The Max Planck Foundation conducts workshops on the ‘Representation of Women’s Interests in the Law-making Process’ for selected members of the Federal Member State Legislative Assemblies in Somalia.
Under the German Federal Foreign Office funded project ‘Capacity Building and Legal Advice for the Federal Member State Legislative Assemblies in Somalia‘, the Foundation organised another round of workshops for female members of the Federal Member State Legislative Assemblies of Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South-West State, Puntland, and Jubaland.
After a general introduction on the importance of the legislature and law-making process, the workshop focused on gender-responsive law-making and highlighted the step-by-step approach to enacting gender-responsive laws. The focus of the presentation was then the law-making process provided in the Constitutions and Rules of Procedures of the Somali Federal Parliament and Federal Member State Legislative Assemblies and was illustrated by reviewing various general and gender-sensitive law-making processes from a comparative perspective including examples from Malaysia, Fiji, and Finland. The presentations concluded by discussing current gaps in the representation of women interests in the different Somali law-making processes and exploring key takeaways to strengthen the linkage between law-making processes and gender equality efforts.
The Somali Legal Advisors who were trained by the Foundation during the second training-of-trainers workshop held under the project in May 2023, conducted the workshops with the remote support of the local Project Coordinator and Senior Legal Advisor as well as the project team. The workshop was held for the female members of the Legislative Assemblies of South-West State in Baidoa and of Jubaland in Kismayo on 30 August 2023, for the female members of the Legislative Assemblies of Hirshabelle in Jowhar on 09 September 2023, of Galmadug in Dhusumareb on 15 September 2023, and of Puntland in Garowe on 15 October 2023.
The workshop was highly appreciated by the participants as this was the first time, they received the training on this specific topic with a special focus on drafting and enacting legislation and budgeting for and overseeing implementation based on a gender-responsive approach.