside the other programmatic teams, through trainings for example, will ensure that any response is provided in a way that avoids any unintended negative effects (do no harm), is delivered according to needs, prioritizes safety and dignity, is grounded on participation and empowerment of local capacities. IOM interventions integrate gender, diversity, and disability inclusion. Accountability mechanisms to affected populations are in place such as protection against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH) and accessible complaint and feedback mechanisms. IOM Somalia, as the current GBViC Framework champion in the East, Horn, and Southern Africa region, will also work towards mitigating GBV risks.
IOM ensures that its programmes and operations are inclusive and gender sensitive, and that all assistance and services are provided in a gender sensitive manner.
IOM mainstreams disability inclusion through a twin track approach – works closely with organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to build their capacities and ensure the accessibility of IOM assistance and services without discrimination to all persons especially marginalized groups, persons with disabilities and older persons.
IOM is playing a key role in integrating accountability to affected populations (AAP) principles within its own programming and in coordinating efforts of mainstreaming AAP within the whole response in Somalia. IOM co-chairs the Community Engagement and Accountability Task Force (CEA TF) in Somalia, which is an inter-cluster, inter-agency coordination platform for providing technical support, advocacy and mainstreaming of AAP. Similarly, IOM Somalia continuously put efforts to mainstream good AAP practices in its programme operations under four thematic pillars. To ensure community participation, different types of stakeholders are involved in the project design, implementation and monitoring such as male, female, youth and elderly groups, camp leaders/landowners/gatekeepers, local partners, and local institutions/associates. IOM actively seeks the views of affected populations to improve programming. Complaint and feedback mechanisms (CFM), using IOM's system Zite Manager for data collection and management and in-person desks, are set up within IDP sites to provide a safe and accessible communication channel between IOM, IOM’s partners, and the communities. IOM is also using a toll-free number in all districts of implementation, which has proven extremely successful to provide a channel when IOM is not physically reachable. IOM Somalia has conducted self-assessment to capture the current performance of programmes on AAP. The findings of the assessment inform the operations’ strategy on strengthening programme quality in adherence with IOM’s AAP framework. Partners will be provided with guidance on IOM's AAP Framework and will be provided guidance and training as needed on community engagement and accountability by the CEA Taskforce.


Basic needs, including food and multi-purpose cash assistance Priority
IOM will provide basic assistance, including non-food items (NFIs) and multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA), to the most vulnerable populations affected by crises, helping them meet their most urgent needs. IOM will achieve this by:
- Disbursing MPCA to households across various regions. IOM has chosen this form of assistance as it allows beneficiaries the flexibility to address their critical basic needs according to their own priorities. By its nature, MPCA offers beneficiaries the maximum degree of choice, flexibility, and dignity. It emphasizes their independence in deciding how to use the support provided. The entitlement for MPCA is determined to cover 80 per cent of the minimum expenditure basket in Somalia, with disbursements occurring three times, as agreed in the Cash Working Group;
- As part of IOM's Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) to flood emergencies, particularly during pre-impact activities, providing more specific one-time cash assistance to households in high flood-risk areas intended to cover transportation costs to safer, higher ground.

Camp coordination and camp management Priority
IOM will continue to co-chair the CCCM Cluster, including the sub-national hubs in South West States and Jubaland, and the Community Engagement and Accountability Task Force (CEA TF) while implementing CCCM activities across several regions, including in Baidoa, Xudur, Doolow, Luuq, Baardheere, Kismayo, Banadir, Belet Weyne, Jalalaqsi, Bulo Burto, Jowhar, Wajid and Berdale. Activities directly implemented by IOM and its local implementing partners will include, but will not be limited to:
- Coordinating service delivery by analyzing gaps and needs, monitoring sites, and facilitating coordination forums;
- Conducting quarterly site verifications, mapping services, and monitoring service delivery quality (twice/year or ad-hoc);
- Promoting area-based CCCM programming, establishing catchment area of operations, in cooperation with cluster partners;
- Engaging displaced households, in particular newly arrived households, to ensure access to essential information;
- Supporting delivery of life-saving assistance via identification, verification and biometric registration of vulnerable households;
- Conducting regular safety audits and site improvements to minimize risks;
- Improving IDPs’ living conditions by supporting community-led site maintenance activities, including cash-for-work schemes;
- Working with local authorities and partners to relocate IDP households at risk of eviction and strengthening land rights through capacity strengthening and dispute resolution;
- Providing capacity strengthening on CCCM to local authorities and humanitarian partners;
- Promoting the participation of women and girls into community life and empowering them through various activities such as capacity strengthening on flood preparedness, conflict resolution; awareness sessions on health, sexual and reproductive health, vaccinations; women-led projects; vocational trainings and business start-up kits, building on the ongoing Women’s Participation Project implemented by IOM.
- Ensuring accountability of humanitarian response via implementation of inter-agency community feedback mechanisms (the Zite Manager system), including help desks, outreach teams, and toll-free hotlines.

