Strengthening Public Accountability in Parliament (Damal) FY2021 Q1 PROGRESS REPORT

(01 October 2020 – 31 December 2020)

Contract No: 72062319C00006

Prepared for Adan Mohamed United States Agency for International Development/Somalia C/O American Embassy United Nations Avenue, Gigiri P.O. Box 629, Village Market 00621 Nairobi, Kenya

Prepared by Chemonics International Inc. 1717 H Street NW Washington DC, 20006

The authors’ views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

i

Table of Contents

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ...... 3 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 4 II. CONTEXT UPDATE ...... 7 III. KEY NARRATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS ...... 8 IV. PERFORMANCE MONITORING ...... 16 V. LESSONS LEARNED ...... 16 VI. PROGRESS ON LINKS TO OTHER ACTIVITIES ...... 19 VII. INCLUSIVITY AND ACCESS ...... 20 VIII. SUSTAINABILITY ...... 21 IX. PROGRESS AGAINST TARGETS ...... 22 X. ANNEX 1 ...... 37

ii

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

AAIA Aden Adde International Airport AMELP Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan AMISOM African Union Mission in Somalia BAB Bar ama Baro BUILD Bringing Unity Integrity and Legitimacy to Democracy COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease 2019 CSO Civil Society Organization FGS Federal Government of Somalia FPS Federal Parliament of Somalia FMS Federal Member State FY Fiscal Year GEEL Growth Enterprise Employment and Livelihoods GESI Gender Equity and Social Inclusion HoP House of the People MEL Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning MP Member of Parliament OAG Office of the Auditor General PFM Public Financial Management PMU Project Management Unit SSF Somalia Stability Fund SSG Strengthening Somali Governance UH Upper House UNDP United Nations Development Programme

3

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Chemonics International Inc. is pleased to submit this fiscal year (FY)2021 quarterly progress report for the USAID/Somalia Strengthening Public Accountability in Parliament (Damal) project. This report describes implementation of project activities and outcomes achieved during the period October 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.

USAID/DAMAL EXPECTED The goal of Damal is to strengthen the Federal Parliament RESULTS of Somalia (FPS)’s ability to fulfil its legislative and oversight 1. Inclusive legislative process responsibilities particularly regarding financial governance promoted and oversight, as well as increase public participation in the 2. Financial oversight practices public financial management (PFM) process. In support of improved 3. Institutional independence and this overarching purpose, Damal aims to achieve four interdependence improved Expected Results (see box). 4. Capacity of members of Parliament and staff on key committees strengthened Headquartered in Mogadishu, the 20-month Damal project takes a Somali-led approach guided by three strategic principles to provide practical support that is demand-driven and sustainable:

Integration. The Damal team will engage FPS to create open spaces for civil society to participate in the political process, such as budget formulation and legislative hearings. To address gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) considerations, Damal will work with gender champion members of Parliament (MPs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) to ensure the voices of women and other marginalized communities are heard in this process. Damal will also create linkages between the FPS and Federal Member State (FMS) assemblies to build a community of parliamentarians at the state and federal levels.

Institutionalization. Damal will continue to build partners’ capacity to carry out their functions with on-the-job trainings and technical support. This is integral to ensuring the sustainability of programming. Capacity building and technical assistance will focus on basic legislative processes but will use specific issues as teaching tools. This aligns with our learning-by-doing approach, which goes beyond simply providing training, and better fits with the busy schedules of MPs and parliamentary staff.

Participation. Our Somali partners will drive project planning and implementation, while Damal will serve as the facilitator. We will engage Somali leaders, support a Somali vision for reform, and facilitate relationships across the FPS, with an additional emphasis on ensuring participation of women in all activities. Activities will be designed in a participatory manner to promote sustainability while setting realistic expectations.

A. Key Narrative Achievements

Damal’s activities during this quarter were informed by the Year 2 work plan, in addition to the project’s Pause and Reflect workshop, held together with USAID on November 9-10, 2020. The purpose of the workshop was to provide an overview of Damal’s objectives, approach, and results over the first year of implementation. The workshop also included a discussion on areas of opportunity for Damal’s continued technical assistance to Parliament, in addition to opportunities for future USAID programming beyond the project’s close in May 2021. Workshop attendees included representatives from USAID, Damal’s senior leadership

4

and technical team, representatives from Chemonics home office, and the Somalia Program Support Services (SPSS) program.

During the reporting period, Damal continued to provide technical and logistical support to the Budget and Finance Committees (BFCs) in conducting oversight of and facilitating public participation in key financial legislation, including the proposed 2021 national budget and Audit Bill. Reflecting Damal’s demand-driven approach, the project also responded to requests for assistance from other legislative stakeholders, including the House of the People (HoP) Social Affairs Committee in conducting an oversight hearing on the Education Bill, which the project co-implemented with the USAID-funded Bar ama Baro (BAB) project. Damal also continued to prioritize GESI-based initiatives, and for example supported the Human Rights and Social Affairs Committees in hosting an inclusive forum bringing together traditionally underrepresented groups for a discussion on the election. Building upon the success of the project’s previous efforts to build MP capacity in using media as a tool to reach their constituents, Damal continued to pair technical assistance in legislative oversight with media support, including livestream, televised, and radio broadcasts reaching a wide national audience. The project also prioritized capacity building through its “learning by doing” approach, using actual legislation such as the 2021 national budget as learning opportunities for MPs and committee staff, while also hosting training workshops on legislative drafting and amendments.

