Locations
Joint Police Programme
(Phase 2)
Background
Somalia’s justice and corrections systems are fragmented and under-resourced, shaped by decades of conflict, weak governance, and climate crises. Trust in formal institutions remains low, with most Somalis relying on informal and customary mechanisms, which often exclude or harm women and marginalized groups. Moreover, these systems are further daunted by fragile justice mechanisms, compounded by entrenched clan power dynamics and systemic gender inequities. Over 70% of the population lives below the poverty line, with limited access to justice services. This calls for a people-centered justice and corrections model that integrates formal and informal systems, strengthening institutions, and empowering communities to rebuild trust, legitimacy, and equitable access to justice across Somalia.
About the Project
The Joint Police Programme II (JPP2) continues to address the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of police service delivery to Somali citizens, while supporting the institutional and operational capacities of the federal and state-level security and police institutions, with a focus on human rights and genderresponsive measures.
Through this second phase of the programme, UNDP, UNSOM and UNWOMEN will further assist the FMS and FGS police structures to enhance their development and professionalisation and protect the safety of citizens, as well as their individual rights, in line with the New Policing Model. Which although not fully implemented is the basis for policing programming in the country. The Programme intends to adopt a more problem-solving and people-centric approach and proposes to combine the institutional and capacity development support provided to federal and state-level police institutions, and the strengthening of community engagement through improved and extended police service delivery and enhanced oversight and integrity mechanisms, allowing citizens to increasingly participate in security sector strategies and protection mechanisms that more effectively respond to their grievances.
| Project Name | Joint Police Programme II (JPP2) |
| Project Duration | June 2023 - May 2027 |
| Total Project Budget | $16 million |
| Focus Areas | Security, rule of law, access to justice, people centered justice reform |
| Donors | European Union and the Netherlands through Somali Joint Fund (SJF) |
| Partner Agencies | United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) and United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) |
| Implementing Partners | The line ministries and justice sector institutions at the federal and state level |
| Project Manager | Henrik Lycke |
Key Planned Objectives:
Enhance the professionalism and capacity of Somalia's police forces to build trust from the community including vulnerable groups and is more accountable.
- Community Engagement/Community Policing - Trust and cooperation between police and local communities across Somalia, including newly recovered areas, are enhanced through community security approaches, broader deployment and service delivery, and greater oversight and accountability.
- The professionalism and capacity of police at both FGS and FMS levels is enhanced to increase their effectiveness.
- Strategies, frameworks, structures, and standards are harmonized across police at both FGS and FMS levels, guided by New Policing Model in coherence with the National Security Architecture.
- Representation and retention of women in the police is increased and the capacity of women police officers is enhanced through specific training including SGBV and other investigations.
Key Achievements
- Somalia’s First National Justice Sector Strategy (2025-2029) was developed through an innovative system thinking approach engaging over 1,000 people.
- A nationally owned plan for a people-centered Justice and Corrections Model was developed and integrated into Somalia’s constitutional review process. This was made possible through two inclusive political dialogues that brought together key stakeholders to shape the model and agree on its implementation.
- 23 generative dialogue sessions held engaging over 1,000 people (36% women) to identify justice issues and co-create local solutions
- Over 1,500 people, including 40% women, accessed justice through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms
- Over 830 individuals, including rule of law actors, community leaders, and paralegals, were trained in integrative and restorative justice approaches
- Established an integrative justice practitioners’ network to facilitated joint action and knowledge sharing, following 2 cross learning exchange events
