Fund Dates

• Start Date: 1 January 2020
• End Date: 31 December 2021

JP Somaliland - Key Documents

Overview

The UN Joint Rule of Law Programme for Somaliland builds on and learn lessons from the Joint Rule of Law Programme (2015-2018) that focused mainly on supporting the Government of Somaliland to improve its rule of law services in Hargeisa and select population centres.  Combining mobile courts, legal aid, law scholarships, and prisons and courts inspections that programme expanded legal profession, enlarged access to the formal legal system and strengthened public confidence in it, mainly in the urban areas. This programme seeks to extend the focus to the ‘difficult to reach’ rural areas as well as to promote access to justice and enhance the rights of specific, vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.  At the same time, the programme uses these and related initiatives incrementally to support the Government of Somaliland to develop and pilot new national models for the delivery of basic, rights-respecting  and accountable rule of law and security services from one that provides justice only for the few in the urban areas to one that ensures and delivers tangible and measurable improvements in justice for hard to reach pullulation in the regions which can be sustained across the whole of the jurisdiction. 

Assistance Strategy

This proposed new approach puts people at the centre of justice and security systems  that serves their needs and is close to them, seeks much closer working between formal and traditional justice and policing services and it expands civil society space, engages local communities and civil society actors in levering up accountability through participation and social audits, responsiveness and respect for basic rights at all levels.  The key element is the engagement of the local communities in new form of partnership and dialogue.  Combining elements of ‘top down’ and ‘bottom up’ approaches, the programme synergises with ongoing decentralization efforts including the higher judiciary giving administrative and financial powers to the Regional Appeal Courts and Attorney General’s Office; and the Ministry of Interior in its efforts to provide accountable, basic rights-respecting civilian policing services to selected communities.  In sum, the five outputs supports and enable the Government to:

• improve quality as well as quantity of basic rights respecting justice and policing services (including traditional as well as formal arrangements);
• enhance public space for partnership and accountability of justice institution;
• develop and pilot parole and probation services to help the management of scarce corrections facilities; enhance security sector governance;
•  and generally, to adopt an increasingly holistic and coordinated approach to the rule of law and security sectors that is at the heart of sustainable development, just, tolerant, equitable, open and socially inclusive society. 

The program is critical in the context of NDPII and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals for impactful change, effective and fit for purpose institutions, inclusive and just policy formulations. The program also promotes and enhances right to access to justice and due process and right to information and right to participate in public affairs.

Governance

The Programme aligns its governance and coordination arrangements with the NDP II through the Governance Pillar 3 and its sub-sectors of rule of law and security. It is also harmonized with other parallel programmes and programs, and the programme places increased focus on results that are locally owned and led, sustainable and integrated, and there is principle of mutual accountability in place. The programme is guided by the UNDG Guidelines on UN Joint Programming.

The governance structure comprises the following elements:

Programme Steering Committee (PSC): the Programme Steering Committee (PSC) is responsible for making operational policies and strategic management decisions, including approving annual work plans and budgets allocations. The PSC brings together senior Government officials, Minister for Interior, Minister for Justice, the Chairperson of the HJC, AG, the Police Commissioner, donors and participating UN organizations and is co-chaired by the Minister of Justice, Minister of Interior, Chairperson of the HJC and the UN. The PSC will provide strategic direction on development of a comprehensive programme and oversight on delivery of services to the people in the Regions. 

Programme Secretariat (PS) with UN lead agencies of UNSOM and UNDP providing operational and programmatic coordination: OLSIG-UNSOM and UNDP fulfils the secretariat role: ROLSIG and UNDP appoint their Focal Points for the secretariat. The secretariat facilitates the operational day to day decisions to ensure effective implementation of the programme. It coordinates the preparation of the draft annual workplans to be submitted to the PSC. Based on outcomes of the PSC, UNDP communicates the approved work plans to the UN MPTF office for the disbursement of funds. 

Participating UN Organisations (PUNOs) – the programme contemplates initially four PUNOs (implementing and coordinating partners): UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women and UNODC. UNDP implements most of the activities, while UNICEF, UNODC and UN Women coordinates and implement specific items. All fund disbursements to PUNOS are approved by the Programme Steering Committee based on submission of narrative and financial reports every quarter.

Administrative Agent : the Joint Programme utilizes a pass-through funding modality. Under this modality, Participating UN Organizations have agreed to channel funds for the Joint Programme through the Administrative Agent. The Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office) of the UNDP serves as the Administrative Agent (AA) of the Joint Programme. The AA is responsible for concluding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Participating UN Organizations  and Standard Administrative Arrangements (SAAs) with donor(s), as well as for the receipt, administration, and management of contributions from donors; disbursement of funds to the Participating UN Organizations; and consolidation of financial reports produced by each of the Participating UN Organizations and provision of these reports to the Steering Committee for onward submission to the donor(s).