The United Nations through the UN Peacebuilding fund has begun sending money to the National Window of the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Somalia which will flow to the Central Bank of Somalia in an effort to strengthen the country systems. The Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) announced on Friday that the $2 million fund will be used for various infrastructure projects in Lower Jubba, Benadir and another region still to be chosen.
Peter de Clercq, UN resident Coordinator of Somalia noted that the award was a “milestone in our efforts to strengthen national systems and provide the Federal Government of Somalia with the means to bolster its legitimacy with its citizens.”
“The use of the PBF to start channelling funds for peacebuilding in Somalia through the National System is a first and a major breakthrough for the New Deal arrangement,” said Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for the Peacebuilding Support Office, which manages the PBF. “We hope PBF’s modest contribution will lead others to follow with more substantial support.”
The pilot project is a part of the commitment by the Federal Government of Somalia and donors under the ‘New Deal Compact’. In the New Deal arrangement, emphasis is given to strengthening national systems by ensuring the transition is Somali-led and Somali-owned.
