Reintegration good practices #8 - Revitalizing Economy and Enhancing Social Cohesion through Community-Based Planning and Community-Prioritized Infrastructure Works: the Construction of a Bridge in Somalia

As part of its community stabilization and community-based reintegration interventions in Somalia, IOM built a bridge in the town of Baidoa, in southern Somalia. This activity benefitted the entire population of the area including 30,000 IDPs, 37,500 returnees (including returning IDPs, returning refugees and returning migrants) and 82,500 members of the host communities, who gained enhanced access to basic services and to economic markets. The construction of the bridge was prioritized by the community following an intensive community consultation and planning process involving all socio-economic groups of the area.  

This factsheet describes the community consultation and community-based planning process that led to the public works intervention and enhanced social cohesion. It illustrates how members of the community, partners, local authority and local leaders were brought together to dialogue, negotiate and reach consensus regarding the identification of socio-economic groups, the selection of representatives of these groups’ and the identification and planning of interventions addressing the different groups’ development and (re)integration needs. It also analyses evidence collected by IOM on the outcomes of this activity in terms of social cohesion, access to basic services and enhanced livelihoods opportunities.