Community stabilization and community-driven development Priority
Community stabilization and community-driven development activities support communities and the FGS to restore peace and lay the foundations for a longer term, sustainable recovery while mitigating the drivers and negative effects of displacement in fragile contexts. Stabilization and early recovery efforts also seek to bolster confidence in communities emerging from conflict toward nascent local governance structures, strengthening the state as a viable alternative to extremism. IOM facilitates access and government-led engagement in newly and recently recovered areas (NRRAs) via the Early Recovery Initiative (ERI), whereby IOM intends to build vertical and horizontal integration and trust between communities and local institutions and enhance safety and security in targeted locations, supporting the ongoing efforts by the government and civil society. IOM also deploys the Collaborative Safety and Security (CSS) model to support communities to take a role in their security governance.
This approach enhances the strategic depth of the ERI by providing a platform for the development of community-led safety initiatives in target locations. The package of programming can therefore be linked with structured efforts to promote locally legitimate institutions at the district and sub-district levels.
In addition, IOM’s co-funding mechanism enables communities to acquire skills to co-finance and manage their own development projects in partnership with local government. It encourages groups to work together to reduce competition over resources. IOM will ‘match’ the total amount that a community fundraises for an approved project. Depending on criteria around diversity, scope and intention, the funds raised may be doubled, tripled or further multiplied. Communities first identify a priority that is sustainable, inclusive, environmentally friendly and addresses a need, such as a public good, service or infrastructure. Selection of a local vendor is also encouraged within the programme to help boost the local economy. This mechanism is a great example of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus (HDPN) in action. IOM hopes to expand it to other locations affected by conflict in Somalia and beyond.
Additional community stabilization interventions will include:
- Supporting the government to deliver pre- and post-recovery services to enhance trust and rebuild legitimate institutions;
- Facilitating government-led, community-driven action planning and enhancing local investment in priority projects;
- Promoting access to credible information through high quality research and analysis, including the Community Stabilization Index (COSI);
- Facilitating prevention and recovery from disasters, or adapting to the long-term effects of climate and environmental change;
- Promoting social cohesion and prosperity including local integration;
- In terms of policy and frameworks development, IOM will support the development of Social Cohesion Strategies at the FMS level, to provide a roadmap for addressing the current challenges and realities that obstruct social cohesion and integrate views, particularly of marginalized and vulnerable groups such as IDPs and DACs.
- IOM also implements environmental peace building programmes under the umbrella of community stabilization, through the following initiatives:
- Green environment that restores ecosystems through regenerative and nature-based solutions, including regenerative agriculture, rangeland restoration, earthworks, and water harvesting.
- Green governance focuses on natural resource management by, inter alia, facilitating nature-based conflict prevention and resolution, establishing, training, and integrating community groups and cooperatives such farmers and pastoralists for cohesive resource management, strengthening capacity and raising environmental awareness, implementing a community-driven, government-led green co-funding mechanism for environmentally sound investments, and promoting women-led environmental initiatives.
- Green economy fosters economic development through renewable energy investments like mini-grids and solar hubs, public-private partnerships in nature-based ventures, and greening value chains for environmental sustainability and greening value chains for environmental sustainability.
- Under the green governance work, IOM will work on strengthening capacity of the federal and state level Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MoEWR), Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MoAI) and Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) to establish the Jowhar Off Stream Programme (JOSP) Central Management Organization.

