In the week of 21 March, a delegation of VNG International visited Puntland State, Somalia, to officially introduce the DANWADAAG (Somali for “a shared or common interest”) and Sustainable Development through Improved Local Governance (SDLG) programmes. During the visit, the VNG International team together with its main stakeholders discussed the programmes’ objectives and next steps.

DANWADAAG and SDLG have one common objective: to improve the social contract between public (local) authorities and communities. However, each programme looks at a different angle to increase legitimacy and trust in the local government. DANWADAAG considers Disaster Risk Management to be the main policy area, whereas the SDLG programme uses Inclusive Local Economic Development (ILED) as a means to strengthen the relationship between local authorities and youth in Puntland. The choice of these policy fields is related to the fragility risks that characterize the region. Both disasters (e.g. locusts, floods, drought, COVID19) and the lack of economic opportunities are risks that undermine stability in Puntland State and broader Somalia.