Two-day meeting ends with call to expand Somalia’s civic space and enhance

human rights advocacy

TRT: 5:55

SOURCE: UNSOM Strategic Communication and Public Affairs Group

(SCPAG)
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CREDIT REQUIRED: UNSOM Strategic Communication and Public Affairs Group (SCPAG)
LANGUAGE: SOMALI/ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 23 – 24 AUGUST 2023 - MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot – Participants attending the civil society symposium in Mogadishu.

2. Med shot – Participants attending the symposium.
3. Wide shot – Participants attending the symposium.
4. Close-up shot – The Chief of UNSOM Human Rights and Protection Group, Kirsten
Young, at the symposium.
5. Close-up shot – A participant at the symposium.
6. Close-up shot – A participant at the symposium.
7. Wide shot – A panel discussion.
8. Med shot – Participants attending the symposium.
9. Close-up shot – A panelist at the symposium.
10. Wide shot – Somalia’s State Minister for Women and Human Rights Development,
Amina Hassan Ali, speaking.
11. Close-up shot – A participant at the symposium.
12. Close-up shot – Somalia’s State Minister for Women and Human Rights Development,
Amina Hassan, speaking.
13. Wide shot – Participants attending the symposium.
14. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Amina Hassan Ali, Somalia’s State Minister for Women and
Human Rights Development
“Civil society organisations are key because they are in touch with the people even in
areas that cannot be accessed by government officials. These community-based
organisations are active on the ground and if they are not empowered, our impact as a
government will not be felt.”

15. Wide shot – The Chief of UNSOM Human Rights and Protection Group, Kirsten Young,
speaking.
16. Med shot – Participants at the symposium.
17. Close-up shot – The Chief of UNSOM Human Rights and Protection Group, Kirsten
Young, speaking.
18. Wide shot – Participants taking notes.
19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kirsten Young, Chief of UNSOM Human Rights and Protection
Group
“What is interesting that we have seen in the last few weeks is that parliament has been
holding hearings on issues that citizens have brought to the parliament – issues of
concern for them.”

20. Wide shot – Adar Mohamed, the secretary of the Federal Parliamentary Committee on
Women, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, speaking.
21. Close-up shot – Participants attending the meeting.
22. Close-up shot – The secretary of the Federal Parliamentary Committee on Women,
Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, Adar Mohamed, speaking.
23. Close-up shot – A panelist.
24. Close-up shot – A participant attending the symposium.
25. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Adar Mohamed, the secretary of the Federal Parliamentary
Committee on Women, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Affairs
“We keep advocating for our federal constitution to reflect thirty per cent women's
representation in the parliament. But this cannot be achieved without the substantive
support from the civil society that is vocal in fighting for the rights of women and
creating awareness.”

26. Wide shot – A panel discussion.

27. Close-up shot – A participant taking notes.
28. Close-up shot – A participant attending the symposium.
29. Med shot – A participant contributing to the symposium.
30. Wide shot – A panel discussion.
31. Close-up shot – A participant attending the symposium.
32. Med shot – A panel discussion.
33. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Hibo Ali Osman, a participant
“We realised there was a huge gap as far as women’s representation in the development
and political space is concerned. We organised workshops to increase women's
participation in politics, and I am glad that two of my colleagues are now Members of
Parliament, we also acted as observers in last year’s election in Galmudug State.”

34. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Hayatt Mohamed, acting Executive Director of Somali Women
and Child Care Association
“The civil society, parliament and the government need to collaborate to fill this gap,
which remains a big challenge.”

35. Wide shot – Farhia Mohamud Mohamed, the Chairperson of the Somali Women
Disability Empowerment Initiative, arriving at the symposium.
 36. Close-up shot – Somali Women Disability Empowerment Initiative Chairperson, Farhia
Mohamud Mohamed, at the symposium.
37. Med shot – Somali Women Disability Empowerment Initiative Chairperson, Farhia
Mohamud Mohamed, taking notes.
38. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Farhia Mohamud Mohamed, Chairperson of the Somali Women
Disability Empowerment Initiative
“People with disabilities represent 15 per cent of Somalia's population and yet they don't
get basic rights. This is unfortunate, and we appeal to the federal government to help us
get our rights because the government is responsible for us.”

39. Med shot – Participants at the symposium.

40. Close-up shot - Zainab Omar Ali, media activist, Bay Region Women’s Association
attending the symposium.
41. Close-up shot – A participant from South West State attending the symposium.
42. Wide shot – Closure of the civil society symposium.

Two-day meeting ends with call to expand Somalia’s civic space and enhance human rights
advocacy

Mogadishu, 24 August 2023 – A two-day symposium which brought together people from
different parts of Somali society concluded in Mogadishu today with a call for more to be done
to expand Somalia’s civic space.

“Civil society organisations are key because they are in touch with the people even in areas that
cannot be accessed by government officials. These community-based organisations 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 organisations 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.

Supported by the United Nations and organised by the non-governmental organisation 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.

In addition to expanding the country’s civic space, they also discussed ways to empower civil
society organisations (CSOs) to become active in their communities, speak out on critical
human rights concerns and be able to amplify their voices collectively on advancing human
rights in Somalia.

Representing citizens
Speaking on the event’s opening, 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.

“What is interesting that we have seen in the last few weeks, that Parliament has been holding
hearings on issues that citizens have brought to the Parliament – issues of concern for them,”
said Ms. Young, who also serves as the Representative to Somalia of the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

“And I think this is just a great practice because these are live debates, the citizens see what
they are talking about and then can engage,” she added. “A lot of this work behind the scenes is
civil society that has pushed those issues.”

Areas of focus

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 realised there was a huge gap as far as women’s participation in the development and
political space is concerned. We had organised 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.

The acting Executive Director of the Somali Women and Child Care Association, Hayatt
Mohamed, noted that persons with disabilities need to be given the opportunity to voice their
opinions in public forums as their perspectives are often overlooked or ignored.

“The civil society, parliament and the government need to collaborate to fill this gap, which
remains a big challenge,” said Ms. Hayatt.

“People with disabilities represent 15 per cent of Somalia's population and yet they don't get
basic rights. This is unfortunate, and we appeal to the Federal Government to help us get our
rights because the government is responsible for us,” said the chairperson of Somali Women
Disability Empowerment Initiative, Farhia Mohamud Mohamed.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, participants agreed on the need to
strengthen collaboration between civil society and state institutions, especially the Federal
Parliament. The participants also called for an open space that allows freedom of expression,
recognising civil society and media as crucial to Somalia’s ongoing reconstruction and
democratisation.

***