Bay Region gets a new Governor

On 6 July 2006, in a ceremony officiated by President Abdullahi Yusuf, the Bay region in central Somalia celebrated the appointment of its new Governor, Mohamoud Mohamed Aden (Barbaar) in Baidoa.

The Governor came back from Salt Lake City in the Untied States in February this year, on hearing that the Transitional Federal Parliament was to sit on Somali soil for the first time since the Institution was established. “I wanted to come home and help my country,” he said the morning of the ceremony.

This selection comes through a consultative process that drew together various traditional elders, political and religious groups, women, young people and intellectuals to work towards re-establishing representative local administrations. The five districts in Bay region then convened district-level Reconciliation Conferences out of which District Council Commissioners were elected, police chiefs appointed and District Development Councils formed. The Council representatives then elected Governor Barbaar and two deputies.

The establishment of the local administrations applies Chapter 4, article 11 of the Transitional Federal Charter for the Somali Republic regarding the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) role in promotion and development of ‘State Governments, Regional and District Administrations subject to the legislation and the guidelines of the Federal Constitutional Commission on the formation of the Transitional Federal Government.’ With the establishment of the Bay Region administrations now complete the TFG is considering a rapid expansion of the project to five other regions.

The District-based Peace-building and Reconciliation project is implemented by the TFG, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Centre for Research and Dialogue in Mogadishu under the overall coordination of UNDP with financial assistance from the Government of Italy.

In support of the new administrations, the UNDP Community-Based Peace Support Project has already held consultations in Baidoa on capacity building and the development of economic opportunities for communities in those areas.

Gov. Barbaar (l) and Deputy Constitution making process kicks off PM Aideed (r) discuss a satellite image of Baidoa at Through broad-based dialogue with key partners, donors and government officials, UNDP was selected to the inauguration coordinate the Somali constitution-making process. In this role, UNDP will lead a consortium of partners to provide technical, logistical, legal and financial support to the two and a half year process from June 2006.

So far, with funding from the UNDP Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund, UNDP has fielded technical support to develop the project and support the government to move the process forward. This includes facilitating the redrafting of the Constitutional Bill setting up the 15-member Constitutional Commission and a roadmap for constitution making.

JNA winding down

The UNDP Governance Programme has been leading the Rule of Law and Governance cluster in the Somali Joint Needs Assessment (JNA), an exercise that aims to identify the priority needs of the country for a period of two, and then five years. The JNA results in the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) that will be presented at a global donor conference to raise funds for this planning tool.

Within this cluster, the first sub-cluster was reconciliation and the rule of law that looked into issues such as political/community dialogue, land disputes and access to justice. Second, the security sub-sector examined issues of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR), Police and mine action. The third section on Government, Public Administration and Accountability focused on constitution, democracy, government architecture, capacity building and local governance. The final sub-sector scrutinized civil society and the media with a view to encouraging participatory governance.

The draft cluster reports have been verified in workshops in various regions of the country and the RDP is now being drafted. The JNA has been supported by the European Commission.

All references to pertain to the self-declared but unrecognised Republic of Somaliland.

UNDP Somalia – Quarterly Update (July 2006) 1 Continued support to the Transitional Federal Institutions

Since the convening of the Parliament session, UNDP has facilitated the operations of the Transitional Federal Parliament Secretariat, in close coordination with the European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA). Support has included purchase of equipment and furniture for the Secretariat as well as payment of monthly stipends to Secretariat staff.

UNDP continues to pay stipends to the Executive, Judiciary, Members of Parliament (MPs), Independent Federal Constitutional Commission and the National Reconciliation Commission. In addition, rehabilitation and equipping of Government owned buildings in Baidoa for use by the TFI is taking place.

In-country missions by members of the executive and legislative branches of the TFIs are crucial for the success of the nascent government in achieving recognition and support throughout the country. As such, UNDP continues to support in-country travel for a large number of TFI officials throughout Somalia as they undertake their duties, dialoguing with their constituency and addressing reconciliation and state building. This support extends to air transportation between Somalia and Nairobi, as well as to the Embassy in Nairobi, allowing them to maintain vital interaction with the international community largely based in the city.

