Doha, Qatar – Somalia, in partnership with the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), unveiled a landmark Outcome Document in Doha outlining “The Catalytic Agenda” — a global roadmap designed to transform social protection systems in fragile and conflict-affected settings into engines of stability, peace, and recovery.
The document, the result of months of collaboration between policymakers, humanitarian agencies, and development experts, represents a turning point in how the international community approaches safety nets in contexts marred by conflict and instability. It emphasizes building durable national systems that not only respond to crises but also strengthen community resilience and restore trust in state institutions.
For Somalia, the initiative holds particular significance. The country’s leadership has championed social protection as a pillar of long-term recovery, recognizing that inclusive safety nets can help vulnerable families withstand shocks, reduce poverty, and prevent cycles of displacement and instability. Years of conflict and recurrent droughts have left millions dependent on humanitarian aid, and the government has been steadily shifting toward sustainable, nationally led protection systems.
The launch in Doha gathered senior officials from both Somalia and the UK, along with representatives from multilateral organizations and donor agencies. Together, they endorsed the Catalytic Agenda’s call for collective investment, policy coherence, and adaptive financing mechanisms that allow fragile states to protect their most vulnerable citizens even amid insecurity.
The roadmap builds on lessons from Somalia’s own experience with cash-based assistance and social safety programs that have reached hundreds of thousands of families. It also lays out principles for integrating humanitarian response with national development frameworks, ensuring that short-term relief contributes to long-term peacebuilding.
The joint unveiling in Doha marks a hopeful milestone — a recognition that resilience is not built through charity alone, but through inclusive systems that empower people to recover, rebuild, and thrive even in the toughest of environments.