The Max Planck Foundation organised the second capacity building workshop for members of the BFC
On 29 October 2015, Foundation’s Somali technical advisors delivered the second capacity building workshop to members of the BFC in Mogadishu, Somalia. The workshop is part of a wider project to assist the Somali federalisation process through capacity building and technical assistance to staff of the Ministry of Interior and Federalism Affairs (MoIFA) and members of the BFC. The Max Planck Foundation implements the project with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office.
Based on themes covered during the first and second training-of-trainers workshops, technical advisors of the Foundation embedded in the BFC conducted the second workshop for all nine members of the BFC, including the Chairman Mr. Khalif Abdikarim Mohamed. Also in attendance and participating in the discussions was the senior legal advisor at the Office of the Speaker of the House of the People of the Somali Federal Parliament. The workshop focused on the status and content of member state constitutions in federal countries and the mechanisms of ensuring the compatibility of federal and member state laws and constitutions.
Building on the introductory discussions during the first workshop for members of the BFC, the technical advisors of the Foundation presented on the authority of member states in federal countries to adopt constitutions and the extent of discretion (constitutional space) the member states enjoy in determining the content and structure of their constitutions.
The Max Planck Foundation will organise two more workshops for members of the BFC before the end of 2015. The workshops are going to focus on the status and administration of capital cities and the status, powers and structure of local governments in federal countries.