Somalia Draft CPD-Denmark Comments-Country Response
Office of the Secretary of the UNICEF Executive Board
Template for delegations commenting on the country programme documents
2021 First Regular Session Country programme document posting period: 17 November to 7 December 2020
Delegations are kindly invited to use this template to share their comments on any of the draft country programme documents being presented to the Executive Board during the forthcoming session.
Delegation name: Denmark
Draft country programme document: Somalia Country Programme Document
In accordance with Executive Board decision 2014/1, country programme documents are considered and approved in one session, on a no-objection basis. All comments received by the Office of the Secretary of the Executive Board before the deadline will be made public on the Executive Board website, and considered by the requesting country, in close consultation with UNICEF.
General Positive that the approach has developed UNICEF appreciates the Government of comments from previous country programmes to a Denmark’s acknowledgement on the new larger focus on capacity‐building of CPD’s approach towards institutional national, regional and local authorities capacity building and the balancing of the instead of INGOs. downstream and upstream in our programming. The new CPD starting in Important with the combination of 2021 alongside a new federal government downstream and upstream. UNICEFs work offers a critical opportunity. in and with communities is and will UNICEF remains committed to the change social norms, but the normative normative agenda, especially on the rights agenda and key pieces of legislation of the girl child and women, in a challenging remains important. and often sensitive environment (We have
further strengthened this point in In 2020 we witnessed a push from certain paragraph 58). UNICEF will engage groups and individuals, including from the parliamentarians in forums directly related Somali Lower House and Cabinet to the CRC implementation as a strong Ministers that would take Somalia advocacy platform, including a possible backwards in terms of protection of formation of a Parliamentary Caucuses on especially women and girls. If/how will Child Rights to align with CRC Committee UNICEF engage with these groups and review of the State Party Report. Through how will UNICEF mobilise with Somali civil our partnerships with civil society, UNICEF society to establish a coalition for will seek stronger rights‐based improved rights of women, girls and conversations among Somali stakeholders. children. Is UNICEF and partners This has been sufficiently equipped to engage in religious conversations around rights of UNICEF will engage with the Ministry of women, girls and children? Religion on issues related to child rights toward influencing norms and practices taught within Madrassas and engaging with the religious community on the rights of children with a specific focus on FGM and child marriage among others.
UNICEF will launch a multi‐sectoral and cross‐ministerial campaign on child rights and the enactment of the Child Rights Bill, which is considered to be less controversial than Sexual Offences Bill and provides significant protections for women and girls through prohibition of child marriage and FGM, issues on which the Sexual Offences Bill is silent. Comments (Delegations providing comments may As discussed above, UNICEF will take a firm on specific wish to include details, such as the page position in line with the CRC. We continue aspects of number, paragraph number, or page of our legislative support also including work the country the annexed results and resources on the Child Rights Bill, a legal instrument programme framework. that will prohibit FGM and early marriage. document On paragraph 58 and 59: though this work UNICEF will be calling on all member states is crucial, we have seen attempts from engaged in humanitarian and development certain Ministries and from the Lower action in Somalia to share clear message House to weaken the already fragile and expectations to Somalia on the protection environment. What approach implementation of the CRC using all will UNICEF take if there is an even harder possible diplomatic channel including the push from the Somali Government to Somalia Partnership Forum to push enact i.e. the intercourse bill, change the domestication of the CRC fundamentally definition of a child in the constitution through enactment of the Child Rights Bill. etc.? The CRC Committee review of the State Party report is a critical opportunity to voice Paragraph 66 is very relevant and such key advocacy messages. Denmark would be interested in a partnership around a dialogue with IFIs to include these activities and indicators in We welcome the interest of Demark in the process towards completion point. engaging in a partnership and dialogue with Paragraph 72 lacks risk around a push by IFIs. especially religious conservatives to take
Somalia backwards in terms of protection of children and women. UNICEF agrees with the concern on possible risk of conservative voices in society undermining progress in the protection of children and women, and this critical risk has been included in paragraph 72.
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