Highlights of Damal’s FY2021 Q1 accomplishments include:

 Damal provided technical and logistical support to the HoP BFC to make substantive amendments to the Audit Bill and host a subsequent PFM oversight forum featuring the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) Auditor General and representatives from civil society. The Audit Bill was ultimately passed by the HoP BFC in October 2020.  Working closely with the Women’s MP Caucuses, Damal supported a consultative forum on maintaining the women’s MP quota for the 2021 election.  Damal facilitated a parliamentary and public oversight inclusive politics forum for youth, women, and the disabled community representatives in advance of the 2021 election.  In collaboration with the USAID-funded BAB project, Damal provided technical, logistical, and media support to the Social Affairs Committees in holding a public oversight forum on the Education Bill. National in focus, forum participants included subnational governments from FMS assemblies. This two-day event included a legislative review of the proposed legislation and led to substantive amendments.  Damal provided technical and logistical support to HoP BFC members and staff to conduct legislative analysis of the 2021 national budget and produce a report for Parliament. This support led the BFC to develop a line of PFM questioning that was subsequently taken up with the Ministry of Finance.  Working closely with the HoP BFC, Damal also provided technical assistance in holding a public forum on the proposed 2021 national budget.  Damal hosted a legislative drafting and amendments training for a total of 30 HoP committee staff.

Further details on these activities and corresponding outcomes are described in Section III. Key Narrative Achievements.

5

B. Quantitative Highlights

Below is a quantitative summary of Damal’s impact in the first quarter of FY 2021:

1. Damal supported five media broadcasts or posts through the use of television, radio, and/or social media (e.g. Facebook Livestream and You Tube) to highlight matters of public interest. These consensus building forums covered topics including the proposed Audit Bill, the women’s MP quota for the 2021 election, and the proposed 2021 national budget, among others. To date, Damal has supported a total of 19 such initiatives to expand MP outreach to the public and facilitate dialogue on legislative matters. 2. Damal supported three executive oversight actions by FPS resulting in substantive amendments and/or a final vote on proposed legislation, including the 2021 national budget, the Audit Bill, and the Education Bill. 3. Damal facilitated a 2021 budget analysis workshop, providing 10 MPs and staff with practical training on oversight duties, for a cumulative life of project total of 58 MPs and staff (including 27 women and 31 men) trained as of the conclusion of the reporting period. 4. The project also trained 30 HoP BFC MPs and staff in drafting legislative amendments, resulting in a cumulative total of 82 MPs and staff trained (including 36 women and 46 men) in this topic over the life of the project. 5. To date, Damal has provided 81 MPs, staff, and fellows with technical assistance over the life of the project in committee report writing, research and analysis, logistical planning, etc. (including 33 women and 48 men).

C. Activity Administration

Operations

Damal continues to maintain a small office , but staff access has been limited since the response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Since then, Damal staff have been working remotely and conducting meetings and activities with counterparts in person . During this quarter, the project obtained clearance to allow Damal staff with as-needed access to the office until the lockdown is fully lifted. To facilitate this process, Damal reviewed and updated its pandemic response plan to ensure a safe working environment. In November 2020, the project responded to reported cases of COVID-19 within the UH by implementing mitigation measures to protect Damal staff and Young Professionals, including COVID-19 testing and a temporary withdrawal

The home office project management unit (PMU) continues to provide consistent support, especially to the project’s operations and reporting needs. Additionally, the home office security management unit (SMU) provides day-to-day guidance and support to project movements and activities to ensure the safety of Damal staff, coordinating with the project’s security provider on an ongoing basis to ensure dissemination of real time information on security threats, incidents, and mitigation measures.

6

Personnel

This quarter, The Damal team continued to be comprised of a small but nimble team of seven long-term Somali staff and a part-time, remote chief of party. Damal also maintained its support for 12 Young Professionals serving as fellows with the UH BFC. Damal also onboarded a short-term finance officer who is embedded in the Office of the Secretary General of the Upper House (UH) of Parliament and assists with implementing UH financial policies and procedures. This position is a continuation of one that was previously funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the finance officer is providing ongoing support to the UH through March 31, 2021. Damal also engaged a short-term PFM expert in support of the public forum on the Audit Bill to provide the HoP BFC Chair and committee with a written and oral brief of international best practices in establishing an independent Office of the Auditor General (OAG). The assignment was successfully concluded on October 23, 2020.

D. Key Implementation Challenges

Damal successfully navigated numerous implementation challenges throughout the reporting period, proving to be a resilient, flexible, and responsive team that can adapt as needed to achieve results. These challenges, the impact on project programming, and corresponding mitigation measures are further expanded in Section V. Lessons Learned.

E. Subsequent Reporting Period’s Work Plan

In the next quarter, Damal will provide ongoing support to the BFCs of both houses in financial governance, accountability, oversight, and increased public participation in PFM by targeting key national budget milestones such as the 2019 close of accounts. Damal will also continue to support the Education Bill, which has recently been amended by the HoP Education Committee for the third reading. Damal remains available to provide demand-based support to the BFCs and other committees on topics from the impact of COVID-19 to the election cycle. Technical assistance will include training in reviewing and analyzing relevant documents, developing questions for the executive branch, and/or holding hearings to solicit public input on these matters.

The project will also work to promote gender and social inclusion by working with the Women’s Caucuses on relevant issue-based legislation such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women-owned small businesses, supporting the formation of women and youth MP caucuses in the South West State legislature, and providing logistical support for a public oversight forum on FGS’s youth policy. Additionally, with the increasing focus on MPs on the election cycle and in anticipation of Damal’s conclusion in May 2021, project activities will target capacity building for parliamentary staff, developing legacy documents and orientation materials for newly elected MPs, and preparing FPS for future legislative sessions.