Data for action, insight and foresight Priority
IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) produces data to inform displacement prevention, response and solutions and produces the following mobility-related products:
- Conducting Flow Monitoring (FM) to capture cross-border population flows and migrant characteristics to inform stakeholders about migratory dynamics and protection needs. IOM will publish monthly FM reports on cross-border movements.
- Conducting Mobility Tracking (MT) through several tools:
- The Baseline 2 (B2) assessment quantifies population presence, reasons for displacement, and needs in specific locations.
- Emergency Trend Tracking (ETT) tracks sudden displacement due to crises, helping prioritize humanitarian response and rapid assistance.
- Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA) collects data on needs and vulnerabilities via household surveys
- Transhumance Trend Tracking (TTT) monitors pastoral mobility to support conflict prevention.
- Continuing to use the Movement Projection Model to forecast future displacements based on factors such as drought, flooding, conflict, rainfall, and aid delivery.
- As data is essential to support durable solutions programming, producing Data for Solutions (D4S) whereby IOM supports the government in implementing the Durable Solutions Progress (DSP) survey that aims at measuring progress towards solutions to identify gaps and inform interventions that seek to assist IDPs to overcome displacement-related vulnerabilities, and provide an understanding of the sociological factors that characterize local integration from the perspective of IDPs and the host community.

Disaster risk management
IOM seeks to strengthen resilience and reduce disaster losses by investing in awareness, prevention and adaptation to risks, in alignment with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. Reducing risks and mitigating the effects of crises are critical to preventing internal displacement and exacerbation of vulnerabilities across different social groups and populations. IOM will focus on enhancing prevention and mitigation measures in targeted locations to improve the protection of populations in disaster-prone areas of Somalia. Key activities will include:
- Setting up early warning systems in disaster-prone areas with IOM presence;
- Implementing mitigation measures in health, nutrition, CCCM, and WASH to reduce risks in disaster-prone communities;
- Reducing the impact of flooding through structural and non-structural flood mitigation;
- Focusing on community-based disaster risk management interventions related to WASH to ensure sustained access to safe water and sanitation through environmental protection measures and trainings in drought and flood-prone areas;
- Evaluating how disaster risk reduction activities impact communities and strengthen national institutions when combined with participatory approaches and capacity-strengthening exercises;
- Conducting community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM), which involves actively engaging at-risk communities in the identification, analysis, treatment, monitoring, and evaluation of disaster risks to reduce vulnerabilities and enhance their capacities. Key outcomes include fewer lives lost, fewer injuries, reduced damage, faster recovery, and addressing vulnerabilities that may arise during reconstruction.

Livelihoods and economic recovery Priority
Establishing the foundations for sustainable economic recovery and poverty reduction for migrants and persons affected by internal displacement is an important element of resilience building. Integrating livelihoods intervention in crisis response is also a crucial strategy to enhance the sustainability of relief efforts. Somali internal displacement-affected communities often face exclusion from market systems in areas of displacement, including livelihoods, lacking access to training and skills development activities, as well as facing social stigmatization, with many remaining in camps.
Activities under this pillar include:
- Working with Danwadaag consortium partners to support vulnerable IDP families with a graduation approach (GA) providing consumption support grants, referrals to services including health, legal, education, rental assistance, protection, MHPSS, livelihoods training and business support grants, or job placements, as well as financial literacy and life skills training.
- Piloting individual livelihood assistance packages to vulnerable new arrivals to urban areas such as Baidoa and Mogadishu, providing between USD 500 and USD 2,000 grants to families aiming to upskill IDPs in ways that will benefit them after their return.
- Facilitating job creation through support to firms that can employ new arrivals and displaced persons through the Enterprise Development Fund (EDF). The EDF is a multi-donor fund that provides 100 percent concessional grant financing to firms for labour-intensive expansion, with a focus on female inclusion in the labour force and overall financial inclusion for the unbanked. The EDF supports small and medium-sized firm owners capable of absorbing IDPs but facing financial challenges or knowledge gaps in expanding their respective businesses.
- Piloting interventions aimed at strengthening green value chains, with the goal of reducing the exposure of vulnerable farming and pastoral populations to internal displacement and facilitating the adaptation of their livelihoods to climate change.
- Supporting individuals to have restored, sustainable, climate change-adapted livelihoods.

