Somalia has been embroiled in armed conflict ever since the regime of its former president Siad Barre collapsed in 1991. Since then, various armed groups have fought for power, and the country has struggled with weak government authority. Somalia’s clan violence and rivalries have worsened the crisis. The Ireland-based NGO Concern Worldwide in 2025 ranked Somalia as the second poorest country in the world, stating that roughly 60% of Somalis live below the poverty line. Meanwhile, terrorist organizations such as Al-Shebab hold power and influence in parts of the country.
A number of international organizations and initiatives have been working to help promote peace, stability, and development in Somalia. One South Korean agency, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is playing a key role in peacebuilding in Somalia. KOICA has partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 2006, with a strong focus on governance and peacebuilding.
A recent joint effort is the regional program Peacebuilding and Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) in East Africa. The project began in 2024 and will continue until 2027, with a budget of US$18 million.
On September 18, 2025, the UNDP published an interview with KOICA Country Director Wankyu Park. Park spoke with Kamal Sigdel, Head of Communications at UNDP Somalia, about the Peacebuilding and PVE program. Park also discussed the connection between community-level peace efforts and national dialogue.
Park said the initiative is designed to make youth and marginalized groups more resilient against extremism through dialogue, peer-to-peer exchanges, and multimedia peace campaigns. “Importantly, women will be engaged as active leaders in peacebuilding, reflecting their unique role in reconciliation,” he added.
The program also emphasizes reintegration for those leaving extremist groups, combining psychosocial support with livelihood training to reduce the risk of re-recruitment. The program, Park said, will work to enhance early warning systems and regional cooperation for a stronger, more cohesive East Africa.
Park stressed that success at the grassroots level feeds into broader political solutions. “In my view, higher-level mediation becomes more relevant and legitimate when it reflects real local concerns,” he said. Community dialogue and reintegration successes, he argued, demonstrate that peace is possible and help shift mindsets at the national level. Park noted that by investing in locally driven prevention, KOICA is creating platforms that connect grassroots, civil society, and national actors. This, he says, forms stronger foundations for “sustainable political settlements.”
The project is still in its early stages, but Park said it is already bearing fruit. Communities, youth and women leaders, and government institutions in Somalia are engaging in peace dialogues, while six local action plans on preventing violent extremism have been developed.
These efforts “will lead to strong local ownership that will ultimately contribute to the sustainability of the project,” Park noted, while cautioning that adapting programs through continuous community feedback remains crucial.
Somalia has often seen short-term stabilization prioritized over institution-building. Park believes the two must go hand in hand. Short-term stabilization “creates space for governance and institution-building to take root, while long-term development ensures short-term gains are not lost when donor support declines,” he said.
This, Park stressed, means investing in local governments in newly recovered areas through delivering capacity-building, budgeting, service delivery and accountability.
KOICA and UNDP are also exploring new partnerships in digital innovation and climate action. Park said Somalia offers opportunities for climate-smart livelihoods and digital solutions for inclusive service delivery. For Park, Korea’s experience of overcoming war and poverty is central to its solidarity with Somalia. “Korea knows from its own history what it means to overcome hardship through resilience and partnership,” he said.
In August 2024, Peace News Network (PNN) published an article about efforts to build peace amidst clan violence in the Somali city of Galkayo. To read the article, click here.
Keywords: Somalia, South Korea, Korea, peace, extremism, preventing, peacebuilding, conflict, conflict resolution, Somali
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