Advancing gender equality and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda is an integral part of the work of the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS). UNTMIS is mandated to ensure that gender and WPS issues are addressed and mainstreamed in its political work, human rights, policy advocacy, assistance to peacebuilding and statebuilding, governance, and security and justice sector reform.
Gender equality and the empowerment of women are prerequisites for attaining and sustaining equitable peace, security, and development. They are fundamental to ensuring that peace and progress are equitable, benefiting both women and men equally while safeguarding all human rights without discrimination, bias, or prejudice. The political empowerment of Somali women and their involvement in decision-making and leadership roles, particularly in conflict prevention, peace, and political processes, as well as in public institutions and both elected and appointed positions, is critical to establishing an inclusive, fair, and just Somalia. Through its political work, electoral support, human rights advocacy, and the promotion of the rule of law and justice, UNTMIS makes a conscious and deliberate effort to ensure that women’s rights, political participation, and gender equality are fully integrated and promoted.
Implementation Of The Women, Peace And Security Agenda
The landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325) and all subsequent resolutions on WPS (All SCRs on WPS), form the main framework of the WPS agenda. Guided by the principles of non-discrimination and promoting women’s participation and protection, UNTMIS’s gender work focuses on improving and increasing women’s role, voice, access, representation, and participation in politics, decision-making and leadership. In addition to supporting the Federal Government of Somalia, UNTMIS works with a range of civil society leaders, organisations and networks. Promoting and strengthening civil society’s voice and participation, particularly of women leaders, is a key strategy to enhance Somali women’s political participation.
The UNTMIS Integrated Gender Office (IGO) ensures that critical policy advice and strategic guidance are available, both internally to improve the policy environment and to strengthen gender mainstreaming across the Mission, and externally to ensure that advice is accessible to national entities, particularly the Ministry of Family, Human Rights and Development, and Women Parliamentary Caucuses in the Federal Parliament and Federal Member State Parliaments. The UNTMIS IGO also collaborates with civil society actors in Mogadishu and the Federal Member States. A network of Gender Focal Points, representing all substantive sections and offices, along with Gender Affairs Officers based in the Mission headquarters and Field Offices, guarantees the effective functioning of the IGO.
Enhanced Participation of Somali Women
UNTMIS IGO leads the UN in Somalia’s efforts to promote Somali women’s participation in peace and political processes, as well as in the public arena, decision-making, and leadership roles. This encompasses policy advocacy, legislation, and the inclusion and participation of women in the policy arena, public debates, ad-hoc and specialized bodies, committees, and commissions; in peace and political dialogues and processes, promoting women’s participation and a gender perspective in the constitution review process, and support for gender-inclusive elections.
Gender and Elections
Women’s representation and participation in the electoral process is a prerequisite for inclusive elections. Ensuring full and equal participation of women in this process presents a global challenge. However, despite a weak legal and policy environment and inadequate institutional mechanisms, Somalia is improving in certain indicators of women’s political representation and participation, particularly at the federal level. The 10th Federal Parliament witnessed a remarkable increase in women’s representation from 14 per cent in 2012 to 24 per cent in 2016.
The 24 per cent representation of women in the Somali Federal Parliament marked a significant milestone in advancing women’s political representation and participation, especially in leadership and decision-making. Women’s involvement in the 2016 electoral process was distinguished by extensive advocacy, mobilization, and campaigning for 30 per cent reserved seats for women; the establishment of a Committee of Goodwill Ambassadors to promote women’s reserved seats; and ensuring 30 per cent women’s representation in all electoral management structures, committees, and processes, including implementation teams for indirect elections at both Federal and State levels, as well as the electoral college.
To support women’s representation and participation in the ongoing 2020/21 federal elections, theUNTMIS devised a joint strategy and established a Gender and Elections Task Team (GETT) led by the UNTMIS Deputy Representative of the Secretary-General, comprising UNTMIS (IGO, PAMG, IESG, HRPG, SCPAG), UNDP, UNFPA, and UN Women. GETT continues to advocate for the implementation of a minimum of 30 per cent representation of women in the electoral process, as per the relevant legislation. High-level advocacy, maintaining the 30 per cent quota on the political agenda of national leadership at both the federal and FMS levels, empowering women leaders to run their advocacy campaigns, securing financial resources to support women’s advocacy, and providing visibility to women’s campaigns, concerns, challenges, and achievements are the main pillars of the GETT Strategy.
Gender Responsive Constitutional Review Process
Spearheaded by the Political Affairs and Mediation Group (PAMG) and in partnership with UNDP, UNTMIS provides policy advice, technical guidance, and strategic support for the constitutional review process. UNTMIS IGO, in close collaboration with PAMG, UNDP, and UN Women, ensures that women are included as stakeholders in this process. In partnership with Sweden, UNTMIS (IGO and PAMG) supported women civil society leaders and organisations to establish a critical mass to lobby for the inclusion of gender provisions in the federal constitution. The Women Parliamentary Caucuses established a Somali Women’s Leadership Forum to ensure their engagement and timely interventions to raise critical issues and provide input to the process. UNTMIS IGO will continue to support this process and ensure that women, as agents and stakeholders, are represented and able to influence it.
Gender and Justice, Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform
UNTMIS IGO collaborates with the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group (ROLSIG) to ensure the availability of gender technical advice and guidance, and that Somali women are included in the reform process. Increasing participation and representation of women in formal institutions, amplifying women’s voices through civil society engagement, and adopting a systematic approach to gender mainstreaming across all these institutions are among the key priority areas for advocacy.
