In her various meetings in the capital, Mogadishu, Ms. Mohamed highlighted the country’s parliamentary elections as an opportunity to build on the progress made in women’s political participation.
She also stressed that the full integration of women into all sectors of society would contribute to increasing resilience, peace and stability in the Horn of Africa country.
Peace dividend will not be achieved without women.
Somalia is currently holding elections for its upper house, and is preparing for elections for the lower house, better known as the People’s Assembly. The United Nations and other international partners of Somalia have been very involved in supporting national efforts to move forward with the ballot, often expressing their support for greater inclusion of women in the country’s political arena and urging leaders to maintain a minimum 30 percent quota.
“Somalia achieved a milestone in its last elections in 2016/2017 in which 24 per cent of parliamentary seats were filled by women, and I hope the country will build on this by expanding women’s participation further,” Ms. Mohamed said. “Ensuring that the 30 per cent quota is met is an important first step towards full representation and an inclusive society. The peace dividend will not be achieved without women.”
In Mogadishu, the Deputy Secretary-General met with President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmajo” as well as Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and the National Consultative Council whose membership includes leaders of the country’s federal member states tasked with providing overall direction for the elections.
“Prime Minister Rupel and the other members of the National Coordination Committee have shown great leadership and commitment to promoting women’s political participation, including through specific measures such as lowering fees for women candidates and appointing goodwill ambassadors and goodwill champions to advocate for greater inclusion,” said the Deputy Secretary-General The general.
“It will also be important to agree on a specific mechanism on how to achieve a commitment to a quota of at least 30 percent in the upcoming elections,” she added.
Insecurity and political tensions
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