The Foundation trains Legal Advisors for the Somali Federal Parliament and the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs
From 7 to 10 December 2020, the Max Planck Foundation conducted the fifth Training-of-Trainers Workshop on Somali and Comparative Constitutional Law for Legal Advisors at the Somali Federal Parliament and the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing travel restrictions, the workshop was delivered virtually, through the Foundation’s e-learning platform (LEARN). The participants received the training materials in advance in order to provide them with ample time to study them and to request clarifications if necessary, and engage in an interactive discussion around the materials concerning the Somali context during the training.
The workshop focused on the following topics:
- Constituency Work and Public Outreach of Members of Parliament;
- Cooperation between the two Houses of a Bicameral Legislature; and
- Different Electoral Systems for the two Houses of a Bicameral Legislature.
The topics were presented in three half-day sessions followed by enlivening conversations and discussions. Subsequently, the presentations and supporting materials were adjusted according to the input received from the participants. They will use the adjusted training materials to conduct workshops at the Somali Federal Parliament and the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs. On the fourth and final day, participants engaged in a discussion on their actual work and challenges in the Somali Federal Parliament and the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs; and made plans for upcoming workshops and project activities.
Although participants connected from different locations in Mogadishu, the internet connection remained stable throughout, and there were no major interruptions or hurdles. This allowed the participants to engage actively in the discussions. The workshop was a success even though participants missed the direct interaction of the Training-of-Trainers workshops which are usually held in person.
The fifth Training-of-Trainers workshop was the first workshop to be delivered virtually in the context of the project “Legal Capacity Building and Technical Support for the Somali Federal Parliament”. The project is generously funded by the European Union.