Max Planck Foundation delivered the first workshop in 2016 to staff of the Somali Ministry of Interior and Federal Affairs
On 4 January 2016, Foundation’s Somali Technical Advisors delivered the sixth workshop (the first in 2016) to selected staff of the Somali Ministry of Interior and Federal Affairs (MoIFA) in Mogadishu, Somalia. The workshop is part of a wider project to assist the Somali federalisation process through capacity building and technical assistance to members of the MoIFA and the Boundaries and Federation Commission – the two entities spearheading the federalisation process in Somalia.
Twenty-five participants, including six women, attended the workshop. Mr. Ali Osman, Acting Director of Special Programmes at the MoIFA, formally opened the workshop.
The workshop focused on the status, content and structure of member state constitutions in federal countries. The Foundation’s Technical Advisors emphasised the significance of establishing clear guidelines to ensure the supremacy of the Somali Federal Constitution while providing sufficient constitutional space to allow Federal Member States to decide on their political, social and cultural priorities. The participants raised a number of crucial questions including on the potential role of the future Somali Constitutional Court in ensuring the compatibility of Member State constitutions with the Federal Constitution. The thematic focus of the workshop was topical as the MoIFA is the federal entity in charge of providing assistance to constitution making processes in existing and emerging Regional Interim Administrations. The training of the selected staff of the MoIFA in relation to the content and structure of Federal Member State constitutions will therefore be relevant to enhance the capacity of the MoIFA in providing consistent and effective assistance to future Federal Member States in Somalia.