There has been a touchable improvement on minority women’s rights so far reached and achieved after the implementation of the project first phase on October to December 2014. The outputs of the project previous phase has resulted in and caused the enlargement of minority rights activist groups, pressure groups; as well as, potential women’s rights advocates who represent lead module of gender equality and stand for empowered minority women targeting to raise up their role in the society and in the way forward be widely heard around the country and make addressing their rights as a national democratic and sensitive issue.

Project Information

Project Title	Support to Promotion and Improvement of Gender Equality and Inclusion of Minority Women’s Empowerment Project
Goal	improve gender equality, participation of vulnerable groups including minority women and girls in the political, decision-making and constitutional process and in public life through awareness raising advocacy by launching, or conducting:
Intended outcomes	§ Increased the number of minority women and girls having access to capacity to be engaged in seeking their national rights to participate in “voting and be voted for” equally; § Improved gender solidarity formula advocating for vulnerable groups in general and inclusion of minority women’s right issues; § Enhanced government and national parties’ involvement in minority women human rights issues as well as women well informed about Civic Education and Human Rights. § At least 73% increased number of women, or girls including nationwide understanding the important impact of EU funded project to MRG managed by IIDA women’s Development Organization.

Contract or grant information

Start and end dates	January 1^st -31^st 2015
Total cost	€.......00
Reporting period	February 5^th 2015

Report preparation

Prepared by	Abshir Ibrahim – Executive Director – USWO Ahmed Mohamed Saed - USWO
Others involved or consulted	Abdirashiid Abdi – Local Consultant
Date of report	February 5^th 2015

Key Introductions and Necessary Actions

Therefore, USWO which is the implementing partner of the project recommended IIDA Women’s Development Organization to extend the project since it has caused practical changes; in order to, achieve more accelerating environment whereof minority women’s rights are respected. IIDA organization has endorsed this idea and welcomed USWO to the call for a new extension phase of the project on advocacy.

On January 1^st 2015, USWO and IIDA have signed a small grant extended project agreement. This progressed USWO organization to preparation of USWO implementing activities with a period of one month starting from January 1^st – 31^st 2015 as following:

§ Launch one national gender solidarity forum with the involvement of government authorities, national political opposition parties, human rights, official MP from legislation and upper house of representatives – Gurti;

§ Conduct one minority women/girls dialogue or debate over their basic right to participate in the coming elections and;

§ Produce one professional communique on gender equality (inclusion of minority women) published and screened on mass media;

§ Evaluation of the project impact;

§ Finalize reporting and system documentation;

§ Submission of final narrative and financial reports

Project Activities Implemented

National Gender Solidarity Forum

On January 28^th 2015, USWO launched the conduct of National Gender Solidarity Forum at Maansoor Hotel – Hargeisa, Somaliland with the participation of high profiled government ministers, officials from political national 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.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/

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

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.

pening of the Forum

After the recitation of the Holy Quran Verses by Sheikh Ali Omer Hussein, the forum has officially been opened by the chairman of USWO organization Mr. Abdullah Hassan Digalle. In his opening remarks, Mr. Abdullah has convinced appreciation and thanks to the participants special government ministers, officials from political national parties, members of parliament, top traditional leaders and others from civil society and human rights organizations for giving their time to attend such forum. Preceding his speech, Mr. Abdullah thanked to IIDA organization, MRG and the European Union without whose support this issue would be impossible to be addressed any way. He high lightened the overall objectives of the project and theme of this national forum.

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

Honourable speakers included Boqor Osman Aw Mohamud Buur Madow - the king of Somaliland traditional leaders and Boqor/King Ahmed Iman Warsame – the general King of minorities. During their remarks King Buur Madow and King Ahmed Iman have both mentioned that the absence of Somaliland minority women’s rights is serious issue which needs an urgent re-action taken by the ruling government and legislative parliament of Somaliland. They have also recommended Somaliland government to provided capacity building programs which may enable minority women to have access to political participation, social development, justice and livelihoods. King Ahmed Iman Warsame cited that Somaliland will not be an existing and recognized nation unless the absent rights of minority groups are put in place.

Minister Nimo Hussein Qawdhan - Vice Minister from Somaliland Ministry of Health and Minister Shukri Hariir Ismail – Vice Minister from Somaliland Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs have also said their honourable word and exposed that Somaliland government is committed to consider upgrading the levels of minority women’s rights and encouraged minority women to welcome to voice out their rights and not to disappear from the participation of national politics. They have mentioned that minority women are parts of such debacle and are themselves constraints to their rights, because of, silence. Minister Nimo Hussein Qawdhan underlined that all Somaliland women are in the same boat – in the same problem of segregation against gender. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GdDVD2LDLg

MP Baar Saed Farah – Member of Parliament also a member of WADDANI national political party and Miss. Anab Omer Illeeye – chairwomen of Women Right Wing of KULMIYE National Political Ruling Party have also been welcomed to say their honourable words. MP Baar Saed has encouraged minority women to increase their ambitions and promised that WADDANI national party will give a full minister title to minority groups if WADDANI succeeds in the coming national elections and this will be the first time in history to see minority groups have a full title minister.