II. CONTEXT UPDATE

Political Update

With the mandates for the current Parliament and executive expiring in December 2020 and February 2021, respectively, political discussions throughout this year and especially this

7

quarter have been dominated by the 2020/2021 election cycle. After months of disputes between FGS, the FMSs, and key political stakeholders over whether Somalia would move away from indirect voting where clan leaders represent their constituents, to a one-person, one-ballot system, a September 2020 agreement on indirect polls seemed to have resolved the impasse. However, throughout the quarter, the agreement appeared to break down and no meaningful progress has been made towards preparing the polls, which were to begin in December 2020. Tensions between FGS and the FMSs around the election modality remain high, including competing schedules and threats of establishing parallel election committees as candidates and political parties position themselves for upcoming elections. Fortunately, despite these issues, Damal was still able to support FPS in making progress on key legislation including passage of the Audit Bill and the 2021 national budget.

Also significant this quarter was the HoP’s unanimous approval of newly appointed Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble’s cabinet, which elevated several MPs to the executive council and is expected to have an impact on the functioning and priorities of legislative committees. Of note is that current HoP BFC Chair Mohamoud Siraji was nominated to the cabinet; while this development will serve as an opportunity to deepen collaboration across FGS, Damal will need to work in the coming quarters to develop a relationship with the acting BFC chair.

Security Update

Terrorist activities and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks continued to occur across Somalia throughout the reporting period. Several attacks were carried out against government targets, including the Prime Minister, Minister of Labor, and South West State President. The uptick in the use of various forms of IEDs across Mogadishu is seen as the likely result of increased political insecurity, with al-Shabaab attempting to insert itself into the high-level Somali and international community discussions on the election process. Tensions over election delays also resulted in anti-government protests in Mogadishu with gunfire being exchanged, further contributing to deterioration of the security situation. Damal continues to engage its security subcontractor to monitor security developments and provide project- specific analyses, including an October 2020 review of the onsite security procedures at the UH Parliament building .

III. KEY NARRATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS

EXPECTED RESULT 1: INCLUSIVE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROMOTED

Activities under Expected Result1 aim to result in better management by parliament of an inclusive legislative process regarding budgetary and financial reforms that effectively engages citizens through public outreach and participation in public hearings and related mechanisms.

Supporting public participation in budget processes

Media support for MPs to facilitate consultative forums for public engagement. During the reporting period, Damal supported five consultative forums paired with media support to broadcast the events via television, radio, and livestream services. By building upon the project’s previous efforts to build MPs’ capacity and confidence in using media, Damal continued to facilitate the use of this tool for conducting oversight actions while also increasing public engagement on financial management and other legislative issues. These

8

events included a public hearing with the HoP BFC on the proposed Audit Bill, and an oversight forum with the HoP Social Affairs Committee on the proposed Education Bill. Damal also supported two election-oriented forums, including a consultative forum on ensuring the maintenance of the women's MP quota, and an inclusive politics forum for representatives of the youth, women, and disabled communities.

Of particular significance for increased public participation in the budget process, the project worked closely with HoP BFC Deputy Chair, Hon. Amina Sheikh Osman, to provide technical, logistical, and media support to the BFC in holding a public oversight forum on the proposed 2021 national budget. Damal assisted in mapping participants to facilitate a broad spectrum of participation and allow sectoral interests to present their analysis of the second draft of the proposed budget. At the request of the committee, Damal shared the draft budget with CSO representatives to facilitate their participation in the forum. In addition to the Deputy Minister of Finance and other high-level Ministry of Finance representatives, the committee received representations from PFM experts and gender focused CSOs from well-known advocacy organizations such as the Somalia Non-State Actors and Somali Public Agenda. These public interest groups were further joined by business community representatives such as the Chamber of Commerce, youth networks, and representatives of the media, health, and the education sectors. The forum was broadcast live on national TV and radio and livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook to encourage public comment on the budget and the government’s priorities.

Strengthening linkages between federal and state parliaments

Promoting FMS-FPS collaboration on issue-based legislation. In consultation with USAID, Damal worked in collaboration with the USAID/Somalia BAB project to support the HoP Social Affairs Committee to host a national oversight forum on the proposed Education Bill. Leveraging the Damal team’s experience in supporting subnational Hon. Nuria Aden, Federal Government of legislatures, participation included parliamentary Somalia Deputy Minister of Education, attends a public forum on the Education Bill delegations from each FMS except for Puntland. PHOTO: USAID/DAMAL Representatives from Jubbaland, South-West, Hirshabelle, and Galmudug attended the two-day event in Mogadishu. Also in attendance were Ministry of Education representatives, stakeholders from private education providers, universities, public schools, and education focused CSOs, and the media. A total of 66 participants participated in the livestream and televised forum on Day 1. On Day 2, 15 participants from FMS delegations had further in-depth and closed-door intergovernmental consultations on the draft legislation. The oversight forum was televised on Somalia National Television (SNTV), broadcast over national radio, and livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.