IN BRIEF Remittance companies form new association

In June 2006 the Over the past six months in its work with the remittance sector, UNDP has been emphasizing the need for compliance with international financial regulations. In order to ensure a safe and secure money transfer Landmine Impact industry, all the companies agreed to set up an effective and professional association. Learning from the Survey Phase III experience of the now defunct Somali Financial Services Association, six companies (Amal Express, began in Sool and Dahabshiil, Global Money Transfer, Mustaqbal, Qaran Express and Sahan) with a market share of over 75% Saanag regions, of the remittances to Somalia, formed the Somali Money Transmitters Association (SOMTA) as a professional representing a self-regulation organization with sound governance structure, management and financing. The objective of the new association is to secure the future of the Somali remittance industry through a safe and healthy sector significant step in comprising fully compliant money transmitters who are able to operate and compete globally. completing the surveying of all SOMTA has adopted a comprehensive set of rules that govern the new association with clear rules on regions in northern membership, governance structure, compliance, transparency and accountability. . Somalia/Somaliland called on to register Small Arms ____ Following the success of the pilot ‘Civilian Weapons Registration’ project in Burao and Gabiley in Somaliland in late 2005, the exercise was extended to Hargeisa at the beginning of March 2006. More than 1500 weapons were registered in Burao and over 1,000 in Gabiley in this first attempt at registration of weapons that is still ongoing. Awareness raising workshops were held in Hargeisa in July 2006, and the registration drive will begin in August 2006.

Training IDPs to build houses

340 families in Garowe, Puntland will be getting new homes, built by IDPs. The Garowe Skills Development Project is linked to a UN-HABITAT Pilot Shelter Project, which is assisting the local authorities in voluntary relocation of IDPs, provision of security of tenure and construction of appropriate shelter.

UNDP is providing additional funding for the training component to secure appropriate training to IDPs and other urban poor to enhance their self-employment opportunities of the beneficiaries by training them, through on-job training on basic construction skills and small scale enterprise management courses. These skills are currently in demand as the construction market is expanding in Puntland and only very limited skilled construction labourers are available. Currently, a large proportion of the existing labour force in the construction sector consists of external labourers from Ethiopia and southern Somalia.

At the end of the theoretical and practical training sessions, the IDPs will be adequately skilled to contribute to the construction activities of the self-help shelter project, and set up their own small - scale businesses and cooperatives, which will improve the technical skills of the IDP community and the capacity of the local construction industry as a whole.

UNDP Somalia – Quarterly Update (July 2006) 2 Former combatants set for reintegration

The demobilization and reintegration initiative continued successfully in both Somaliland and Puntland. Reinsertion activities including medical screening and reorientation workshops were completed between May and July 2006, setting the scene for the final reintegration phase to begin in August 2006. In Somaliland, NGO partners for have been selected to conduct the reintegration activities and the caseload of 500 former security forces was allocated between the four implementing NGOs. In Puntland, the reintegration process is set to commence in September, and in both Somaliland and Puntland an additional 500 for security forces from each region will be identified for DDR in late 2006.

RRIDP emphasises early recovery

In line with the recommendations from an outcome evaluation, the Reintegration of Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons (RRIDP) Programme is being reformulated towards supporting communities make the transition from relief to early recovery This specifically focuses on community productive infrastructure in support of micro-enterprises and the means to earn a sustainable income.

At the same time, the programme conducted a number of trainings and provided micro credit funds to a number of women. Some 132 women were trained in micro-business management and were provided with revolving credit. Another 32 female-headed households were provided with micro-grants as a capital to start micro-businesses.

