Religious Leaders forum for the prevention of Aid Diversion in Puntland,

APRIL 17th – 18th, 2024.

Overview: Aid has been crucial in averting humanitarian crisis in its detrimental impact on trust in Somalia. He emphasized the need
Somalia, however, pervasive corrupt abuse and diversion of aid for implementation of accountability mechanisms to track aid
among various avenues in the aid supply chains, undermines its supplies, engaging government institutions including law
effectiveness in the country. Better understanding of scale, enforcement such as the police and courts, to combat the problem.
potential reasons, and avenues for this systemic issue is vital for He said that “aid diversion remains prevalent, contributing to the
addressing the underlying political economy of aid diversion in country’s low global trust ranking’’. He proposed regular meetings
Somalia. for humanitarian agencies aimed at strengthening the aid value
chain and establish transparent aid processes. Finally, he called for
Religious Leaders Forum: World Vision Somalia (WVS) hosted collective responsivity in preventing and mitigating aid diversion.
a religious leaders’ forum which sought to provide a platform to
discuss aid diversion within Puntland state with a religious lens. The Directors General (DGs) of the Ministries of Justice and
Humanitarian Affairs reaffirmed their close collaboration with
The forum which primarily targeted religious leaders was also World Vision International (WVI) and the World Food Program
graced by governmental ministries, including the Ministries of (WFP) in addressing aid diversion. "We have established hotlines
Justice, Interior, Humanitarian Affairs, and Ministry of Health, as in various locations to enable reporting of cases of aid diversion,"
well as the Office of the Vice President of Puntland State. A total added the DG of Justice. Puntland recognizes its significant role in
of 30 persons including faith leaders, senior government officials, preventing aid diversion and is prepared to intensify efforts to
representatives from UN agencies (WFP and UNICEF), eradicate it throughout the country.
transport/logistics companies, INGOs (CARE and the host WV),
and the Nutrition Cluster attended the forum. Participants acknowledged that aid diversion undermines the

The participants discussed the underlying causes of aid diversion

including misappropriation of aid, misuse, losses, and sale of
humanitarian aid within Puntland marketplaces. Religious leaders
lead the discussions on aid diversion from a religious perspective,
where they underscored that it was a sign of moral decay. They
called for the participants to work together to identify leakages
within the humanitarian system and called for immediate actions to
tackle aid diversion at all levels. Through an open and value-based
discussions the participants unpacked the drivers of aid diversion,
redressed misconceptions and called for collective accountability
and urgent actions to arrest aid diversion.

Why religious leaders Mr. Said Jama Ali (Qorshel) Minister of health Puntland
giving the opening remarks during the Aid diversion forum.
Religious leaders are esteemed within their communities and are
amongst the most respected opinion leaders. WV has experience in
successfully collaborating with religious leaders in advocacy
(citizen voice action) and protection programming (Channels of effectiveness of assistance efforts, perpetuates suffering, and
hope). Religious leaders have proven to be reliable agents of hampers overall development and stability in Puntland, Somalia,
change, and thus are key in addressing social challenges including participants engaged in open and constructive discussions during
aid diversion. the forum, sharing insights, experiences, and concerns related to
aid diversion.
Religious leaders provide moral guidance, advocate for
transparency and collective accountability, which is essential for They acknowledged that aid diversion occurs through various
aid integrity. Through religious gatherings and other social channels, including misappropriation by individuals and groups,
networks, they can raise awareness on aid diversion, discuss the corruption, and the exploitation of humanitarian supply chains. The
effects of aid diversion, disseminate anti-aid diversion messages, severe consequences of aid diversion were also acknowledged,
conduct monitoring, report of aid leakages, advocating for including the denial of essential services to those in need,
community, lobby for accountability, advocate for policies or laws exacerbation of conflict dynamics, and the erosion of trust in
to carb aid diversion and facilitate community led solutions to fight humanitarian activities.
aid diversion.
Faith leaders’ commitment to fighting aid diversion.
Government commitment to fighting Aid diversion.