Shelter and settlements
With an increasing trend of displacement/migration to urban centres related to climatic shocks, insecurity, and better livelihood opportunities, there is a greater need for emergency, transitional or robust shelter and housing to accommodate all new arrivals. IOM will continue the provision of shelter assistance to households displaced across various regions in Somalia. This includes:
- Providing essential emergency shelter materials (two plastic sheets and fixing materials) or cash assistance in insecure tenure sites, ensuring individuals and families can establish shelters;
- Constructing improved emergency shelters in secure land sites, designed for durability and potential upgrades;
- Developing site and settlement plans, upgrading infrastructure such as shelters to reduce risks related to unorganized settlements, in coordination with CCCM, WASH and other sectors;
- Repairing and upgrading emergency shelters to more durable ones through community-driven approaches, enhancing resilience and sustainability;
- Providing transitional and durable shelters that can be expanded by owners, offering livelihood opportunities during implementation;
- Developing scalable, climate-resistant shelter prototypes suited to local practices, materials and community needs, addressing recurrent hazards such as flooding;
- Providing essential household items in areas where markets are non-functional.
Furthermore, IOM Somalia continues to contribute to setting the standard and building adequate housing solutions for vulnerable people, contributing to enhanced free movement for all the residents across each targeted city, as it allows for people to make a broader and informed choice on where to live. This includes:
- Constructing two-room houses in underserved neighbourhoods, to be paired with re-greening activities (i.e., tree planting);
- Consulting with the community to identify prototypes that are adequate for the context;
- Working on innovative ways to fund housing construction.

Water, sanitation and hygiene
IOM will enhance the continuation and restoration of access to safe and equitable basic WASH services to the target communities, including vulnerable IDPs and host communities in Somalia. This access will be enhanced through the following activities:
- Restoring and building essential water supply sources (such as boreholes and wells) that provide immediate, safe and clean water for affected communities. In hard-to-reach areas, emergency water supply services will be provided as a supplement to the water supply;
- Establishing and ensuring the care and maintenance of sanitation facilities targeting vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities, women and children, with no access to sanitation services;
- Delivering hygiene kits while ensuring hygiene and sanitation promotion activities and awareness-raising sessions reach as many beneficiaries as possible, especially those in hard-to-reach and at-high risk areas;
- Enhancing capacity strengthening to authorities, community leaders and water committees to improve coordination and sustainability of the newly established WASH infrastructures;
- Targeting rural communities, including newly arrived groups, for risk communication community engagement (RCCE) through community sensitization and training on hygiene promotion practices from the WASH Cluster;
- Targeting health facilities at points of entry with WASH interventions in close coordination with health staff;
- Implementing long-lasting pipeline activities to connect schools and hospitals to WASH infrastructures, ensuring reliable access to water and sanitation services;
- Enhancing community involvement through hygiene promotion activities, including organizing community clean-ups targeting youth, schools, and public spaces, in coordination with local elders to foster behavioural change.
IOM Somalia will also target peri-urban and urban areas in transitional situations and urban settlements to deliver efficient WASH services that are scalable and sustainable in the long term. This includes:
- Establishing WASH infrastructures in flood prone areas through the construction and rehabilitation of water systems that mitigate the negative impactsof floods
- Establishing WASH infrastructures in drought prone areas;
- Connecting schools and hospitals to WASH infrastructures through sustainable pipeline activities;
- Based on the previous successful practices, supporting authorities in understanding and addressing the long-term planning water needs in their districts

Health
IOM will provide health and nutrition services, in an integrated response with WASH interventions, to reach communities affected by crisis in Somalia. Health and nutrition services will be provided in line with the national Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS) framework for service delivery. The response will include:
- Providing primary and emergency health care services and hygiene promotion activities.
- Providing primary health support to populations in dire need of healthcare services, with a focus on IDPs, hard-to-reach, remote, or conflict-affected areas with limited or no health actors.
- Continuing to support three Migrant Reception Centres (MRC) and one transit centre, which will include the procurement of 10 medical kits to assist migrants, including unaccompanied minors.

