War, warlords, famine, pirates – all have defined Somalia’s last couple of decades. Without a central government, public services collapsed, mistrust has grown and the economy has suffered. In 2012, Somalia’s first formal parliament was sworn in, offering hope for the country’s future.

In the same year, the Somalia Stability Fund (SSF) was created: a multi-donor programme funded by the UK, European Union, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Germany all contribute.

SSF is an ambitious, innovative and far-reaching programme that supports the development of a peaceful, stable and secure Somalia. Despite a difficult environment, SSF has more than 60 implementing partners and has invested in more than 100 projects across Somalia.

The Fund supports representative and responsive local governance and the resolution and mitigation of conflicts in the country. It values internal solutions and prioritises support and capacity-building to Somali-owned organisations and networks, as well as both private sector and government entities. It is committed to learning, adapting and openly communicating about funding decisions in order to determine the most effective mechanisms.