Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished partners, and colleagues,

It is my honour to welcome you to the launch of the UNDP Somalia Country Programme Document (CPD) for 2026 to 2030, developed in close collaboration with the Government of Somalia.

First of all, I want to extend sincere appreciation to the people and institutions that made this possible.

To Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development (MoPIED), for its strong leadership in coordinating stakeholders, co-chairing this process, and for endorsing the CPD ahead of the UNDP Executive Board. MoPIED’s continued co-leadership of the Somalia Joint Fund has made a significant contribution to both the previous and current CPD cycles.

To Ahmed Moustafa, whose work as a consultant has been instrumental in shaping the CPD and documenting the process. To Marina Dimova, for her leadership in advancing the portfolio approach and systems thinking within the programme.

I also wish to acknowledge the contributions of Government institutions, civil society, academia, and the private sector, whose inputs, expertise, and resources continue to strengthen this programme.

I would particularly like to recognise Hormuud, as one of the leading Somali private sector partners, for setting the pace in demonstrating how local partnerships can drive impactful development solutions.

Today reflects our shared commitment to advancing Somalia’s long-term development vision.

Over the past cycle, UNDP has contributed to strengthening institutions and governance systems, expanding access to justice and service delivery, and supporting resilience and recovery.

At the same time, we have drawn important lessons. We have learned the need for greater integration across sectors and interventions, the importance of scaling impact through partnerships and financing, and the imperative to move from project-based delivery to systemic, sustainable solutions. These lessons have shaped everything about the programme you see before you today.

The CPD 2026–2030 represents a more focused, integrated, and ambitious programme. It is anchored in Somalia’s priorities and evolving context, in UNDP’s comparative advantage in systems transformation, and in a stronger emphasis on upstream policy impact, institutional strengthening, and sustainability.

The CPD is fully aligned with the National Transformation Plan and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). This ensures that UNDP’s support remains demand-driven and nationally led, fully contributing to collective UN outcomes, and focused on areas where UNDP can drive measurable change.

UNDP’s role is to drive development solutions at scale by bringing together policy and institutional support, programme implementation and delivery, and data, innovation, and financing solutions.

We act as a strategic partner to Government, a delivery platform for transformation, and a connector across sectors, partners, and financing streams. That is what we bring to this partnership — and that is what this CPD reflects.

Portfolio Approach and Programme Priorities

This CPD marks a clear shift towards a portfolio approach — moving from isolated interventions to connected solutions that address root causes. This positions UNDP to address complex development challenges more effectively, deliver results at scale rather than in silos, and support long-term systems transformation.

UNDP will focus on three core areas: transformational governance and institution-building; economic transformation, livelihoods, and jobs; and resilience, climate adaptation, and durable solutions.

These priorities are underpinned by our commitments to gender equality, youth empowerment, the inclusion of persons with disabilities, human rights, and the principle of leaving no one behind.

We are ready to operationalize this CPD through a prioritized Integrated Work Plan focused on flagship initiatives, strengthened programme and delivery oversight systems, and enhanced risk management, monitoring, and data-driven decision-making.

Delivery will remain a central focus — ensuring that results translate into tangible impact on the ground, for real people, in real communities.

Partnerships and Resource Mobilization

Delivering on this ambition will require stronger and more diversified partnerships, and closer collaboration with Government, development partners, the private sector, and civil society.

UNDP will actively drive joint programming within the UN system, innovative and blended financing approaches, and scaled, multi-year investments aligned to programme priorities.

UNDP is committed to delivering measurable, transparent, and high-quality results, and to strengthening accountability to Government, partners, and Somali citizens.

The CPD is supported by a robust results and evaluation framework to ensure continuous learning, evidence-based adjustments, and strong delivery performance.

I invite all partners to align with the National Transformation Plan, to invest in integrated and scalable solutions, and to strengthen coordination and collaboration for greater collective impact.

This is a call to move from coordination to joint delivery, and from commitments to results.

Excellencies, colleagues,

This CPD is more than a strategy — it is a delivery framework for results and impact. UNDP stands ready to lead, convene, and deliver in support of Somalia’s priorities.

Together, we can translate this vision into tangible improvements in people’s lives.

UNDP remains fully committed to supporting Somalia on its path towards peace, resilience, and sustainable development.

Thank you.

_{This is the remarks by Mr. Lionel Laurens, Resident Representative, UNDP Somalia at the launch of UNDP Somalia’s Country Programme Document (CPD 2026-2030) on 21 June 2026 in Mogadishu.}