157 young women and men IDP and returnees were trained in various fields including (literacy, simple With micro-credit, Habiba arithmetic, handicraft, knitting, cookery, tailoring, office management and computer skills). Additionally 40 Mohamed is now importing vulnerable minority artisans consisting of barbers and shoemakers were trained and provided with basic tools. bananas from Ethiopia and 30 vulnerable returnee families affected by the 2005 floods received basic farming tools and in addition one has hired two staff to assist borehole was rehabilitated in the same area. her Financial Planners improve skills through online learning

The second and main phase of a training project to improve the skills of Somali financial planners began in this quarter. With support from the World Bank, the Capacity Building for Somali Planners Project (CBSP) provides online distance learning (ODL) training in financial planning and management to planners from both the public and private sectors, to boost economic growth, transparency and accountability in line with principles of good governance.

Currently there are nearly two hundred students enrolled in six tertiary institutions - , , East Africa University, Puntland State University, Somali Institute of Management and Development (SIMAD) and Mogadishu University.

In addition, UNDP has contracted an international consortium of European and African universities that will use a range of learning methods such as web and CD-ROM-based streamed video, self-based e-learning, email communication, chat rooms and provision of hardcopy study materials. The project is expected to produce at least 100 graduates holding internationally recognized qualifications and, for a limited number of the graduates, the opportunity for short-course training in another African country.

In the first phase, the students attended face-to-face preparatory classes in computer use, English language, Economics and an online course on Budgeting. The eight-month long second phase will include Financial Planning, Public Finance Management among other courses.

RRIDP moving into Galkayo

An interagency assessment of IDPs and returnees in Galkayo town (a region with more than 17,000 IDPs) is currently underway. In addition, RRIDP is planning to establish an office in Galkayo with the support of OCHA and UNHCR. Similarly a rapid assessment to identify areas where integrated early recovery projects can be implemented was carried out in Mudug, Nugal and Bari regions of Puntland.

A total of 104 vulnerable women were trained in micro credit/micro financing management and business administration and provided with a revolving credit. Ten others from women NGOs in Quardho were trained in micro credit management. Some 50 poor women including IDPs practicing small-scale business were allocated stalls in the market that was built by RRIDP.

UNDP Somalia – Quarterly Update (July 2006) 3 Judiciary sector support round up

UNDP Judiciary staff took part in a study tour to Sudan in support of the creation of a Judicial Training and Study Centre at the Legal Clinic in Hargeisa. The Centre will be established in the second half of 2006. More water! Following a seminar to support the re-establishment of the judiciary in Somalia, candidates were identified for Supreme Court judges and the Judicial Service Council in July 2006. The Supreme Court then prepared a 7,500 vulnerable structural plan for its reactivation, including a provisional procedure for the registration of constitutional cases. In people now have addition, the Judicial Service Council prepared a plan for the appointment of the lower court judges for Bay access to fresh Region as a matter of urgency. The programme also initiated an agreement for the contribution of stipends for water at the Ali- prioritized members of the Judiciary from 1 August 2006. Hussein IDP In Somaliland, UNDP supported the appointment of an interim chairperson of the National Human Rights settlement in Burao Commission through the provision of equipment to the office and financial support towards one member of staff. at Ayaha II, IDP At the same time, the programme is actively advocating for the adoption of the law by Parliament as an urgent settlement in priority. Hargeisa following the completion of Civil Service Institute graduates second batch of students water extension The Civil Service Institute (CSI) at the University of Hargeisa graduated 162 students in its second round of projects. courses during this quarter. The Institute was established with direct support from UNDP (with Italian funding) in 2005 and is the first Somali institute specialising in public administration training since the early 1990s. The Somaliland Administration has budgeted to meet over 20 percent of the Institute’s running costs. At the same time international partners (such as UN-HABITAT) have identified the Institute as the best-qualified counterpart The drilling of a to provide targeted training to municipal authorities. borehole for Deynile hospital in Somali to get involved in a new cross-border HIV/AIDS initiative Mogadishu began this quarter, with UNDP participated together with a Somali delegation made up of Executive Directors of AIDS Commissions of 10,000 people Puntland, South Central Somalia and Somaliland at a regional workshop on ‘HIV/AIDS: Vulnerability and cross- expected to have border mobility in the Horn of Africa’ held in Djibouti. access to fresh The meeting was called to obtain a common vision for action and outline concrete steps towards a sustainable water when partnership for reducing HIV/AIDS vulnerability arising from high cross-border movements in the Horn of Africa. completed. This is an important initiative for Somalis given the relatively higher HIV prevalence in the neighbouring countries of Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia. As cross-border movement is one of the factors that create vulnerability to HIV Preparations for infection, a partnership and joint regional strategic plan is highly needed. An interim regional working group, the geo-physical chaired by Minister of Health of Djibouti was formed at this meeting. A follow up meeting of Ministers of Health from the region will be held later this year to formalise the partnership and formulate a strategic plan. surveys for eight water sites in south Police training update central Somalia has commenced. Over the past several months, police personnel identified for the Special Protection Unit (SPU) in Puntland underwent training at Armo Police Training Academy. 105 male and 10 female officers graduated on 5 August 2006. The SPU is a specially trained force within the Police for the protection of diplomatic and aid workers.

