Outcome SOM_D_1.2

The UN system coherently and systematically contributes to progress on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls

In 2025, the UN system in Somalia continued to contribute coherently and systematically to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (GEEWG) through coordinated programming, policy support, and capacity building. This coherence resulted in strengthened integration of gender priorities across joint UN initiatives, ensuring that interventions were mutually reinforcing rather than fragmented. UN Women, through leadership of the Gender Theme Group (GTG), played a central role in shaping the Somalia Common Country Analysis (CCA) and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). As a result, gender equality considerations were systematically embedded across all four pillars of the new UN Cooperation Framework (2026–2030)—Transformative Governance, Economic Transformation, Social and Human Capital, and Climate Resilience. This alignment ensured that gender statistics, analysis, and markers informed planning and joint programmes, thereby institutionalizing gender equality as a cross-cutting priority and demonstrating significant progress in advancing GEEWG outcomes. The UN in Somalia extended the Women, Peace and Protection (WPP) Programme for six months with additional funding from Somalia Joint Fund. The WPP supports the operationalization of the National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325, strengthens women’s participation in federal and state governance structures, and fosters gender-responsive peace and security processes. Alongside contributions from Joint Rule of Law and ongoing Gender Theme Group coordination, these initiatives strengthened national institutions’ capacities to implement gender-responsive policies, promote women’s representation, and enhance accountability mechanisms, demonstrating coherent and systematic UN support to advancing GEEWG in Somalia.

The UN system coherently and systematically contributes to progress on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls

Substatial results were achieved in 2024 in UN System coherently and systematically contributing to GEWE. There was a significant increase of the UN pooled funding to the Gender Theme Group (GTG) co-chaired by UN Women and UNSOM Mission from USD 30,000 USD in 2022 to USD 300,000 committed for 2025-2026, which underscores the priority placed gender-responsive programming and accountability across the UN system. UN Women contrubuted to this significantly through advocacy and leadership utilizing GTG and UNCT. In addition, the UNCT-SWAP Scorecard report was developed and launched for the first time in Somalia, witnessing enhanced system-wide accountability and strong commitment by the UN Gender Theme Group (GTG). The result was achieved through UN Women Conducting UNCT SWAP Gender Equality training for the GTG and introducing the UNCT-SWAP to the UN system, various meetings and strong lobbying leading to renewed commitment by the UN Country Team’s (UNCT) for collective advocacy and support to promotion of gender equality aligned to the UN Somalia Gender Equality Strategy and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). Finally, UN Women together with UNDP and UNSOM continued to implement the Joint Programme on Women, Peace, and Protection (WPP). UN Women through the WPP led the provision of technical support to state and non-state actors for the development and implementation of progressive, transformative policies and programs that contributed towards gender equality and women's empowerment in Somalia. Through the WPP UN Women has been actively contributing to the implementation of strategic priority pillars under the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), particularly on inclusive politics (pillar 1) and security and the rule of law (pillar 2). At the national level UN Women supported the establishment of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) Somalia Chapter in March 2024 and subsequently establishing five branches at the FMS levels. To promote leadership of young women, UN Women also supported an election to establish AWLN’s Youth Caucus in September 2024. With capacity building support from UN Women the 245 grass-roots level women leaders continued to lead peacebuilding initiatives and advocacy for promotion of women’s rights at their areas across the country. UN Women also supported 300 women from 10-women led CSOs by building capacities on Early Warning System through 10 workshops to mitigate GBV/CRSV and other WPS violation at community levels. The women thus trained are leading in gathering information and documenting GBV/CRSV incidents in the Early Warning System established by the federal and state governments.