Land and property Priority
The housing, land and property (HLP) challenges faced by Displacement Affected Communities (DACs) in Somalia are complex, affecting their ability to access HLP rights and tenure security. A significant portion of Somalia’s urban displaced population is housed in informal settlements, of which over 85 per cent occupy privately-owned land without legal guarantees, documentation, or rights. Tenure agreements, when they exist, are often informal and can be easily violated, altered or invalidated without prior notice. This precarious situation perpetuates displacement through forced evictions and uncertainty, leaving tenants vulnerable in the absence of legally recognized tenancy rights. Supporting HLP rights—in particular, securing land tenure—is at the core of IOM’s approach to creating a conducive environment for lasting and sustainable solutions to displacement.
IOM also supports the strengthening of local authorities’ capacity to respond to HLP issues and to facilitate the resolution of HLP disputes. Further, IOM is committed to sensitizing international and national actors to the centrality of land issues in post-conflict and post-disaster settings. Activities will include:
- Supporting authorities and government entities in their processes of drafting of public and private area-based HLP management tools (policies, strategies, guidelines, laws and by laws, acts);
- Developing city extension and neighbourhood plans through participatory processes and reflecting durable solutions for DACs, and related implementation and financing plans, prepared through stakeholder participation;
- Strengthening land tenure security for DACs and protection from HLP violations such as forced evictions;
- Providing technical and material support to state institutions who are relevant to the promotion and protection of HLP rights;
- Facilitating access to HLP information and legal services to assist DACs to access services, restore missing civil and HLP documentation, navigate complex procedures, and utilize existing remedies in areas of displacement to enhance their protection;
- Investing in research, studies, analyses and assessments related to HLP and conduct evidence-based advocacy and policy influence.
- Designing fit for purpose land administration systems for local governments in order to enable them to generate revenues to fund services for displacement affected communities. This is done through supporting schemes of progressive property tax and by supporting transaction on land owned by private individuals or by authorities.
- Developing by-laws on fit-for-purpose land and property registration as well as developing exaction and other land value sharing tools, business licensing and public financial management.

Integrated policy support
Policy support will be provided to FMS and municipal authorities to implement policies and strategies enabling upscaling of durable solutions at all levels, including to monitor the impact of durable solutions. By-laws will be established on fit-for-purpose land and property registration developer exaction and other land value sharing tools, business licensing, and public financial management for adoption. IOM will also support the drafting of migration governance policies.
The main activities include:
- Contributing to strategic national level policy discussions for the following strategic policy processes: social protection, civil sector reform, land, housing, and national transformation – among others;
- Contributing to the drafting of policies on migration management, which include legal identity, returns and reintegration, diaspora engagement, among other topics

Legal identity and consular services
IOM aims to address the identified gaps in civil registration and legal identity management systems and inform various policies and strategies, to provide the government with the necessary data for governance and better migration management of displaced populations and crisis-affected migrants in the country. IOM seeks to work with consular services abroad and with service providers in country to improve registration of voluntary returnees so that they can access reintegration services and other services available to Somali citizens in the country. The support includes enhancing the technological capacity of Somali institutions to deliver services in different parts of the country, complemented by awareness campaigns aimed at reaching a wider audience. Additionally, strengthened legal identity management systems support rights-based return, readmission and reintegration (RRR) schemes, fostering inter-agency coordination among various stakeholders. The planned activities include:
- Conducting a needs assessment of Somali consulates to identify knowledge gaps and support for providing legal identity services;
- Building / rehabilitating civil registration offices at the Mogadishu and regional levels;
- Enhancing legal expertise and develop necessary legal instruments within relevant ministries to strengthen the legal framework for identity systems;
- Designing and releasing awareness and sensitization campaigns that highlight the importance of registration and legal identity within crisis-affected communities to be able to exist and receive services;
- Establishing and operationalizing mobile registration teams to facilitate increased access to services for various crisis-affected migrant;
- Organizing workshops for stakeholders involved in managing a right-based RRR programmes to promote effective collaboration and coordination.

Mental health and psychosocial support
Given the increasing needs to protect, promote and support the well-being of crisis-affected populations during emergency responses, IOM will provide multi-layered MHPSS services, in line with the IASC (2007) guidelines for MHPSS in emergency settings. These levels align with a spectrum of mental health and psychosocial needs and range from embedding social and cultural considerations in basic service provision, facilitating natural community and family supports, providing focused supports such as counselling and providing specialized services for individuals with more complex conditions. IOM will do so through:
- Training healthcare workers and other emergency responders on basic MHPSS skills, principles and approaches, including psychosocial first aid (PFA), supportive communication skills, the identification and referral of individuals requiring more focused and specialized services;
- Establishing psychosocial mobile teams composed of MHPSS staff and community resource persons who can conduct community-level activities including awareness-raising on key issues affecting the wellbeing of the crisis-affected communities and socio-relational and cultural activities that aim to strengthen collective resilience and natural support systems. Select team members will also be trained on providing more focused support, including individual and group counselling and the formation of support groups.
- Integrating MHPSS activities in resilience and livelihoods activities, focusing on women in particular as mental health issues have serious implications for the growth and development of the nation’s economy. Activities will include the delivery of a group-based MHPSS curriculum, which has been pilot tested by IOM in the Somali context, with good mental health and economic outcomes
- Integrating MHPSS into IOM’s Community Stabilization portfolio, through the use of socio-relational and cultural activities which target individual and collective wellbeing and social cohesion. These will link to IOM's other community-based MHPSS activities to ensure that multiple layers of support are available to those who need it.
- Integrating MHPSS mission-wide and at minimum, all IOM staff will be trained in basic MHPSS skills to ensure they can protect and promote wellbeing in all of their programming actions. All programming will be reviewed with a psychosocial lens to ensure that systems are structures are also protecting and promoting wellbeing.