9

In addition to promoting FPS-FMS collaboration, the forum was an opportunity for the FMSs to provide feedback on the bill. The consensus from the FMS delegates was that the legislation does not adequately accommodate the role of the FMS education ministries in management of the education sector, and places too much authority in the central government. FMS representatives also stressed the importance of considering the diversity and needs of each FMS in the Hon. Fardowsa Yusuf, Deputy Chair, Education Bill, and the need to allocate national Galmudug Social Affairs Committee resources such as scholarships fairly across the FMSs. attends a public forum on the Education Bill PHOTO: USAID/DAMAL These and other recommendations resulting from the forum will be included in the committee report for consideration.

Promoting inclusivity through public hearings

Facilitating inclusive dialogues for underrepresented communities. Damal provided technical and logistical support to the Human Rights and Social Affairs Committees in hosting an inclusive politics oversight forum to solicit testimony and serve as an information sharing platform for underrepresented communities in advance of the expected national elections. Together with the committees and the Women MP caucus of the UH, Damal assisted in mapping the panelists which included 29 participants from youth and women groups, disabled people’s organizations, and MPs. The event was livestreamed and broadcast over television and radio.

Youth representatives stated that many young people are self-motivated and ready to participate in the election as either aspiring candidates or electoral committee members. Furthermore, it was noted that while successive governments have tried to promote youth participation in the political space, and that youth representation in the civil service has increased over the last few years, youth remain underrepresented. Forum participants also recognized a need for greater solidarity among Youth representatives speak at the inclusive politics oversight forum and participation of youth groups in this PHOTO: USAID/DAMAL upcoming election cycle. Disability advocates highlighted the need for inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in government and proposed that FMSs reserve a minimum of one seat for PWDs to represent each clan in the UH. Forum participants also called on clan leaders and stakeholders to reserve 20 percent of the electoral college for PWD representatives. Forum participants also discussed the lack of representation of women in Parliament. In concluding the forum, Hon. Zamzam Ibrahim, chair of the Women and Human Rights Committee of the UH, informed participants that information collected from the forum will aid both her committee and others in holding the government accountable for addressing the identified issues. She assured the attendees that the committees would share the information and concerns raised with the relevant authorities.

10

EXPECTED RESULT 2: FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT PRACTICES IMPROVED

Activities under Expected Result 2 aim to deepen and strengthen existing financial oversight practices, such as robust legislative review of auditor general reports, including issuance of the follow-up recommendations to the executive branch. While many of these practices are cyclical in their occurrences, Damal responds to demands as they arise to ensure that both houses can exercise their oversight duties.

Supporting MPs’ understanding of international standards and best practices for public accountability mechanisms and practices. As one of its most noteworthy achievements this quarter, Damal provided a version of the Audit Bill that was tailored to international standards and subsequently assisted cooperating parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to guide the legislation through the approval process in the UH and HoP. Damal provided this international standards version of the Audit Bill to the UH BFC, which, FGS Auditor General, Mohamed Mohamud Ali, speaking before the BFC upon adopting it as its own, moved the bill through its PHOTO: USAID/DAMAL legislative process and forwarded it to the HoP for consideration. In the HoP, the bill was adopted and forwarded to the President for his assent, which is “We are all aware that the top offices required before the bill becomes a law. receive most of administrative cost allocation and expend excessive – To support this process, Damal facilitated workshops with sometime - for political purposes. If the auditor general is unable to trace UH and HoP BFC members and staff to deepen their these funds and report the misuse understanding of PFM best practices and the role of which we are all sure it happens, then parliament in budget oversight. After clearing the UH the work of the auditor office is ceremonial not serious.” process, Damal provided technical and logistical support to — FARHAN ISHAK YUSUF, SENIOR the HoP BFC to conduct a legislative review and public RESEARCHER, SOMALI PUBLIC forum on the proposed legislation. Additionally, at the AGENDA request of then HoP BFC Chair Mohamud Siraji, Damal commissioned a regional comparative analysis providing information and insight into similar, high-standard legislation based on best practices in Kenya.

To help focus attention on international best practices in establishing an independent OAG, Damal engaged Somali PFM expert, , to provide a written and oral brief to the committee based on a comparative analysis on regional and international OAG practices. The brief was presented at a Damal-sponsored public forum, which featured Somali PFM experts and Auditor General Mohamed Mohamud Ali. The invited experts provided testimony on the Audit Bill with a special emphasis on the appointment, removal, and reporting procedures of the OAG. The hearing also provided the OAG, invited PFM experts, and public interest representatives an opportunity to comment on the Audit Bill. Damal encouraged the participation of PFM experts by sharing all documents related to the bill prior to the forum. Auditor General Mohamed Mohamud Ali emphasized the critical nature of the bill which seeks to replace the outdated Audit Law of 1971, citing its importance in meeting milestones required in the international debt relief process and necessary to secure external funds for national budget support.

The brief drew upon regional and international OAG practices by citing the current process in Kenya including the appointment, removal, reporting to parliament, and overall independence of the OAG from the executive branch of government. The PFM expert

11

recommended that the OAG is independent in hiring of staff, that it has its own budget, and that the removal of the Auditor General requires a two-thirds vote from both houses of Parliament. Additionally, the PFM expert discussed the need for audit institutions to be independent of the audited entity to avoid outside influence and ensure they can perform their tasks objectively and efficiently. Additional finance and taxation experts stressed the importance of an independent audit institution, pointed to loopholes within the bill that should be addressed, and advocated for the competitive, merit-based selection of staff. On behalf of the BFC, Secretary Hon. Abdihakim Maalim Ahmed acknowledged concerns and recommendations and offered that the committee will consider them wherever possible. The hearing attracted 30 participants from the HoP, the OAG, PFM experts, and the media, and was both livestreamed and televised.