In Baidoa, 1,010 police cadets have been trained and equipped and are operational. Support included the training and provision of police officers, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (Police Headquarters, Regional Headquarters and local police stations), and provision of stipends to the police.

University students intern at ministries of Planning

Five undergraduates from Puntland State University are currently interning at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, while another four have started a similar programme with the TFG Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation since February 2006.

This initiative is designed to enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Planning to conduct basic collection and analysis of economic and social statistics, state and municipal statistical abstracts and specialized surveys. It also serves to try and overcome the real challenge of limited public sector staffing in the regional administrations and to bridge the gap between academia and public sector.

UNDP Somalia – Quarterly Update (July 2006) 4 Statistical training crosses boundaries

Twenty nine participants from the three administrations (TFG, Somaliland, Puntland) have successfully completed a comprehensive statistical capacity building training course on data collection methods, data processing and compilation, presentation of statistical results and basic trade and economics statistics, conducted at Amoud University in Somaliland.

The trainees were personnel strategically placed within the Statistical Departments of the three administrations. It is expected that the course will have enhanced the quality of the outputs of the departments, which in turn will benefit external usage of department products and the internal decision- making process of the Ministry of Planning.

Training on HIV and AIDS behaviour change communication

With funding obtained from GFATM, UNDP supported the adaptation of a behaviour change communication (BCC) toolkit originally developed by the Johns Hopkins University/Centre for Communication Programmes to the Somali situation.

Workshops for training of trainers (ToT) were conducted in Hargeisa for 30 participants, 39 in Merca (South Central), and 26 in Garowe. In addition, one workshop was conducted with 17 senior policymakers in Somaliland drawn from the AIDS Secretariat, Government Ministries and the Municipality. Participants in the ToT workshops came from a broad range of organisations: AIDS Commission Communication staff and other senior officials; community health nurses; maternal and child health nurses; staff from international and local NGOs; community based organisations; faith-based representatives; women’s groups and youth representatives. A training manual was developed and will be used for the roll out of BCC activities.

UNDP setting up Energy Sector support programme

In line with local needs and UNDP corporate practice areas, the UNDP Somalia office is setting up an Energy programme that will support private sector development through the availability of basic services, including reliable and affordable energy sources. The project document has been completed through a consultative and participatory process involving the TFG Ministry of Energy, and UN and NGO partners working within the sector.

The programme will contribute to overall efforts to reduce charcoal burning, and the subsequent deforestation and land degradation, through delivery of alternative energy sources in the form of renewable energy sources and LP Gas. The project is also expected to contribute to capacity building for planning and development of national and regional Energy Sector strategies.

