The Foundation conducts workshops on the ‘Improvement of the Representation of Women’s Interests in the Somali Constitutional Review and Law-Making Processes’.
The Max Planck Foundation continued its legal capacity building programme for female members of parliament under the German Federal Foreign Office funded project Capacity Building and Legal Advice for the Federal Member State Legislative Assemblies in Somalia with the topic ‘Improvement of the Representation of Women’s Interests in the Somali Constitutional Review and Law-Making Processes‘.
After a general introduction to the topic, the presentation addressed the question of what women’s participation in the Somali constitutional review and law-making processes currently looks like. A special focus was put on gender-sensitive constitution making and gender-responsive law making, the establishment of gender mainstreaming mechanisms within the Parliament and in the process of legal amendments and reforms. The presentation was further complemented by comparative examples from countries, including Kenya, Rwanda, Georgia, Mauritania, and Thailand.
The ensuing working group discussions centred on the role and challenges of women’s caucuses in Parliament and resulted in an action plan for a women’s parliamentary caucus which embraced legislative drafting and review of specific legislations, legislative oversight functions, and ways to engage male counterparts and promote public outreach to advance gender equality within the Parliament.
The workshop was held for the female members of the Legislative Assembly of Galmudug in Dhusumareb on 2 March 2023, for the female members of the Legislative Assembly of Jubaland in Kismayo on 7 March 2023, for the female members of South-West State in Baidoa on 11 March 2023, for the female members of the Legislative Assembly of Hirshabelle in Jowhar on 18 March 2023, and for the female members of the Legislative Assembly of Puntland in Garowe on 22 March 2023.
In all five locations, the workshop triggered very interesting discussions among the female members of the Somali Federal Member State Legislative Assemblies and some of their male counterparts, who also attended the workshops.