Decentralisation in Somaliland is still in its early stages. While District Councils are mandated to provide services to citizens, there is still an unclear delineation of roles and responsibilities, as most sectors are (in practice) not yet decentralised from the line ministries and in many cases delivery been taken over by NGOs. Furthermore, there is a palpable mismatch between the responsibilities allocated to districts and the (financial and human) resources they have. The Association of Local Government Authorities of Somaliland (ALGASL) was established in 2006 by the mayors of 10 district councils. ALGASL aims to build strong local governments and support decentralisation, benefiting local communities, including marginalized groups such as women, youth and IDPs. At present, ALGASL has 10 paying members out of the 23 districts with elected district councils. Though ALGASL has potential, the association is constrained by a lack of human and financial resources, which hinders its ability to fulfill its mandate and attract additional members. If strengthened, ALGASL can play a pivotal role in working towards more legitimate local governments, because of its mandate to lobby and advocate for the interests of districts and to build their capacity. It is a highly relevant linchpin between central and local government, can provide nationwide outreach and can promote exchange of experience among districts through its platform function.

In its first year(s), the programme will work towards achieving the following outputs: * Output 3.1 The institutional sustainability of ALGASL has been strengthened. * Output 3.2 The capability of ALGASL to provide services to members in policy areas related to resilience and to build capabilities of members has improved. * Output 3.3 The capability of ALGASL to engage in intergovernmental relations and carry out evidence-based lobby and advocacy in support of increased local autonomy and resources is strengthened. * Output 3.4 The capability of ALGASL to contribute to the localisation and implementation of the National Gender Policy has improved. * Output 3.5 The capability of ALGASL to provide coordination mechanisms between districts and other stakeholders has been enhanced. In subsequent years, the programme will also work towards achieving the following outputs: * Output 1.1 Services provided by ALGASL increase the awareness of pilot districts of their mandate, roles and responsibilities in service delivery in policy areas related to resilience. * Output 1.2 Services provided by ALGASL contribute to increased technical knowledge and coordination capabilities in pilot districts to deliver services in policy areas related to resilience. * Output 1.3 Services provided by ALGASL improve the awareness and capabilities of pilot districts to take community needs (especially marginalised groups – women, youth and IDPs) into account in delivering services in policy areas related to resilience. * Output 2.1 Services provided by ALGASL increase the awareness of pilot districts on the importance of community outreach and their capability for participatory planning and policy-making (especially involving marginalised groups). * Output 2.2 Leadership trajectories provided by ALGASL promote political participation of women and youth in pilot districts.

Inclusive Decisions At Local Level (IDEAL)

The impact of the overall IDEAL programme is: The stronger social contract between local governments and citizens has enhanced local governments' capacity to cope with fragility risks. The outcomes of the IDEAL Som. programme are: * Outcome 1: ALGASL services contribute to more responsive and effective service delivery (in policy areas relating to resilience) in pilot districts. * Outcome 2: ALGASL services contribute to more inclusive and participatory decision-making processes (in policy areas relating to resilience) in pilot districts. * Outcome 3: ALGASL contributes to an improved policy and institutional environment of districts. The programme focuses on Outcome 3 for the first year(s) of implementation. Subsequently, Outcomes 1 and 2 will be phased into the programme in selected pilot districts.

The programme primarily targets the Association of Local Government Authorities of Somaliland (ALGASL) as beneficiary and implementing partner. In later years of the programme, ALGASL will jointly implement interventions to contribute to Outcomes 1 and 2 together with the programme team.

The target area for this programme is Somaliland. The programme focuses on strengthening the Association of Local Government Authorities of Somaliland to play its role in service delivery to members, lobby & advocacy and coordination, with the aim of enabling districts to contribute to resilience at the local level.