Through Damal’s technical assistance to the HoP BFC staff and leadership, the international standards version of the Audit Bill was accepted by the committee and the legislation was adopted by the HoP. This outcome was significant as it required the HoP to resolve long- standing areas of contention around passing this version of the bill, namely the inclusion of an independent Auditor General in accordance with international standards, and the role of the UH in dismissing the Auditor General and corresponding joint UH-HoP rules of procedure.

Practical trainings and ongoing assistance to strengthen financial oversight practices. Continuing Damal’s practice of hands-on trainings, the project provided technical support and leadership to 10 BFC staff of both houses of Parliament in a workshop analyzing the first draft of the 2021 national budget. With Damal’s support, the staff developed a budget analysis highlighting year-over-year allocation variance in economic development, social services, security, administration, capital projects and operations and maintenance. Based on this Damal-supported analysis, lines of questioning were then presented to BFC members to pursue with the Ministry of Finance. The questions, presented in Annex 1, include clarifications on the increases from the 2020 budget for certain ministries (e.g. Ministry of Public Works and Reconstruction; Ministry of Energy and Water; Ministry of Livestock, Forestry and Pasture; etc.); the budget deficits for other ministries; and the increases in wage tax, income tax, and business profit tax. Subsequently, BFC members led by Deputy Chair Hon. Amina Sheikh Osman met with the Minister of Finance and other ministry officials to present their initial findings. The meeting provided a space for stakeholders, including economic and governance experts, to ask clarifying questions on the budget and provide recommendations. To this feedback, ministry officials provided some additional clarification, and participants were assured that their suggestions would be included in the 2021 Budget and tabled in Parliament.

Following the workshop, Damal provided ongoing assistance to the HoP BFC to conduct an analysis of a second draft of the budget, in addition to technical and logistical support for a public forum as described above under Expected Result 1. As a result of the Damal- supported activities, Acting BFC Chair Amina Sheikh Osman presented to a plenary session of the HoP a written and oral brief of her committee's research and the comments received in public consultation on the proposed budget. The BFC analysis featured data on all aspects of the budget — including revenue, expenses, government agencies, ministries, etc. — and provided a comparative analysis to the figures from the 2020 budget. Following the presentation of the BFC report the HoP voted unanimously to pass the budget with a vote of 145 in favor with no votes against or abstentions.

12

Building Staff Capacity of Budget and Finance Committee

Providing technical assistance to MPs and staff. This quarter, Damal provided MPs and staff with ongoing assistance and targeted training in conducting legislative oversight with an emphasis on PFM. This includes the technical analysis workshop on the 2021 national budget as described under Expected Result 2, in which Damal provided on-the-job training for 10 HoP and UH BFC staff to produce a budget analysis and summary for the committees. The analysis identified budgetary revenue and spending gaps which led to suggested lines of questioning that the committees brought to the Minister of Finance. The results of this analysis and subsequent questioning was brought to the floor by the committee Chair, which ultimately resulted in passage by the HoP. This result demonstrates how Damal’s approach to supporting the PFM process builds upon each step, providing technical support along the way to build capacity of the BFCs.

Capacity building support to the Young Professionals. Throughout the quarter, Damal provided ongoing training and mentorship to the project-supported Young Professionals who serve as parliamentary fellows embedded in the UH as committee staff. The project also continued its ongoing support and technical training to the Young Professionals in organizing committee meetings and drafting assembly reports.

Legislative Drafting and Amendments Training for HoP Staff. Damal provided a three-day legislative “This training was well timed and amendment training for the second cohort of the good learning opportunity for me. I HoP secretariat staff. This technical workshop learnt a lot from this workshop which provided the secretariat staff a basic outline of the I didn’t know before. I learnt from legislative drafting and amendment process from this training the importance of issue identification through committee review to comparative research and analysis for new draft bill and how it is useful report preparation for plenary debate. The training for legislative amendments. I will workshop enhanced the capacity of the secretariat apply skills gained from the workshop staff to support parliamentary committees to my daily committee support conducting legislative review and the drafting of work.” amendments, measured by a pre- and post-event knowledge acquisition survey. Key thematic areas — FATIMA MOHAMUD MOHAMED, covered included the legislative drafting COMMITTEE STAFF, HOP COMMITTEE OF INTERIOR, components process and steps, the amendment FEDERALISM AND REGIONAL process to harmonize existing laws, how to ADMINISTRATION structure legislative amendments, and mock exercises to amend draft laws. A total of 30 HoP staff participated in this workshop.

Damal Engagement Meetings

An overview of this quarter’s key engagement meetings is below:

Date Counterpart Topic October 8, HoP Budget and Finance Committee chair Damal’s ongoing support to 2020 Hon. Mohamud Siraji the BFC and upcoming legislative review of the draft Audit Bill.