UNDP supports Uganda HIV/AIDS response exposure visit

With funding obtained from the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), UNDP supported the participation of 17 Somali delegates from the Government and AIDS Commissions on an exposure visit to Uganda. The East African country was selected for the visit due to its known successful response to HIV/AIDS. Uganda’s experience demonstrated that an early, consistent and multi-sectoral control strategy can reduce both the prevalence and incidence of HIV. In addition, Uganda also has a sizeable Muslim population and experience in Islamic approaches to HIV/AIDS, which made the country’s social context relevant for Somalis.

The delegates visited 10 organizations engaged in HIV prevention, care and support from the government, civil society and private sector. Attendance by all participants was very good and the discussions were highly interactive and informative. The teams also benefited from printed and electronic take-home handouts from the organizations. The participants learnt about HIV treatment and care, importance of voluntary counselling and testing and community support initiatives. Of particular importance was their appreciation of effective mainstreaming through HIV/AIDS desks created within all Uganda Government ministries.

UNDP Somalia – Quarterly Update (July 2006) 5 UNDP wins further grants for its HIV/AIDS activities

As the first year of the GFATM ended in June 2006, a new call for proposals was released in April 2006 for year two. UNDP’s application to continue with activities in HIV/AIDS leader advocacy and behaviour change communication were successful. An additional intervention for UNDP will be support for capacity building through scholarships for practical training on HIV response coordination, prevention and community mobilization. The scholarships will focus on human resources capacity development at both the AIDS coordination structures and personnel working in other areas of the response. Strengthening oversight and coordination capacity of the AIDS commissions and the creation of a critical pool of technically trained personnel at different levels of the response will contribute towards sustainability.

Settlement Survey Phase 2 nearly complete

The ongoing Settlement Survey is designed to collect poverty related data at settlement level, which will provide critical information on socio-economic characteristics and population distribution vis-à-vis availability of public and social services, poverty indicators and mapping vulnerable groups at district and regional levels. The information has thus far been utilized to generate maps on a range of socio-economic features in support of strategic planning for UN agencies, development partners and the Somali Joint Needs Assessment (JNA).

The first phase of the settlement survey for Somaliland was completed in July 2006. A total of about 6,500 settlements, 220 water points, 809 educational facilities, 530 health facilities and 460 markets have been surveyed so far and currently data is undergoing several verifications on Geographical Positioning Systems (GPS) coordinates, settlement names and other socio-economic variables. A preliminary analysis of data collected for some of the regions and printing of related maps have been completed. The draft reports and maps are under review, and have been shared with the JNA and other partners. GPS coordinates are identified for each settlement and a The second phase of the survey in the South Central is 70 percent complete and 90 percent has been completed in Puntland. A random sample of 10 percent of the settlements already surveyed in the first photograph taken as phase was resurveyed as part of a validation exercise. The settlements that had been omitted during Phase evidence of the visit 1 due to insecurity and floods/droughts will be surveyed in Phase 2. The settlement and water point listings from the ongoing survey have been presented and discussed with local partners at district level for their review and comments as well as to identify possible gaps.

UNDP creating new Local Governance project

UNDP fielded a mission into Somalia to look into the feasibility of developing a Local Governance programme. The draft project document has been developed in conjunction with the UN Capital Development Fund and UN-HABITAT, and it recommends Puntland as the primary target area for the future programme. The mission itself played a role in building the capacities of the Puntland ministries working in relation to local governance. Thus far a Coordination Framework for Local Governance and Peace-Building has been developed jointly by UNDP, UNOPS, UN-HABITAT and ILO, and results of synergies and coordinated work plans are already in evidence. UNDP will be reconstructing the offices for Bay District and Region.

UNDP Somalia currently receives support from the following donors: AG-FUND, Canada, Denmark, DFID, European Union, Italy, League of Arab States, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, USAID, World Bank, Zayed Foundation.

Compiled and produced by UNDP Somalia Information Office UNDP Somalia, Springette, Spring Valley, P.O. Box 28832 – 00200, Nairobi +254 20 4183640/2 www.so.undp.org Contact: [email protected] for additional information

UNDP Somalia – Quarterly Update (July 2006) 6