UNSOM supported and SWCCA organized two-day Symposium that commenced today CSO Civic space with the goal of building trust between the state and citizens.

The Symposium was attended Parliamentary, the State minister of the Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development, the State minister of the Ministry of religious affairs, the UNFPA Somalia Representatives, Office of the president, the representative from the office of the prime minister, Somali National Women, journalists, lawyers, representatives , United Nations Development Programme – UNDP representative, Representative of the Save the Children in Somalia, Representative of the Safeworld, Banadir Regional Administration, CSOs, Human right defenders, People with disability, marginalized group, IDPs and academics.

To create a conducive environment that empowers civil society organizations in Somalia to actively engage with their communities, advocate for critical human rights issues, and collectively amplify their voices in advancing the human rights agenda in Somalia.

“Civil society organizations are key because they are in touch with the people even in areas that cannot be accessed by government officials. These community-based organizations are active on the ground and if they are not empowered, our impact as a government will not be felt,” said Somalia’s State Minister for Women and Human Rights Development, Amina Hassan Ali.

“Civil society organizations are well positioned to interact with grassroots communities and identify the community needs, and complements government efforts,” she added in an interview on the opening day of the symposium on Wednesday.

Speaking on the event, the Chief of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia’s (UNSOM) Human Rights and Protection Group, Kirsten Young, stressed the important role of CSOs in representing citizens and presenting issues that concern the public to authorities. In her remarks, she flagged a range of topics, such as the rights of minorities and the vital role that freedom of expression plays in open debates and discussions. She particularly highlighted civil society’s collaboration with Somalia’s federal Parliament to enact human rights legislation on topics such as juvenile justice, disability rights and child rights.

In the discussions over the two days, participants focused on a range of issues, including women’s political participation.

“We keep advocating for our federal constitution to reflect thirty per cent women’s representation in Parliament. But this cannot be achieved without the substantive support from the civil society that are vocal in fighting for the rights of women, and creating awareness,” said the secretary of the Federal Parliamentary Committee on Women, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, Adar Mohamed.

“We realized there was a huge gap as far as women’s participation in the development and political space is concerned. We had organized workshops on women’s participation in politics, and I am glad that two of my colleagues are now Members of Parliament,” the founder of the Women Centre for Peace and Development, Hibo Ali Osman, noted in her remarks to the event.

The issue of disability rights also figured in the discussions. Currently, a National Disability bill has been sent to Parliament for review.

Supported by the United Nations and organized by the non-governmental organization Somali Women and Child Care Association (SWCCA), the two-day symposium was attended by human rights defenders, journalists, members of parliament, cabinet ministers, and academics.

SIHA Network , Stand Speak Rise Up , UNFPA Somalia , Urgent Action Fund-Africa , United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia – UNSOM , World Vision Somali, EU Delegation to the African Union , UN Women and , Legal Action Worldwide.

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