14

October HoP Budget and Finance Committee chair Mapping key participants 11-15, 2020 Hon. Mohamud Siraji and BFC members for a public hearing on the Audit Bill to be convened by the HoP BFC. October HoP Economy, Commerce, and Industry Logistical/technical support 11-15, 2020 Committee for a PFM oversight forum to review proposed legislation for an Investment Promotion Agency and Investor Protection Act, including mapping key participants for the forum. October HoP BFC, Federal government of Somalia Technical/logistical support 16-23, 2020 (FGS) Auditor General, Mohamed Mohamud for the October 23rd public Ali, and selected PFM experts. hearing on Audit Bill. October UH Women Caucus Deputy Chair, Hon. Preliminary discussions 19, 2020 ZamZam Ibrahim Ali with FPS women’s caucus to facilitate a consultative forum on women representation in next Parliament. October FPS women’s caucuses Planning for women MP 23-29, 2020 caucus election readiness workshop. November UH and HoP BFCs Preparation for technical 1-5, 2020 analysis workshop for 2021 national budget. November UH and HoP BFCs Technical analysis 9-11, 2020 workshop on 2021 national budget. November FMS SGs and FGS ministers Meeting to confirm interest 11, 2020 in youth programming, including a youth policy oversight forum. November MPs from the women caucuses from both Technical/logistical support 17, 2020 houses of Parliament, and CSO leaders for a forum focused on working to promote women’s political preserving the participation parliamentary seat quota for women in the 2020- 2021 national election. November Women MPs from both houses Preparation for future 13-17, 2020 parliamentary youth forum. November BFC members, including Acting BFC Mapping participants for 13-17, 2020 Chairperson Hon. Amina Sheikh Osman and public forum on financial BFC Secretary Hon. Abdihakim management oversight of proposed 2021 budget. November Social Affairs Committee, Human Rights Mapping representatives 20-26, 2020 Committee, and the Women MP caucus of for inclusive politics forum, the UH including youth groups,

15

women CSOs, and disabled people’s organizations. November BFC members Continued mapping of 20-26, 2020 participants for public forum on financial management oversight of proposed 2021 budget. December Human Rights and Social Affairs Committees, Inclusive Politics Oversight 2, 2020 youth, gender, and disability focused CSOs, Forum featuring testimony and MPs. from youth and disability advocacy organizations in advance of the expected national elections. December HoP and UH Social Affairs Committees Technical assistance to the 4-10, 2020 HoP and UH Social Affairs Committees to host a national oversight forum on the proposed Education Bill. The forum was held December 13-14, 2020. December HoP BFC members, including Deputy Chair, Mapping participants for 20-24, 2020 Hon. Amina Sheikh Osman planned public forum on proposed 2021 national budget. The forum was held on December 27, 2020. December HoP secretariat staff Legislative amendment 27-29,2020 training.

IV. PERFORMANCE MONITORING

As outlined in the project’s AMELP, Damal conducts ongoing and systematic data collection and progress reporting to understand the extent to which activities are achieving intended results. Timely data collection is the responsibility of all Damal technical staff with the Damal Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) manager taking responsibility for data quality, including sound record keeping practices and verified reporting as part of an ongoing documentation check process. Damal also maintains a strong working relationship with the Somalia Program Support Services (SPSS) program, which is implemented by International Business & Technical Consultants Inc. (IBTCI) and assists in site and activity verifications and providing data quality assessments. In addition to providing ongoing updates and requests for information related to project activities and corresponding monitoring and evaluation data, Damal also collaborated with IBTCI/SPSS throughout the reporting period to conduct internal data quality assessments (DQAs) on a quarterly basis.

V. LESSONS LEARNED

During the reporting period, Damal applied lessons learned from its first year of implementation and as discussed with USAID in the November 2020 Pause and Reflect

16

workshop to provide the type of flexible and demand-driven technical support necessary to navigate often unpredictable circumstances, particularly in terms of the political and security context. Challenges and mitigation efforts reflecting these experiences are summarized in this section.

Safety and security. The dynamic security environment in Somalia proved to be a persistent challenge to Damal’s work. During the quarter, government buildings — — were targeted by the militant group Al-Shabab. Additionally, extra security measures, such as road closures, are prevalent after attacks or in response to rumors of impending attacks, making travel to training sites or counterparts’ offices nearly impossible. The ongoing security issues limited the ability of government, parliamentary, and civil society counterparts to participate in Damal activities, as well as the ability of local and international Damal staff to implement those activities. Insecurity is expected to continue and may grow worse should the current impasse on the election process result in the holding of partial or parallel elections and could lead to violence in parts of the country. Al-Shabaab has sought to take advantage of this political instability by increasing attacks and expanding territory under its control. Insecurity has been heightened by tensions in Hirshabelle and Jubbaland, with the latter leading to the severing of bilateral ties between Somalia and Kenya.

With a relatively small project budget, Damal is not able to rely on a dedicated project security manager, and has therefore had to be more creative in maximizing the use of available resources, including the knowledge and networks of its Somali project staff, trusted security partners or contacts working in similar spaces, and home office resources, all combining to help fill the security knowledge gap left without a dedicated security manager. Increased communication has been driven by an expanded use of technology, particularly secure messaging applications used to share threat reporting and account for staff in real time. Additional mitigation measures included the use of virtual meetings held on social media platforms, greater use of television and radio broadcast of committee meetings and forums, and flexibility in scheduling and venue selection for Damal activities.

Impact of COVID-19. While COVID-19 precautions are not widely exercised in Mogadishu, the project continues to observe social distancing and other safety measures in conducting in- person activities, and staff work remotely when not meeting with counterparts or attending project events. Additionally, Damal’s pivot to expanded media support to reduce in-person contact in the early months of the pandemic has become an integral and proven part of its technical and logistical support to the BFCs and other committees in facilitating outreach through public forums. One challenge Damal has experienced because of the pandemic is the extended absence of senior parliamentary figures who hold dual citizenship and have had difficulties returning to Somalia due to international COVID-19 restrictions and the security environment.

