On May 6, 2025, the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS), in partnership with the Somali Regional State Government, convened a consultative event on civil society organizations (CSOs) and forced displacement response in the Somali region, Ethiopia. Held in Jigjiga city, the consultation brought together diverse stakeholders including local and national NGOs, UN agencies (UNHCR, UN-Habitat, UNDP, IOM, and FAO), key government bodies (Bureau of Labour and Social Affairs, Disaster Risk Management Bureau, and Office of the President), and international NGOs such as the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Somali Region CSOs Coalition
The Somali Non-State Actors Coalition (SONSAC) is a non-profit, independent platform established in 2019 by various civil society organizations. With more than 70 members, SONSAC serves as the leading civil society platform for Somali Regional State CSOs, raising the voice of non-state actors and enabling vibrant civic space in policy dialogue. SONSAC’s work centres on four major pillars: CSOs coordination & capacity building, peacebuilding and conflict resolution, and democratization & human rights, with gender and disability as cross-cutting issues.
Key Takeaways
The event revealed how recent donor aid cuts, particularly from USAID, have severely impacted CSOs, causing project closures, staff layoffs, and reduced services for displaced populations. To address these challenges, CSOs must diversify funding sources, form coalitions, and focus on cost-effective, community-based approaches. Donors should implement gradual funding phase-outs, while governments must strengthen social safety nets and improve coordination.
Somali Region CSOs, despite being well-positioned to lead local responses, face capacity gaps and structural barriers. Strengthening institutions, fostering collaboration, and securing direct funding and leadership roles are essential for advancing the localization agenda. Improving CSO participation in coordination platforms through targeted capacity building, peer learning, and structural inclusion is crucial for achieving durable solutions for displaced communities.
Rooted in Resilience: The Role of Somali Region CSOs in Localization
Civil society organizations in Ethiopia’s Somali Region play a critical role in advancing the localization agenda amid forced displacement and recurrent humanitarian crises. As frontline responders to complex, overlapping challenges of conflict, drought, and displacement, these organizations are uniquely positioned to lead localized, culturally relevant, and community-centred responses.
The Somali Region faces frequent humanitarian emergencies ranging from droughts and floods to intercommunal violence and cross-border instability. In this fragile context, local CSOs consistently provide urgent support—delivering food aid, water, shelter, psychosocial assistance, and protection services. Their ability to operate in remote and insecure areas, communicate in local languages, and understand cultural dynamics enables quick, effective responses where external actors often struggle. These strengths align directly with localization goals that seek to shift decision-making power and resources closer to affected communities.
Barriers to Full Engagement
Despite their critical role, Somali Region CSOs face significant barriers hindering full localization engagement. Limited institutional capacity represents the most pressing challenge—many organizations lack adequate administrative systems, financial management structures, and donor compliance mechanisms. This capacity gap often disqualifies them from accessing direct international funding or leading large-scale projects.
Regional CSOs frequently operate in isolation with limited coordination and collaboration, weakening their collective voice and bargaining power. The centralized nature of funding and decision-making compounds this challenge, as international agencies and donors often prioritize partnerships with national or international NGOs, relegating regional CSOs to secondary or subcontracted roles. Consequently, local organizations rarely influence program design, funding priorities, or response strategies, despite implementing ground-level activities.
Restrictive legal and bureaucratic environments create additional hurdles, including registration delays, banking access challenges, and limited operational freedom in some areas.
Strategic Solutions for Localization
To unlock the full potential of Somali Region CSOs and advance localization, several strategic actions are needed:
- Capacity Building: Targeted support must strengthen institutional systems of local organizations. Donors and international NGOs should commit to long-term partnerships beyond subcontracting, including mentorship, resource sharing, and project co-leadership.
- Network Strengthening: Somali Region CSOs should be supported to strengthen networks and coalitions. Working together, they can pool expertise, advocate effectively for funding and policy changes, and participate collectively in regional and national coordination platforms. A unified local civil society voice is essential for influencing humanitarian and development strategies relevant to the Somali Region’s unique needs.
- Direct Funding and Decision-Making: Donor agencies and humanitarian actors must prioritize direct funding to local organizations and include them in decision-making from the outset. This means providing financial resources while valuing local knowledge, building trust, and creating space for local leadership in strategy design and implementation.
- Legal and Regulatory Reform: Continued advocacy for reforms creating an enabling environment for Somali Region CSOs is essential. Simplifying registration procedures, protecting civic space, and decentralizing decision-making to include regional voices are key steps toward building a more equitable humanitarian system.
Enhancing CSO Capacity and Participation in Durable Solutions
Discussions on CSOs’ role in addressing forced displacement identified key capacity building needs and practical suggestions for improving participation in coordination platforms focused on durable solutions. While CSOs provide vital grassroots support and advocacy for displaced populations, they face significant capacity gaps hindering full effectiveness.
Priority Capacity Development Areas
Stakeholder Management and Community Outreach: CSOs engage diverse actors including governmental bodies, international agencies, and affected communities, making strategic relationship navigation essential. Improved community outreach enables more effective engagement with displaced populations, ensuring interventions are inclusive and responsive to local needs.
- Project Cycle Management: A second round of training was identified as necessary to build on previous knowledge and provide deeper insights into planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of projects.
- Project Design and Resource Mobilization: Stronger project design capacities help CSOs develop more targeted, impactful interventions, while better resource mobilization enables sustainable funding acquisition. Experience sharing through peer learning and best practice exchange among CSOs significantly contributes to improved program outcomes.
Improving Coordination Platform Participation
Several actionable recommendations emerged for enhancing CSO participation in coordination mechanisms:
- Structural Inclusion: CSOs must be formally included and adequately resourced within existing coordination platforms. Without formal inclusion and necessary support, CSO participation often remains superficial.
- Dedicated Representation: Assigning dedicated focal persons to represent CSOs in different cluster groups and within the Durable Solutions Working Group ensures consistent engagement and effective advocacy. This allows CSOs to bring field-level knowledge and community perspectives directly into policy and program discussions.
These strategic approaches recognize that meaningful CSO participation in durable solutions requires both strengthened internal capacities and structural changes in how coordination platforms operate, ensuring local voices are not only heard but actively shape displacement responses.
