Operational Note - How to use the Bulsho local social contract platform to strengthen local service delivery, the social contract and state legitimacy in Somalia

Jul 19, 2026

Operational note providing sector ministries and programs with recommendations on using the proposed government-led Bulsho local social contract platform to strengthen local service delivery, the social contract, and state legitimacy in Somalia. It synthesizes practical examples drawn from three World Bank–funded initiatives—Barwaaqo’ Somalia Water for Rural Resilience, RCRF, and the Somalia Urban Resilient Project—and links implementation to a bottom-up platform built on community diagnosis, participatory planning, joint resource mobilization, oversight and accountability, and citizen–state service delivery commitments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Summary

The Bulsho local social contract platform

Five core components

Case studies: the relevance of the Bulshoplaƞorm for the WB-funded projects

Barwaaqo’ Somalia Water for Rural Resilience

Recurrent Costs and Reform Financing (RCRF)

Somalia Urban Resilient Project (SURP)

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized OPERATIONAL NOTE How to use the Bulsho local social contract plaƞorm to strengthen local service delivery, the social contract and state legiƟmacy in Somalia Summary This operaƟonal note provides recommendaƟons for sector ministries and their programs on the use of the proposed government-led Bulsho local social contract plaƞorm to strengthen local service delivery, the social contract and state legiƟmacy in Somalia. The note draws on three World Bank funded projects, namely the Barwaaqo’ Somalia Water for Rural Resilience, the Recurrent Costs and Reform Financing (RCRF), and the Somalia Urban Resilient Project (SURP), to give pracƟcal examples of how to use the plaƞorm. This operaƟonal note buildson a separate policy note, which pointed to the strength of community ins ƟtuƟons. The policy note recommended the establishment of a plaƞorm to enable state and community insƟtuƟons to work together from the boƩom up and pool their own resources in a hybrid model ofco-producƟon. The Bulsho local social contract plaƞorm consists of ﬁve core components: (1) a community diagnosƟc and collaboraƟonforum; (2) a parƟcipatory planning system;(3) a resource mobilizaƟon mechanism; (4) a community oversight and accountability system; and (5) a series of underpinning commitments between ciƟzens and the state on service delivery prioriƟes, processes, and roles andresponsibiliƟes. Sector ministries and their programs can use the plaƞorm to leverage community insƟtuƟons with the aim to reinforce the impact of their intervenƟons. The Bulsho local social contract plaƞorm 1. The local social contract plaƞorm brings together ciƟzens and local authoriƟes to agree on theresources that the government and communiƟes can jointly raise, on the one side, and the core services that the government will deliver with these resources, on the other side. 2. The Bulsho local social contract plaƞorm consists of ﬁve core components (see separate policy note for more details): a) A community diagnosƟc and collaboraƟon forum, which brings together representaƟves from community insƟtuƟons from all villages in a district, so that they can jointly idenƟfy soluƟons to their development problems. This component will also entail awareness raising and aƫtude change for those communiƟes that are unable toidenƟfy soluƟons to their problems and mobilize the necessary resources. b) A parƟcipatory planning system, which brings together ciƟzens, community insƟtuƟons and local authoriƟes to prioriƟze the development intervenƟons in their districts, and ensures synergies between community prioriƟes and alignment with sector plans and standards. The planning idenƟﬁes priority acƟons across three inter-related windows: (i) climate adaptaƟon and resilience; (ii) economic empowerment and local economic development, and (iii) basic service delivery. c) A resource mobilizaƟon mechanism, which enables the joint fundraising for the ﬁnancial resources needed to realize the intervenƟonsidenƟﬁed in the parƟcipaƟng planning. This component will entail a funding mechanism where FMS and communiƟes will co-fund local infrastructures through matching grants that are in proporƟon of resources raised by district administraƟons and community insƟtuƟons (both from local taxaƟon and voluntary 1 DRAFT-June 24, 2024 contribuƟons) and inter-community collaboraƟon.1 d) A community oversight and accountability system, which is made of two inter-related systems, namely (i) an on-line ﬁnancial system that tracks how mobilized funds, as well as user fees, are managed and spent (the system makes non-sensiƟve ﬁnancial informaƟon available to the public), and (ii) an openly accessible community scorecard and beneﬁciary feedback system that community members can use to provide suggesƟons and appreciaƟons, or ﬁle complaints. e) A series of underpinning commitments between ciƟzens and the state on service delivery prioriƟes, proces

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Bulsho local social contract platform in Somalia?

It brings together citizens and local authorities to agree on resources that government and communities can jointly raise and the core services the government will deliver with those resources.

What are the five core components of the Bulsho platform?

They are a community diagnostic and collaboration forum, a participatory planning system, a resource mobilization mechanism, a community oversight and accountability system, and citizen–state commitments on service delivery priorities, processes, and roles.

How do the World Bank–funded projects support practical use of the platform?

The note uses three World Bank–funded projects—Barwaaqo’ Somalia Water for Rural Resilience, RCRF, and SURP—as concrete examples to show how ministries and programs can apply the platform to strengthen service delivery, the social contract, and state legitimacy.

Jul 19, 2026

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