Political priorities and instability. Shifting political priorities and instability is an ongoing challenge to Damal’s work given the importance of the project’s relationships with its primary stakeholders within FPS and the impact changes in leadership can have on committee priorities and work plans. This quarter, previous HoP BFC Chair Mahamoud Siraji, was confirmed to the executive council in October 2020. His departure leaves a temporary vacancy until a replacement is appointed, and in the meantime Damal is fostering a new relationship with acting BFC Chair Hon. Amina Sheikh Osman. With her

17

previous experience at the Ministry of Finance, Osman brings a different perspective and set of priorities to which Damal had had to adapt.

Other instances of changing political priorities and preferences had an impact on Damal programming this quarter. For example, sometimes committees will express interest in Damal support for holding a public forum but will later withdraw for various reasons. This quarter, Damal was in discussions with the HoP Economy, Commerce, and Industry Committee and the USAID Growth, Enterprise, Employment, and Livelihoods (GEEL) project to support a Mogadishu-based PFM forum centered on future legislation around investor promotion and protection. This event was subsequently cancelled after the committee committed to conducting a week-long workshop in Djibouti instead, which also ultimately did not occur after promised funds from the Ministry of Planning fell through. In another example this period, Damal staff would receive indications that the 2019 close of accounts – a major piece of financial legislation falling under Damal’s mandate – would be coming available for BFC review; however, the bill continued to be stalled in the process due to shifting legislative priorities of the executive and Speaker.

Damal also experienced minor disruptions in programming and partner buy-in from parliamentary leadership due to pressure on MPs to prioritize discussions around the national elections. For instance, the planned public forum with the Women Caucuses of the HoP and UH on defending female seats in the upcoming election process was scheduled and then postponed at the request of the parliamentarians who were unavailable due to election related activities outside of Mogadishu. Damal has also observed that legislation is being promoted, demoted, or held in the President’s office out of electoral considerations; for instance, while the HoP passed the UH version of the Audit Bill with Damal support, it is assumed the President continues to withhold his signature of the bill until the timing is advantageous to his electoral aspirations.

Damal’s approach to this challenge is to maintain a flexible, demand-driven project and to cooperate with a variety of actors in Parliament and align activities to meet changing priorities, while also working to achieve project results. For example, knowing that MPs would be primarily engaged with the election process, Damal tailored its Year 2 work plan accordingly, standing ready to support the BFCs with financial legislation while also working to strengthen the institutional capacity of Parliament. Looking ahead to the final two quarters of implementation, Damal will focus on skills development for committee staff linked to key parliamentary committee operations or legislative topics so that newly elected MPs will enter parliament with staff trained on public hearings, oversight, PFM, legislative amendments, and research and analysis.

Lack of joint rules of procedure. It is typical for a newly elected parliament to re-examine and consider modifications to its rules of procedure. However, with the creation of the UH and ill-defined responsibilities in the Provisional Constitution, cooperation between the two houses of parliament has been tenuous. Each legislative body has its own rules of procedure and have yet to agree to the joint rules of procedure which would define intra-chamber roles and the process for the flow of legislation. With no constitutional clarity on some of the legislative responsibilities and no joint rules of procedure to add clarification to these legal gaps, this may prove challenging as the FPS’ two houses are physically located in different locations, have differing ideas on their respective responsibilities and functions, and have similar topic committees but with divergent mandates.

18

In a sign of increased willingness to cooperate, the speakers of both houses signed a memorandum of understanding on October 1, 2019, which details the respective powers of each house. However, the lack of joint rules of procedure remains an obstacle to interparliamentary cooperation around key financial legislation, and is a challenge with which Damal has had to contend. To mitigate conflict about the two chambers’ roles and responsibilities, Damal acts as a bridge, assisting members of parliament and committees to understand their roles and functions. For example, this quarter Damal conducted a joint technical analysis workshop on the 2021 national budget with staff of the BFCs from both chambers in an effort to facilitate cooperation.

Lack of institutionalized coordination between FMS assemblies and FPS. Developing federal parliamentary oversight without the active participation of the FMS parliaments reduces Damal’s public and institutional reach. To mitigate this, Damal staff have continued to maintain formal and informal contacts with FMS SGs and parliamentary leaders developed over the course of the SSG and Somalia Stability Fund (SSF) Gole-Kaab projects. Damal was able to bring these relationships to bear in facilitating the joint FPS-FMS forum on the proposed Education Bill, but more regular and sustained collaboration is necessary to truly institutionalize coordination across the national and subnational legislatures.

Difficulties in long-term project planning. As described above, Damal’s flexible design and delivery is necessary when dealing with Parliament and the inherent political instability. However, the downside to this approach is that it makes long-term planning for project activities and resources difficult. Damal mitigates this challenge with its nimble staff who bring a deep understanding of how the FPS operates as an institution and the various individual elected and senior representatives involved. This allows the team to understand how to navigate and prioritize opportunities to provide technical assistance and deploy resources appropriately.

Lower-than-expected capacity. Capacity remains low within the Somali government, which struggles to carry out its core functions. Moreover, a lack of resources in the HoP — limited meeting and committee office spaces — highlighted key operational challenges for committee functions and potential training.

Damal integrated capacity building throughout its approach to working with MPs and parliamentary staff, using actual legislative issues at hand to combine on-the-job training with learning-by-doing in research, budget analysis and management, planning and coordinating public hearings, and oversight. The project continued these efforts this quarter by conducting trainings on the 2021 national budget and supporting committees in hosting various public forums. Damal also provided the Young Professional parliamentary fellows with ongoing relevant training, including on background analysis, budget reporting, and public hearing support. As the project prepares for technical closeout ahead of its conclusion in May 2021, Damal will prioritize self-sustainability in parliamentary best practices and ensure that MPs are aware of the tools at their disposal. To ensure they are following best practices, Damal will create how-to guides, one-pagers, templates, and/or checklists and provide corresponding trainings on oversight tools such as public events, requesting testimony from the executive, and site inspections.

