UNDP Somalia Accelerator Lab

We are working to find environmental solutions in rural communities, to increase economic inclusion of informal businesses and to ease access to justice within a highly uncertain political climate.

The UNDP Somalia Accelerator Lab started with a focus on climate change and the vulnerability of Somali society to climate disasters. The Lab team applied a positive deviance approach that identifies atypical but successful practices among pastoralist communities who have managed to keep their rangelands despite floods and droughts. Together with our environment team, we investigated solutions on the ground to prevent practices such as deforestation. We also launched a water innovation challenge calling to communities to suggest solutions to save water.

On another front the Lab is working on economic inclusion. Through our work on Behavioral Insights (BI4Y) we are trying to learn about barriers preventing informal businesses from registration. Then we will co-design solutions catered to solve these barriers.

Another main challenge taps into people’s uncertainty on the country’s upcoming elections. We partnered with UNDP’s "Access to Justice Project" to plan five innovation camps in five cities across Somalia to come up with solutions to ensure equal access to justice.