Peacebuilding, violence and conflict reduction
IOM will continue supporting the Government of Somalia to promote rehabilitation and reintegration of low-risk former associates of violent extremist organizations (VEOs) and will expand its scope further to interventions aimed to prevent violent extremism (PVE), thereby promoting peacebuilding in Somalia in a more holistic manner. Support will include:
- Providing tailored and gender-sensitive assistance for both low-risk former VEO associates and individuals at risk of being drawn to VE, especially youth and women, to promote their economic and social inclusion into communities;
- Enhancing communities’ resilience to violent extremism by supporting community-driven initiatives, such as social cohesion activities, community dialogues and infrastructure development; and
- Strengthening the capacities of the Government of Somalia and civil society organizations (CSOs) to promote the operationalization of the National Strategy for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (2024-2027).

Protection
The goal will be to reduce the risks faced by affected populations and improve their access to essential protection services. IOM will work towards mitigating GBV risks and responding to GBV cases through a variety of activities thanks to its static protection presence across all major IOM sub-offices and field sites, ensuring effective support in affected areas, through the support to IOM’s Somalia’s GBV specialist. Additionally, IOM has the capacity to deploy protection mobile responses in the surrounding locations to address any arising protection issues in the area. IOM will conduct sectoral interventions including:
- Providing protection support through thematic guidance at all stages of the response, ensuring the needs of all genders and vulnerable persons are addressed. Capacity-strengthening training for IOM and partners will cover PSEA, GBV response, disability inclusion, child protection (CP), and MHPSS;
- Ensuring protection presence during IOM registrations and distributions by fast-tracking vulnerable individuals, conducting safety audits, operating protection help desks informing community on available services and referring protection concerns to specialized services (protection, GBV or CP case management, specialized MHPSS services);
- Implementing stand-alone protection interventions through IOM Protection Centres to identify protection risks, respond to immediate protection concerns, and inform tailored mitigation strategies. These activities will include individual protection assistance (IPA), protection case management, protection assessments, dignity kit distributions for women and girls, community-based protection networks, and capacity-strengthening for organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs).

Transitional justice
IOM is working at the intersection of security and justice duty-bearers and the communities they serve to address local security and transitional justice challenges.
IOM will enable Somalis to identify and address security and justice issues through leveraging increased levels of engagement, trust, capacity, and agency. Furthermore, IOM will deploy a range of interventions aimed at redressing violations related to protection, gender, abuse, tenure security and fundamental freedoms upheld by the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) with interventions aimed at enhancing minority and disability inclusion across the range of IOM interventions, making social cohesion, mediation, and dispute resolution interventions more systematic across the board. IOM will seek to expand programming to two new districts, Doolow and Xudur.
Activities will include:
- Training for judges/judiciary in Mogadishu;
- Supporting government to coordinate security and justice actors; as well as support to address local problems with area-based approaches;
- Sustaining awareness-raising and information sharing on media platforms such as radio dramas and show on access to justice;
- Providing equipment and infrastructure support to justice-related infrastructure.