Some Notable Contributions, Achievements, And Progress.
Incorporation of 20 per cent representation of women in the federal election commission law (2015).
First National Gender Policy - 2016-2018 (May 2016).
24 per cent representation of women in both houses of the 10th Federal Parliament (2016).
Decision on developing and implementing a gender mainstreaming strategy in all security sector institutions (National Security Architecture and Mutual Accountability Framework 2017).
First-ever women-led Peace Forum (2018). Somali women for the first time held consultations on women’s enhanced role in peace, reconciliation and the prevention and countering of violent extremism (PCVE) across the country. Five consultations were held simultaneously in five federal member states in July and one in the Benadir region in October, all of which culminated in a Women’s Peace Forum, which was held in Mogadishu and attended by over 200 women leaders and representatives from across the country in November. Concrete strategies and action points were devised to enhance women’s role and participation to promote peace and reconciliation and prevent violent extremism. UNSOM (IGO) in collaboration with UNDP and the PCVE Coordination Office in the Office of the Prime Minister supported women’s groups and coalitions across the country led by Somali National Women Organization.
Women’s role and participation in peace and political processes were promoted during the state-formation process (2014-2016). In the South-west state assembly women secured 22% parliamentary seats. UNSOM played a leading role in offering advice, strategic guidance and other support, including, technical, financial, logistics.
UNSOM facilitated women’s role and participation as peacemakers and in peace and reconciliation processes; taking part in Galkayo Peace Agreements as signatories was a major gain for Somali women peace activists (2017).
The first ever national conference of women MPs—federal parliament and states assemblies; two consecutive conferences were held in 2017 and 2018 with support from UNDP and UNTMIS (IGO).
The enactment of Article 47(7) of the amended Provisional Constitution of Somalia on 31 March 2024 which provides for “Ensuring women's participation in legislative assemblies and political parties, with quotas regulated by laws enacted by the Federal Parliament of Somalia.”
Federal Parliament passed three election-related laws providing for a women’s 30 per cent quota (2024).
Gender Responsive Policy and Programming
The UNTMIS IGO works closely with Mission components and through the existing inter-agency coordination mechanisms, including the UN-Gender Theme Group (GTG), chaired by the Senior Gender Advisor and UN Women Country Representative, to promote and ensure integration of gender and WPS in the mission/UN policy provisions and mechanisms. Some of the outcomes of such internal advocacy, advisory services, and collaboration with UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes include:
Launch of a Women, Peace and Protection Joint Programme (2021-2025).
UN Somalia Gender Equality Strategy-2021-2025.
Gender and WPS commitments in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2021-2025).
UN Somalia Gender Equality Strategy (2021 – 2025).
Gender commitments in the UN Strategic Framework for Somalia (2021-2025).
Contribution to the National Transformational Plan (2025-2029).
Advisory support to the formulation of the National Gender Policy (2024).
Annual Commemorative Events
The IGO plays a lead role in coordinating, planning, and supporting annual commemorative events relevant to the Mission mandate and the GTG, including International Women’s Day, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, and Open Day on Women, Peace, and Security.
International Women’s Day Observed On 8 March
International Women’s Day is observed annually on 8 March to celebrate women’s achievements and progress made by and for women and women’s rights across the globe. The day is commemorated to remind leaders, policy planners, and women of unfinished tasks. It serves as a stock-taking of progress and gaps, and calls for renewed commitments and increased investment in women’s rights and gender equality. The IGO coordinates internally with mission-relevant components and at the inter-agency level through the GTG to plan internal commemorative activities and extend financial support to government and CSO partners [ministries of women, CSO women’s organisations] across Somalia.
16 Days Of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual global campaign aimed at raising awareness on the need to end violence against women and girls. The campaign connects two vitally essential dates for women’s rights and protection: 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and 10 December, the International Human Rights Day.
The IGO coordinates internally with relevant mission components and at the inter-agency level through the UN Gender Theme group in planning internal commemorative activities and extending financial support to government and CSO partners across Somalia. Read more
UN Global Open Day on Women, Peace and Security
Global Open Day was launched by the United Nations (DPA, now DPPA; DPKO; UNDP; and UNIFEM, now UN Women) in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of SCR 1325 in October 2010, with the aim of reviewing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Global Open Days are organised annually by special political and peacekeeping missions, RCs, and UNCTs, providing an opportunity for women to highlight their experiences, challenges, contributions, and efforts to promote peace and security. The Open Days also allow women to be agents of change, take ownership, define their roles, and strengthen the implementation of SCR 1325 and subsequent resolutions.
It is strongly encouraged that SPMs organise annual Open Days in collaboration with UN partners on the ground and engage in regular consultations throughout the year. Missions are to utilise Open Days to systematically follow up on commitments and suggestions made during previous events to expedite the implementation of DPPA’s specific Women, Peace, and Security commitments.
Key CSO actors (women’s groups and organisations), strategic partners, and stakeholders are encouraged and invited to participate in the event, including representatives from governments, donors, regional organisations, data providers, and academia. In some cases, strategic partnerships in organising events may be considered. This may contribute to better buy-in and follow-up on strategic recommendations.
The IGO has led the UN in Somalia in organizing various activities in observance of the Open Day.