Closing the honourable remarks, Miss. Fadxiya Hussein Jahuur – chairwoman of Somaliland Human Rights National Commission has also taken a long speech address detailing the situation of human rights in Somaliland in generally. Proceeding her speech, Miss Jahuur said, “Yes, some, but not all is absent. Of course, absence and negligence of minority women’s rights are real; no one can turn his eyes from this issue. We will be committed and do our best to survive their rights, but people should not say that Somaliland did nothing for minority groups, because the government provided main positions to minority groups; for example, one and more are in my office. One and more are in the presidential palace and work at the president’s office.” Closing her remarks Miss. Jahuur promised Somaliland is committed to endorse minority women through providing development programs to build their capacities; in terms of, education, employment and access to political participation.

t of the National Gender Solidarity Forum:

At the end of this forum, there have come out unexpected outputs as following:

Attended ministers have promised to join in minority women’s pressure group established and be committed to pay his/her contributions whether it is technical lobbying, or fund support;

§ Vice ministers of ministry of health and ministry of labour and social affairs have announced that they will employ four eligible minority women at their ministries;

§ Attended officials from two national political parties (KULMIYE & WADDANI) have announced membership of two eligible minority women to their offices and local councils;

Minority women/girls dialogue or debate

On January 29^th 2015, USWO conducted one day minority women/girls dialogue, or debate at Hodan Restaurant, fast foods and cold drinks hall – Hargeisa, Somaliland. The dialogue or debate session has official been launched at 8:00 am and ended at 2:00 January 29^th 2015 with the participation of 20 minority women and girls.

The aim of this dialogue debate is to increase the number of minority women and girls having access to capacity to be engaged in seeking their national rights to participate in “voting and be voted for” equally.

The methodology and approach apparatus used include: (i) two way communication participatory approaches –open discussions, questions and answers, (ii) explanatory short lectures aimed to introduce the participants about concept of this session, (iii) group discussions aimed to allow participants to share, discuss and brain storm issues and particulars and also to courage women to express their understanding of the assigned topics while gauging their level of understanding, (iv) Plenary discussions to allow participants set sights on experience and presentations (v) and Informal consultations that take aim to assist those participants who have low understanding and/or energy while maintaining the interest of the energetic ones.

Production and Publication of professional communique on gender equality

On January 31^st 2015, USWO along with the target ownership groups has produced a professional communique enhancing solidarity of minority women’s rights and published it in the mass media. (A version of professional communique is attached at appendix A).

Conclusion

The road to social inclusion will be a long hard one if and only if the discriminatory attitudes that previously placed minority communities into a spiral of poverty and exclusion remain unchanged. The voicelessness and powerlessness of minority communities must not continue. They must have a voice and, of course, interlocutors open to dialogue to construct inclusive alliances.

In the Somaliland the issues of outcast minorities, poverty and social exclusion are pivotal, or essential to the development debate. In many ways we are still grappling with development concepts, tendencies and initiatives of the developed world. Developing countries tend to follow the trends promoted by the developed countries.

Recommendation

For the output of the project has resulted in touchable improvement impact and lead module of gender equality and minority women empowerment change raised up and widely heard around the country as a national sensitive issue, USWO would recommend to extend it the way forward in the future.

USWO personnel and human resources contributed to the project reporting:

Report compiled by: Abshir Ibrahim Hassan Executive director – USWO

Tel/Mob: +252 63 4402499 Email: uswo.ed@gmail.com

Data collected by: Ahmed Mohamed Saed Human Rights Expert

Tel/Mob: +252 63 4413906 Email: axmedsic20@gmail.com

Contributed to report designing by: Abdirashiid Abdi Hassan Consultant for Proj DVLP, PLN & MGT

Tel/Mob: +252 63 4403482 Email: abdullrashed@gmail.com

Proof reading contributed by: USWO team USWO Program staff

Head office – Hargeisa, Somaliland

Mr. Abshir Ibrahim Hassan

Executive Director - USWO Organization

Mob: +252 63 4402499

Email: uswo.ed@gmail.com/ uswo.organ@yahoo.com/

Web: http://uswosom.org

Hargeisa, Somaliland

Appendices

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE PARTICIPANTS OF NATIONAL GENDER SOLIDARITY FORUM ON 28^TH JANUARY 2015

Today Wednesday 28^th January 2014, his communique was issued in a national gender solidarity forum launched by USWO organization at Maansoor Hotel – Hargeisa, Somaliland.

We, participants of this meeting, who include senior officials from political parties, respected human rights activists from civil society groups, government ministers, religious and traditional leaders do hereby issue a communique stated that; for the first time in the history this meeting deliberated openly on the suffering and segregation experienced by minority groups namely Tumaal, Yibir and Gaboye who are regarded as outcast in the community.

In this meeting the participants agreed that;

The current situation suffered by the Somaliland minority women and girl child constitute is the worst tragedy and catastrophe in our democratic country of Somaliland, particularly the brutality and daily violence they experienced through the hands of their minority males.

The violations suffered by minority women and the high level of poverty they live in; make it impossible to hear their voices either in Somalia government, human rights organizations or international community

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 skills.

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 high within vulnerable and segregated minority communities in Somaliland.

The participants demanded the following:

The government should immediately take the necessary steps to ensure inclusion of minority women’s rights is protected.

The government should Provide of civic education and employment opportunities to minority women
The Civil society organizations, local municipal councils, local authority and the legislative parliament of Somaliland should work hand in hand to motivate women from the minority by prioritizing their needs
The government should initiate economic empowerment project targeting to minority women adolescent and girl child.
The Minority groups should unite in terms of, political participation, peace, security and social economic development and speak in one voice. Unite and participate in the coming parliamentarian elections.
Use their numbers to negotiate with political parties for nominations and appointive positions

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

Wednesday 18 February 2015

SUPPORT TO PROMOTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF GENDER EQUALITY AND INCLUSION OF MINORITY WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT PROJECT