The forum was officially opened by Puntland State Health Minister Religious leaders highlighted their unwavering dedication to
H.E Said Jama Ali (Qorshel) who underscored the challenges combating aid diversion, a scourge that has long plagued
emanating from aid diversion, its prohibition in Islamic Sharia and vulnerable communities. Embracing the principles of Islamic
Sharia, the sheiks articulated a resolute stance against theft and
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deception in humanitarian aid. They also underscored the profound  Prosecution of offenders or persons engaged in aid
ethical imperative to safeguard aid resources meant for those in the diversion.
most vulnerable. The fulcrum of their commitment was a profound
responsibility to ensure that aid reaches its intended recipients
without any diversion. Emphasizing the moral imperative to uphold
aid integrity, the religious leaders issued a call to all stakeholders,
including government officials, transport operators and aid agency Aid Agencies
personnel, to eschew any involvement or complicity in aid
diversion.  Establish mechanisms to monitor and evaluate aid
distribution processes, ensuring adherence to established
Beyond mere rhetoric, they articulated concrete steps to translate guidelines and promptly addressing any irregularities.
their commitment into tangible outcomes. Religious leaders will  Put systems in place to ensure that their staff and
partners/transporters who are involved in aid diversion
discourage selling of aid food including nutrition supplies meant
are blacklisted.
for the most vulnerable. They committed to advocate for
 Raise awareness on how to report aid diversion through
transparency and fairness in aid distribution and to help settle any community feedback mechanisms.
disagreements between aid agencies and to community. The faith
leaders representative said the following, “We’re determined to Private Actors/Transporters
make sure every ounce of aid goes to the poor who really need it.’’
 Comply with laws and regulations that prohibit aid
diversion through enhanced commodity management.
 Awareness raising/training of staff on commodities
management, reporting of aid diversion.
 Support government actions, spread awareness among
transporters and other business operators.

Religious Leaders

 Engage/lobby policy makers to promulgate laws which

prohibit aid diversion including selling of aid as a crime
which is punishable by law.
 Facilitate awareness session on aid diversion and
reporting during religious and community gatherings.
 Support fact findings, and independent reporting of any
leakages of nutrition supplies, advocating for community
Religious leaders in a group discussion during the forum
participation and public accountability in aid supply
processes.
 Engage other religious leaders to talk raise awareness on
Transporter’s role in fighting aid diversion aid diversion.

The transporters who attended the forum underscored how serious

aid diversions were and the harm it can cause to everyone involved, Recommendations
including their own reputation and the community. They
 All stakeholders, beneficiaries, and communities are
committed to upholding their moral obligations through enhancing
encouraged to report incidences of air diversion.
their systems to prevent, detect, report and deal with aid diversion.  Establish a government, UN, and INGOs task force for
They pledged to abide by laws and ethics that forbid selling aid, policy formulation and law enforcement against aid
back government actions against aid diversion, and spread diversion.
awareness among their staff, and fellow transporters.  Improve coordination among government institutions,
faith leaders, and aid organizations to ensure
Key Action Plan: After the deliberations in the forum, the transparency, collective accountability, and integrity in
participants came up with the following action plan: aid delivery.
 Implement mechanisms to monitor and evaluate aid
Government Role distribution processes, promptly addressing irregularities.
 Support religious leaders to raise awareness and engage
 Engage/lobby policy makers to promulgate laws which communities in prevention efforts.
prohibit aid diversion including selling of aid as a crime  Establish an internal control system and feedback
which is punishable at law. mechanism for transparency.
 Enhance coordination and collaboration among  Collaborate with WFP on media campaigns to deter aid
government institutions, faith leaders, and humanitarian diversion and highlight its impact.
agencies to improve transparency, collective  Harmonize reporting channels for aid diversion incidents.
accountability, and integrity in aid delivery. Emphasize zero tolerance for aid diversion and
encourage reporting by all stakeholders.

Reporting Aid diversion:

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Toll free Golis 3100 Toll free 364
Somtel 3200 Suggestion boxes at project
sites.
[email protected] Report at any WV Office