Reflections and Lessons of Somaliland's two Decades of sustained peace, State building and Democratization
Soradi's second annual conference took stock of Somaliland’s past development in order to contribute to crafting of an appropriate future vision. The Annual Conference brought together experts (both international and local) and provided a forum for development practitioners, government officers, researchers and donors to discuss, debate and exchange on Lessons from Two Decades of Sustained State Building, Local Institutional Development and Democratization and the Way Forward.
The key outcomes and recommendations from the Conference are summarized as follows:
Reforming the Elections System
There were three critical issues discussed in the election system front: a) The Voter Registration b) The Local Councils Electoral system and c) Election fatigues as a result of four consecutive election-years system (elections of the Local Councils, House of Representatives, the President and the House of Elders). The conference participants recommended a more sustainable Voter Registration system, as well as a sustained civic and voter education which goes beyond the confines of the major cities to reach the majority pastoral population and other remote coastal and mountain communities of Somaliland. The Conference further recommends a) to reform the electoral system b) to initiate public debate on the direct election of Mayor and Deputy and a choice between the party list and open list system of electing councilors c) attend to the demarcation of electoral districts before the next election and d) urge political parties to bring quality candidates to compete.
Aid effectiveness: Aid effectiveness is a theme relatively new in Somaliland forums. Some concrete recommendations include: a) Increased donor support to government and civil society in Somaliland and access to international financial facilities b) Development of a legal framework with monitoring systems c) Strengthen Government implementation abilities d) Support government attract the right expertise for public jobs through improved salaries and effective co-ordination.
External Negotiations: A new area of discussion is the realm of international negotiations: The thrust of this discussion area was for the Somaliland Government and society to strive to be negotiations savvy with an eye on diplomacy and political negotiations, donor aid negotiations, emerging resource development negotiations including oil and other minerals as well as investments on service sectors such as seaports, airports and trade corridors. Some of the concrete recommendations of the conference included: a) Organize debates and public forums on the above issues b) Formulate effective policies and across ministries and sectors c) Lobbying through the parliament in the promulgation of relevant laws d) Ensure clarity of mandate on different levels of negotiations e) Seek international and independent assistance and advice on the skills of negotiations and especially on strategic fields f) Seek adequate ground information on all issues related to the negotiation before starting them.
Women’s political participation: This is a running theme of all serious forums addressing democratization in Somaliland. The conference reiterated the need for Somaliland to boost women political participation with the following recommendations: a) Women’s quota in elected houses approved b) Establish and/or support gender & development Institutions c) Promote economic empowerment for women.
The Environmental Crisis: The state of the natural environment is a burning issue in Somaliland and the conference recommendations are: a) Protection of remaining woodlands and forests b) Introduction of alternatives sources of energy c) Awareness raising at all levels of society d) A Forestation programs to be initiated e) Environmental education f) Policies enforcement g) Establish high level advocacy group h) Plan rain water harvesting.
Guurti Issue: The issue of the Guurti House in the context of the democratization process in Somaliland is viewed by the conference participants as a priority area for government and society to address with following core recommendations: a) Initiate wider forums of public debate about Guurti elections/selection modalities b) Government initiates the Guurti electoral law within the time frame of its current mandate.
Follow-Up Committees: Finally, to highlight the importance of the last two issues, the Conference established two follow-up committees to report within six months on the progress of the reform of the House of Elders and the issue of environmental degradation and climate change.