COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY HIGH PROFILED DELEGATES OF ONE DAY NATIONAL GENDER SOLIDARITY FORUM IN SOMALILAND

Hargeisa: Today Wednesday 28 Jan 2015, USWO organization; in collaboration with IIDA organization, held a national gender solidarity forum on exposing minority women's role in political participation first time in history at Maansoor Hotel - Hargeisa in Somaliland. This communique was issued at the end of national gender solidarity forum launched by USWO organization at Maansoor Hotel – Hargeisa, Somaliland. The participants of this meeting include senior officials from political parties, respected human rights activists from civil society groups, government ministers, religious and traditional leaders.

For the first time in the history this meeting was debated openly on issues which never addressed before in Somaliland included the dilemma suffered and segregation experienced by the women from country’s three outcast minority groups of Tumaal, Yibir and Gaboye.

In this meeting the participants agreed that the current situation suffered by the Somaliland minority women and girl child are constitute to be the most tragedy and catastrophe exist in our democratic country of Somaliland, particularly the brutality and daily violence they experienced through the hands of their minority males.

The meeting stated that seriousness violations suffered severely by minority women and poverty situation, they lived in, make impossible to hear their voices by outsiders and country’s human rights stake holders.

The participant highlighted that Somaliland minority women remain one of the most marginalized groups in Somaliland. They are disproportionately subjected to violence and discrimination, and are deprived of their rights. Somaliland minority women are non-represented in Somaliland national and local political bodies, and are excluded from the political process because of lack the basic capacity and skills.

Officials from Somaliland Opposition Political Parties criticized to Somaliland government’s lack of any development steps taken to address the country’s minority in general particularly minority women who experienced segregation and have low socio-economic status due to cultural, economic and political discrimination.

The participants recognized that the status of minority women’s maternal mortality ratio is very high compared to the country’s majority woman ratio, the death of children under five years olds is also is very high in outcast minority women villages in Somaliland, underage forced marriage and adolescent birth rate is also are familiar within vulnerable and segregated minority communities in Somaliland.

One of Minority rights activists from majority community underlined that every human rights measure the minority women fall in the lowest place.

The participants denounced to Somaliland government for their absence. This communique articulated the following steps for change:

• Immediate steps to react the issues of minority community’s inclusion gender minority women’s rights are essential to be taken and motivated by the government of Somaliland.

• Unity among minority groups is important and #1 priority; in terms of, political participation, peace, security and socio-economical development.

• Reflection of minority women in national political participation in the coming parliamentarian elections should be considered by the government of Somaliland, national ruling/opposition parties and the electoral commission.

• Provision of civic education and employment opportunities to minority women is obliged for consideration to civil society organizations, local municipal councils, local authority and the legislative parliament of Somaliland.

• Initiate economic empowerment project targeting to minority women adolescent and girl child.

List of Top Delegates from Government, CSOs, Traditional Leaders

S#	Name	Title	Institution
1	Miss. Nimo Hussein Qawdan	Vice Minister	Somaliland Ministry of Health
2	Miss. Shukri Hariir Ismail	Vice Minister	Somaliland Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
3	Miss. Fathia Hussein Jahuur	Chairperson	Somaliland National Human Rights Commission
4	Miss. Anab Omer Illeeye	Chairperson	Women Right Wing of KULMIYE National Political Ruling Party
5	Miss. Baar Saed Farah	M.P	Somaliland Legislative Parliament
6	King Osman Aw Mohamud Buur Madaw	Traditional King	(Boqor Buur Madaw)
7	King Ahmed Iman Ugaas Warsame	Traditional King	Minority King and M.R of Horn of Africa Kings.
8	Mr. Ibrahim Abdi Hussein	Traditional Sultan	Minority Community
9	M. Adam Osman Kadaf	Chief - Aqil	Minority Community
10	Mr. Mohamud Mohamed Dahir	Chairman	Daami IDP Village C. Committee
12	Miss. Shahmad Abdullah Haji	Vice Chairperson	Daami IDP Village C. Committee
13	Mr. Abdullah Hassan Digalle	Chairman	USWO Organization
14	Mr. Abshir Ibrahim Hassan	Executive Director	USWO Organization
15	Miss. Nafiisa Yusuf	Executive Director	NAGAAD Women Umbrella
16	Miss. Anab Farah Ahmed	Vice Chairperson	Network Against FGM In Somaliland

For more information, please follow below media press releases:

http://hilaacmedia.com/war/somaliland-ururka-uswo-oo-maanta-magaalada-hargeysa-ku-qabtay-kulan-lagaga-hadlayey-sidii-dumarka-ka-soo-jeeda-beelaha-laga-tirada-badan-yahay-uga-qayb-gali-lahaayeen-talada-dalka/

http://www.somalireports.net/2015/01/somaliland-ururka-uswo-oo-maanta-magaalada-hargeysa-ku-qabtay-kulan-lagaga-hadlayey-sidii-dumarka-ka-soo-jeeda-beelaha-laga-tirada-badan-yahay-uga-qayb-gali-lahaayeen-talada-dalka/

http://daadmadheedhnews.net/articles/8159/Ururka-Uswo-Oo-Maanta-Magaalada-Hargeysa-KU-Qabtay-Kulan-Lagaga-Hadlayey-Sidii-Dumarka-ka-Soo-Jeeda-Beelaha-Laga-Tirada-Badan-Yahay-Uga-Qayb-Gali-Lahaayeen-Talada-DalkaSAWIRO

http://hadhwanaagnews.ca/detail.aspx?id=148825

http://somalilandtoday.com/hargeysa-ururka-uswo-oo-qabtay-kulan-lagaga-hadlayey-sidii-dumarka-beelaha/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GdDVD2LDLg


Abshir Ibrahim Hassan
Executive Director - USWO Organization
Email: uswo.ed@gmail.com