Background
The almost twenty-year old Somali civil war has rendered the capital city of Mogadishu devastated and devoid of basic urban services and infrastructure. Residential and commercial neighborhoods are in a severe state of destruction, and the crater-filled streets are lined with bullet-riddled walls, crumbled houses and piles of rubble. There is barely a single structure which is not damaged to some extent, and many of the residential houses, still in use by Somali families, are so badly damaged that they can hardly qualify as buildings anymore. Mogadishu’s economy, which miraculously managed to survive (and in some sectors strive) through years of ongoing conflict, is currently on the brink of a total collapse. Local business people and the relatively well-off middle class have left in large numbers over the past two years. The city harbors approximately 300,000 “protracted” IDPs (about 50,000 households), spread over 297 settlements and generally living under squalid conditions. The land ownership of IDP settlements is complex and diverse, and can be grouped under 1) privately owned buildings, 2) private land, 3) publicly owned buildings, 4) public land, and 5) unknown ownership. The initial approach by the TFG rendered IDPs living in public compounds extremely vulnerable to forced evictions, with no assistance or alternatives provided for resettlement. Since end 2007, the Government has changed its approach, and the recently established Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Resettlement has requested UN-HABITAT’s assistance in a planned resettlement process for Mogadishu IDPs – in particular those currently living in public buildings that are needed in the institutional recovery process. The Ministry recognizes the need for alternative settlement sites that are secure and suitable from a social and economic point of view.

Objectives

• Rehabilitation of Mogadishu neighborhoods that have been devastated by years of civil conflict
• Shelter rehabilitation and expansion for IDPs, returnees and urban poor, through an integrative approach and “area upgrading & resettlement” agreements
• Public infrastructure rehabilitation and improved basic services provision for upgraded neighborhoods: markets, community facilities, water, sanitation, drainage, road works, and solid waste.
• Contribution to a community-driven reconciliation and peace-building process
• Improved livelihoods and economic opportunities for upgraded neighborhoods, surrounding areas, and individual households

Target Group

• 50,000 residents of Mogadishu, of which at least 50% (25,000) will be returnees, IDPs or urban poor.
• The entire population of Mogadishu, who will have access to improved urban neighborhoods,
• The Mogadishu business community