In response to recent media coverage, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) would like to state:

UNDP has been supporting Somalia since 1977. This longstanding presence is based on a fully-fledged agreement between UNDP and the Government of Somalia as reflected in the UNDP–Somalia Standard Basic Framework Agreement.

Since 2015, UNDP Somalia has implemented 438 projects across the country, with a total value of USD 546.74 million. All these activities are prioritized according to approved country programme documents, a cooperation framework that is approved by UNDP’s Executive Board comprised of UN Member States.

All UNDP projects are subject to rigorous programming standards, including UNDP's accountability and transparency standards for use of resources, information disclosure, oversight and independent monitoring, and auditing.

UNDP has zero tolerance for fraud and corruption and all our activities and operations are conducted in compliance with UNDP's Policy against Fraud and Other Corrupt Practices.

As part of our longstanding support to Somalia UNDP has partnered with the Federal Government of Somalia to develop Somalia’s National Transformation Plan for 2025-2029.

One of the first initiatives to operationalise the Plan is the Somalia Transformational Governance Project (TGP). 

This project falls under the aforementioned cooperation framework and aims to:

• Accelerate transformational governance and public sector reform;
• Improve public service delivery; and
• Accelerate sustainable economic transformation and capacity development priorities.

The project was initiated by the Federal Government of Somalia in early 2025 and co-created with several government entities.

UNDP supported development of the project, which is aligned with our core development mandate. This involved full consultation with key national partners and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

The project was formally agreed in July 2025. No money has been disbursed thus far from the project.

UNDP has robust measures in place to ensure the responsible and transparent use of project funds.
These include:

• Payment based on delivery of project activities and objectives;
• Regular checks and audits of project resources;
• Use of UNDP procurement rules and processes for all significant expenditures; and
• UNDP capacity-building and review of expenditure reports by government agencies handling project funds

UNDP’s long established track record of successfully working with governments and donors around the world, including in Somalia, is based on the trust we build with partners.

UNDP’s programming approach in Somalia is not unique. It follows the same model that UNDP applies in fragile, crisis-affected, and post-conflict settings globally. 

UNDP has not been party to any alleged discussions relating to the return of migrants.