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