Gender discrimination in Somalia or Puntland is deeply rooted in cultural, social, and institutional practices, with significant impacts on the lives of women and girls. In this modern world, every woman in Puntland can create the kind of life she wishes to lead, which is unconstrained by harmful social norms and discriminatory stereotypes. To make a future where women and girls in Puntland are free from harmful stereotypes and discriminatory practices, concerted efforts from all sectors, like the government, civil society, the private sector, and communities, are necessary. Local actors like the Puntland Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are agents in this process, impacting the degree to which norms influence local practices. They have a better understanding of local cultures and religious belief systems. They are, therefore, better placed to push the process of norm adaptation at the local level, including in rural areas.

This Policy Brief summarizes a workshop on “Development of a joint CSO-wide networking and policy brief writing” hosted by the Puntland Youth Association Network in September 2024, Garowe, Puntland, Somalia. The workshop, facilitated by Dr Adam Abdulkadir, brought together different civil society organizations. The workshop was designed to engage key stakeholders in policy development and advocacy efforts. It aimed to enhance participants’ capacity to write effective policy briefs and strengthen CSOs for advocacy and localizing humanitarian and development initiatives in Puntland. This brief does not necessarily reflect the views of all workshop participants. This paper discusses the Civil Society Organization’s readiness towards localizing humanitarian and development action in Puntland. It examines the preparedness of local CSOs to take a leading role in humanitarian and development efforts, aligning with global localization trends.