GAROWE/NAIROBI, 10 August 2007 (UNDP Somalia) — The Minister of Justice for Puntland, Hon. Abdirizak Yasin Abdule, launched the state’s first Five-Year Development Plan (2007-2011), at a ceremony held to mark the occasion at the Presidential Palace in Garowe on Thursday. In addition to the five-year plan, the Annual Plan (2007), and Puntland in Progress (2007) were also launched simultaneously.

Representatives from the government, UN agencies, national and international non-governmental organizations, donors, civil society, and local media witnessed the event. Speaking on behalf of the state government, the Minister of Justice affirmed that the plans would be “living documents, to be used as guiding strategies for the government, and other stakeholders.”

According to the five-year plan, 12.5% of the state budget has been allocated to development-related activities — a notable mark of progress being made in the state.

The development plans were produced following several months of consultations, held between the government, public agencies, and other national and international partners. In particular, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation played a lead role in this process, ensuring that indigenous expertise was used to every extent possible. The ministry will also steer a commission for monitoring and evaluating the plans.

The government of Puntland has worked tirelessly to ensure that the plans are guided by the MDGs, and coherent with the Reconstruction and Development Plan for Puntland formulated jointly by the UN, World Bank, and Somali counterparts. This is a great achievement, as it harmonises various initiatives to improve the lives of the people of Puntland.

In order for any development to take place, a strong vision and pragmatic strategy are needed. The contents of both the development plans resonate the state’s vision, strategic aspirations and priorities, policy guidelines, as well as goals and objectives for all sectors. In addition to guiding development partners, they also provide directions and guidelines for more coherent and targeted international aid, harmonised with the state’s needs, priorities, and resources.

For operationalisation and implementation, the Five-Year Development Plan will be translated into a set of five annual plans. The Annual Plan for 2007 provides priorities, strategies, and sectoral allocations for 2007, outlining the development goals to be achieved by the state by the end of the year.

The booklet Puntland in Progress captures, in summary, the achievements made by Puntland State of Somalia from 1998 to 2005 in all important spheres, providing an insight into the economic and social growth over the years.

As part of its mandate to ensure that pro-poor, MDG-based policies are mainstreamed into national and regional reconstruction and development, UNDP has provided technical guidance and assistance to the Ministry of Planning of Puntland in preparing the documents. The organization aims to provide similar support at both national and regional levels in future.

The United Nations Development Programme works in 166 countries, helping governments, civil society and the private sector to design and build homegrown solutions to their most pressing human development challenges. Further information on the work of the UNDP can be found at: www.undp.org.