By Shire Abdi - Reporter
Somalia, 14 May 2026 Somalia began reviewing its progress on UN Sustainable Development Goals as government officials, civil society and development partners met in Mogadishu ahead of the country's 2026 assessment.
The consultations, organized by Somalia’s National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS), brought together representatives from women’s groups, disability organizations, academia, the private sector and the Somali diaspora.
Officials said the discussions focused on evaluating Somalia’s progress toward achieving the SDGs, identifying implementation challenges and collecting recommendations for the country’s second Voluntary National Review (VNR).
SNBS Deputy Director General Abdirahman Omar Dahir said evidence-based reporting and inclusive national dialogue were important for measuring development progress and strengthening policy planning.
Participants discussed issues related to poverty reduction, education, health services, climate change, economic growth and institutional development, all of which form part of the UN’s 2030 development agenda.
Somalia continues to face significant development challenges linked to insecurity, displacement, climate shocks and limited infrastructure, factors that have affected progress toward several development targets.
Officials said Somalia’s first SDG review, presented in New York in 2022, received positive feedback from international partners.
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According to SNBS, Somalia’s SDG data coverage has increased from 39% during the first review in 2022 to nearly 70% in 2026 following improvements in national data collection systems and reporting capacity.
The bureau said recent efforts to strengthen economic, social and demographic surveys were helping improve the country’s ability to measure development indicators and monitor progress.
The consultations are expected to continue on Thursday, with participants further reviewing SDG indicators and contributing recommendations for Somalia’s 2026 review report.
The Sustainable Development Goals are a set of 17 global targets adopted by United Nations member states in 2015 aimed at ending poverty, improving health and education, promoting economic growth and addressing climate change by 2030.