Baidoa, Somalia: Despite the increasing demand by citizens for participatory and deliberative governance, the promise of public participation as provided for in the Provisional Constitution remains an unfulfilled. Amongst the groups that are mostly excluded from participation are young people, minorities, and marginalized groups.
This lack of participation means that decisions made by leaders are not usually informed by what the people want. To address this recurrent problem, a coalition of 17 Somali civil society organizations, supported by FCG Sweden’s Urur Kaab project, announced the launch of national platform to champion citizen participation. This platform was as a result of series of deliberations by civil society groups and political leaders on what has prevented communities from having a say in decision making on public matters and what can be done to address these obstacles.
The new platform will catalyze collective action, through advocacy and education, to create necessary legal frameworks and operational mechanisms for increased public participation, public access to information, and build capacity of local civil society organizations to effectively advocate citizen interests.
The coalition aims to foster strong local partnerships and provide resources, capacity building, and tools to strengthen citizen engagement in legislative and policy making, and inclusive society.
“Young people and minority communities in Somalia are excluded from participation in public life – despite being the overwhelming majority of the population. The forum will give them a voice in key decision-making processes crucial to shaping the Somalia they want to see in the future,” explains Abdullahi Huudow, Youth in Action’s Executive Director and the interim chair of the new coalition.
The launch, on March 14, 2023, comes shortly after the coalition members released an issue brief on strengthening citizens participation in local governance in Southwest state. The issue brief which was released in a briefing event attended by civil society leaders and numerous gov’t officials including three state ministers, deliberated on how to tackle barriers to citizen participation: low literacy, limitations on fundamental freedoms, inaccessibility of state officials, limited institutional capacity, and widespread lack of accountability of leaders to citizens.
“I am really excited for the opportunity to partner with local civil society leaders and advocacy organizations to campaign for our fundamental rights,” says Zainab Omar Ali, Executive Director of Bay Women Association Network, and a member of SFCP’s interim organizing council. “Every Somali citizen is entitled to full and equal rights to participate in public matters. That’s what we’re organizing for at SFCP.”
The Somali Forum for Citizen Participation (SFCP) coalition consists of leading civic advocacy organizations from across the southern states of Somalia committed to improving citizen engagement, accountability, and transparency in Somalia.
