The training of parliamentary support staff of the Somali Legislative Assemblies continued with a series of workshops on the topic ‘Meeting and Process Planning for Parliamentary Support Staff’.
The workshops were facilitated by the project’s local Legal Advisors and started with a brief overview of the importance of having a well-defined set of rules for the plenary and process planning for the effective functioning of the parliament.
A substantial part of the presentation focused on the issues related to the parliamentary mandate to control the agenda-setting of plenary and committee sittings. Following the presentation, participants were asked to form working groups, and each group was tasked with reviewing the rules of procedure of their respective State Assembly and conducting a critical assessment of the regulations regarding plenary and process planning. During the group exercise, the participants identified good practices and legislative gaps in the rules of procedure, and engaged in discussions to propose further improvements to the legislative framework.
The workshop was held for the parliamentary support staff of the five Somali Legislative Assemblies, i.e. for the South-West State Assembly in Baidoa on 9 July 2023, for the Puntland House of Representatives in Garowe on 11 July 2023, the State Assembly of Galmudug in Dhusumareb on 20 July 2023, the State Assembly of Hirshabelle on 27 July 2023 and for the State Assembly of Jubaland in Kismayo on 31 July 2023.
The participants greatly appreciated the continuation of the training program and the contents of the workshop, especially the practical exercise.
The workshop series was implemented under the German Federal Foreign Office funded project Capacity Building and Legal Advice for the Federal Member State Legislative Assemblies in Somalia.