Foundation trains lawyers and administrative staff of local implementation partner SomLaw.
The Max Planck Foundation held the first Training-of-Trainers workshop under the European Union funded project `Strengthening the Role and the Impact of the Somali Federal Parliament in the Somali Constitutional Review Process` in Nairobi, Kenya, from 20 to 25 February 2024 for lawyers and administrative support staff of the Foundation’s local implementation partner, the Somali Center for Rule of Law and Good Governance (SomLaw). While the research fellows of the Foundation trained the lawyers on pertinent comparative constitutional law topics relevant for the Somali constitutional review process, administrative staff of the Foundation trained administrative support staff of SomLaw on how to best support the project implementation in Somalia.
Topics of relevance for the constitutional review process in Somalia which were discussed during the workshop were, ie the role of Sharia law in the Somali Constitution; constitutional regulations on citizenship; systems of government; electoral systems, and others. For each of these topics, the latest political agreements and draft constitutional amendments developed on these issues were reviewed. The results will be disseminated to the members of the Somali Federal Parliament so that they may take informed decisions on the way forward in the adoption process of draft constitutional amendments. The second part of the workshop was dedicated to training on administrative procedures and standards for local project implementation.
The workshop presentations sparked lively debates among the SomLaw colleagues. Each topic was thoroughly examined and attendees shared their opinions on the relevance and viability in the Somali setting.
The workshop strengthened the partnership between the Foundation and SomLaw and participants greatly appreciated the workshop as a forum for exchange of ideas and perspectives as well as common challenges in the project implementation.