VI. PROGRESS ON LINKS TO OTHER ACTIVITIES

Damal continued its efforts to work cooperatively with democracy and governance and other relevant programs providing support to the FPS. Although Damal’s primary

19

counterparts are the BFCs of both houses, as a flexible, demand-driven program, Damal is regularly approached for technical assistance by other committees and parliamentary stakeholders. In considering these opportunities, Damal makes it a priority to coordinate closely with other activities to avoid programmatic overlap and facilitate coordination as appropriate. For example, Damal consulted with the USAID-funded GEEL project in reviewing the request by the HoP Economy, Commerce, and Industry Committee to provide technical support for a PFM forum on investment promotion legislation.

This quarter, Damal also collaborated with the education focused USAID-funded BAB project to provide technical assistance to the HoP Social Affairs Committee to host a national oversight forum bringing together FPS and the FMSs to discuss the proposed Education Bill. The partnership between the two programs blended the education sector expertise of the BAB project with Damal’s connections with the FMS assemblies and experience putting together forums with media support.

VII. INCLUSIVITY AND ACCESS

Throughout the reporting period, Damal worked to promote the inclusion of GESI considerations in PFM legislative activities by working with parliament to build internal mechanisms to process and discuss issues like gender representation and funding for marginalized groups. Through Damal’s demand-based approach, the project was also able to identify several GESI-related initiatives for support, including the inclusive forum described in Section III under Expected Result I. Additional activities supporting inclusivity and access are described below.

Support to the Women’s Caucus on the election quota. The project provided technical and logistical support to a forum focused on preserving the parliamentary seat allocation and quota for women in 2021 national election. The Women Caucuses from both houses of parliament were joined by prominent CSO leaders working to promote women’s political participation. The MPs and CSO representatives explored strategies and arguments to defend female representation in Women MPs and CSO representatives parliament. The invited panelists included members of speak at a public forum on the election quota the diaspora and local women’s organizations, including PHOTO: USAID/DAMAL Deqa Salad, Director of the Hear Women Foundation based in the United Kingdom, and Batula Gabale, Chair of Somali National Women Organization. This public forum was televised on Somalia National Television and Dalsan TV. It was also broadcast over national radio and livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.

Support for a future youth policy forum. Recognizing the importance of youth representation in government, Damal began initial conversations to garner support for a future oversight forum on government youth policy. This forum will be a first step towards reviving a parliamentary Youth Caucus. Damal also canvassed the Secretary Generals of each FMS to confirm their interest in developing state level parliamentary Youth Caucuses. Additionally, with Damal technical support, women MPs from both houses sent a message to their FMS colleagues encouraging them to empower Youth Caucuses and harmonize their political participation.

20

VIII. SUSTAINABILITY

Damal is committed to ongoing skill-building and to initiating practices that are sustainable after project completion. By applying its three guiding principles for implementation – integration, institutionalization, and participation – Damal strives to build the capacity of its parliamentary partners with an eye towards long-term sustainability. By using a “learning by doing” approach that uses specific issues and legislation as teaching tools, Damal ensures its trainings and support is participatory and needs-based, working to empower MPs and parliamentary staff to fulfill their roles in financial oversight. This approach also builds trust and strong personal connections between the project team and the staff and leadership of the assembly secretariats and committee chairs which is crucial to successful delivery of technical assistance.

This approach has proven to be extremely successful over the reporting period. Specifically, as Damal provided ongoing technical support to the public oversight forums and building of committee staff capacity in organizing and recording events for committee reports, Damal has found that in each subsequent event, committee staff have played a greater role in management and support. Transferring responsibility for these functions ensures sustainability in project training goals. Further examples of these successes include a more rapid turnaround time for event reports and strengthened ability to produce subject matter analysis for use by the committee.

Damal has also seen an increased willingness among MPs to hold public hearings, demonstrating the project’s success in encouraging this oversight tool to be further accepted as an integral part of the legislative process. Relatedly, by pairing technical assistance for legislative oversight with media support, Damal has observed increased confidence and motivation among MPs to conduct public hearings with a broadcast element (e.g. television, radio, and livestream) as a tool to communicate with their constituents and disseminate information regarding issues of public interest.

Additionally, as a result of Damal’s support to the Young Professionals Program and efforts to steadily build the fellows’ capacity in conducting legislative research, analysis, and other activities, the UH has recently committed to hiring half of the cohort as full-time staff members on the payroll of Parliament. This is the final step before being converted into permanent members of the National Civil Service and reflects their contribution to building Somalia and the experience they have gained through Damal and the previous USAID- funded SSG project.

As Damal enters its final months of implementation, the project will continue to prioritize sustainability of programmatic efforts and will create a financial oversight manual comprised of project-developed resources such as how-to guides, one-pagers, templates, and/or manuals on essential tools and knowledge related to public accountability. To facilitate adoption of these legacy documents, Damal will also provide targeted training to MPs and committee staff on how to utilize these resources.

21

12. On the Geshiba side (or the board loan) there is no repayment or repayment where last year's return was so what does this mean?

13. Now what is the reason for the budget deficit below the 2020 budget? Want to come up with a budget this year as Covid-19 is out?

38