UN and Somali Government launch a New Joint Programme To Empower Women

Mogadishu – A new two-year US$ 6.2 million joint programme on Women, Peace and Protection (WPP) was launched in Mogadishu on 30 November by the Government of Somalia and the United Nations. This programme will support women’s meaningful participation in peace, security and development in the effort to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ceremony was attended by international partners, representatives of Federal Member States and civil society, including representatives of persons with disabilities.

Jointly funded by the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and the Somalia Multi Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), the programme seeks to strengthen the capacity of institutions and women-led grassroot organisations to address fundamental issues affecting rights of women, sustainable peace and reconciliation in Somalia.

Under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development (MoWHRD), the programme will be implemented jointly by UN Women and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

In his remarks at the launch, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, noted that the new programme seeks to ensure the full and equal participation of Somali women in all spheres of life, including political decision-making, security, development and human rights issues.

“It is public knowledge that women remain on the periphery of formal peace processes, and they are largely excluded from decision-making. If sustainable peace and stability were to be achieved, we need to address the rise in incidents of violence and misogyny; the exclusion of Somali women from decision-making; and a myriad of challenges they are facing,” Mr. Abdelmoula said.

“I am confident that the government, civil society, donors and the UN will work together to implement this joint programme and improve the inclusion and participation of Somali women in peace negotiations as well as in parliament, judiciary and security sector institutions,” Mr. Abdelmoula added.

Somalia’s Minister of Women and Human Rights Development, Hanifa Mohamed Ibrahim, and Team Leader Stability, Security and Justice for the Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom, Graham Thomson, also spoke at the event.

Wide consultations

Minister Hanifa expressed optimism that the new WPP programme will deliver its objectives, given that it is a product of wide consultations of stakeholders across the country.

“Somali women are the majority in this country, and they normally face many human rights violations. And so, in order to get a mechanism to help prevent those violations against them, there is [a] need to put up legislative measures in line with UN [Security Council] Resolution 1325. And so, that is how this joint programme came into existence, and before today’s launch, we held wide consultations with various women stakeholders in Benadir region and the Federal Member States,” the Minister noted.

“We fully endorse the Joint Programme’s focus on supporting women in Somalia as leaders and change makers, and the promotion of women-led organisations to build peace and support women’s protection” said Mr. Thomson from the United Kingdom’s FCDO.

 “Our support to women-led organisations must be given in a sustainable way that recognises the role they play every day in the protection of women and girls across Somalia,” he added.

Support for WPP 

Women in Somalia welcomed the WPP programme, expressing hope that it will help address perennial problems preventing them from achieving their full potential.

 “This project launched here today is a programme that targets to support and help us partake in politics and security matters. It is very important for us women to do that in order to be part and parcel of the national dialogue and for us to know our strength in numbers so that we can decisively be visible in politics and also take part in security matters,” women activist, Ifrah Ahmed from Mogadishu said.

Somalia is holding national elections, and the country has set a minimum benchmark of 30 per cent women’s representation in the Parliament to improve participation of Somali women in decision making and politics.