Support services for response actors
IOM will manage the Common Pipeline (CP) programme on behalf of the S-NFI Cluster, providing critical support to S-NFI Cluster partners in procuring, prepositioning and delivering emergency supplies to assist the most vulnerable populations. The programme also provides financial assistance to selected cluster partners to distribute Core Pipeline items, helping them respond timely to critical needs. Furthermore, the programme works to strengthen capacity of local partners through relevant trainings and technical assistance in coordination with the Shelter Cluster. Activities will include:
- Procuring, prepositioning and providing critical emergency supplies to Shelter Cluster partners to improve the efficiency of the cluster’s emergency response through coordinated, timely and localized S-NFI assistance;
- Providing financial contributions to local Shelter Cluster partners to empower local partners and opportunities for local partners to access the CP programme;
- Providing training and onsite support to cluster partners to strengthen their capacity and support the Shelter Cluster’s localization efforts.
IOM will also support coordination systems and platforms to support the Government with coordinated and localized approaches to durable solutions. Activities will include:
- Supporting inclusive and whole-of-government durable solutions and coordination platform at the local and FMS and FGS levels. At the local level, this work will be carried out in tandem with the work of IOM linked to establish area-based coordination systems;
- Supporting authorities to pursue opportunities for public-private partnerships in areas such as electrification and infrastructure that improve the standards of living for DACs and other vulnerable urban residents;
- Building inclusive governance tools and systems and building capacities to deliver inclusive durable solutions. Federal member states and district governments will be supported to lead and coordinate multi-sectoral durable solutions processes through improved capacities and legitimacy;
- Supporting Federal, State and Municipal authorities to enable scaling up of durable solutions at all levels in line with the National Durable Solutions Strategy. This entails support for the operationalization of the National Solutions Pathway Action Plan 2024-2029. IOM's capacity development interventions strengthen the policy environment and enable officials from State institutions to enhance service delivery to displaced populations.

Humanitarian border management and search and rescue
IOM works to enhance the capacity of Somali authorities to manage borders effectively, ensuring security while facilitating humanitarian assistance. IOM is involved in ensuring that facilities are built to host displaced groups at border points, providing essential services including S-NFI. Activities will include:
- Assessing existing infrastructures, resources and staffing at border posts to identify gaps and areas of improvement;
- Engaging with relevant agencies and providing capacity strengthening to ensure inter-agency and inter-state cooperation at ports of entry;
- Organizing workshops to enhance skills of border officials in areas such as crisis response, search and rescue operations and effective crisis communication;
- Develop and implement clear standard operating procedures for border management that incorporate humanitarian principles;
- Promoting the participation of border communities in crisis response.

Regular pathways
IOM focuses on strengthening border management and governance to promote safe, orderly and dignified migration by ensuring that protection principles are upheld. Overall, IOM supports the government in the development and rollout of policies that outline regular and legal migration pathways, ensuring they are accessible to migrants. Activities include:
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Enhancing immigration officers' capacity to issue and handle travel documents at border points;
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Advocating for regular pathways and running campaigns to educate communities about the benefits of regular migration and the risks associated with irregular pathways, such as trafficking in persons.
IOM emphasizes the crucial role of labour mobility in driving economic growth and developing the skills of service providers through diaspora members mobilized under labour mobility approaches. This involves providing regular pathways, which ensure that the rights and contributions of migrant workers are acknowledged and valued, so that they can support the skills of the health and education workforce in Somalia who can attend to the needs of crisis-affected migrants and host communities.
Activities will include:
- Conducting training for labour attachés on legal representation to ensure better protection for labour migrants;
- Providing capacity-strengthening to private recruitment agencies (PRAs) and government authorities to facilitate regular migration pathways for potential labour migrants and regulate the recruitment industry to prevent labour exploitation and forced labour.
- Supporting members of the diaspora to take positions in Somalia with health and education facilities to support skills enhancement of Somalia workforce who can in turn provided improved services to crisis-affected migrants.

Movement assistance
To address the vulnerabilities faced by migrants along the Eastern and Southern Route, IOM will provide assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR) to Somali wanting to return to their country. Most returning Somalia migrants come from Northern Europe, but also from Yemen and the Gulf countries, thus IOM will offer AVRR support to Somali migrants who choose to return from host or transit countries:
- In offices in those countries and in coordination with the host government, coordinating pre-departure support such as orientations, legal advice, and transportation;
- In Somalia, coordinating post-arrival support ensuring targeted assistance for vulnerable groups, including unaccompanied children, pregnant women, and the elderly. Providing post arrival support consisting of shelter, protection, and health assistance upon immediate arrival.
Somalia
The map used here is for illustration purposes only. Names and boundaries do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IOM.
Figures are as of November 2024. For more details of IOM's operational capacity in country, please see the IOM Capacity section.