The Somalia Stability Fund Phase 3 (SSF III), launched in March 2023, built on the multi-donor agreement from the 2012 London Conference on Somalia. It aimed to integrate political, security, and development interventions while promoting inclusivity and responsiveness. SSF III focused on addressing informal agreements among elites, mitigating inter-communal distrust from past violence and resource conflicts, fostering democratic governance, and strengthening the engagement between the government and citizens to enhance transparency and accountability. It operated through four main workstreams supported by a research-focused fifth workstream, ensuring evidence-based strategies, filling gaps, and regularly testing assumptions.
To address the lack of structured public perception surveys in peacebuilding efforts, SSF III introduced the Heshiin Beeg, a periodic survey to gauge Somali citizens' attitudes towards each other, state institutions, and nationhood. A renowned research institution, in collaboration with credible local partners, was tasked with piloting the initiative to ensure contextual relevance and Somali ownership of the process. This effort built on the National Reconciliation Framework (NRF) of 2019, which outlined key pillars for peacebuilding but lacked tools for monitoring public perceptions. The Heshiin Beeg aimed to inform policies and practices by providing critical insights into public attitudes and behaviors related to peace and reconciliation, ensuring a methodologically sound implementation across five project phases.