united nations development program psp in somalia

V o l u m e 0 4 - 2 0 1 6 D a t e : A p r i l 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

NFP MPs attended IPU Global Confer-ence of Young Parliamentarians Zambia.

Opening of the 8th Session of the Somali Federal Parliament.

Legislative Agenda for the 8th Session of the NFP.

NFP Delegation Participated in Global Conference on Sustainability, Energy and Development.

House Rules of Procedure Training to NFP staff Conducted in Mogadishu.

High-Speed Internet Installed For Juba-land Parliament.

Upgrading of Puntland HoR Security Pa-rameter Completed.

Training on Principles of Democracy & Democratic Society held for SWS Assem-bly in Baidoa.

SWSA Needs Assessment Conducted.

Training Needs Assessment Conducted for Jubbaland MPs.

Project Receives Additional Funding from Norway, Sweden and UNDP/TRAC.

National Legal Officer Recruited.

2016 Project Retreat in Nairobi / Kenya.

Follow us: www.so.undp.org

Dear Reader, During the past month the project concentrated its work on support to the

three new parliaments. Project staff conducted needs assessments for the

assemblies in Jubaland, Galmudug and South-West State. These assess-

ments shall provide the necessary information for an evidence-based deci-

sion on technical assistance and support for 2016 and beyond. Reports,

once completed, will be shared with all interested stakeholders.

During the past weeks the construction work on the security parameters for

the parliaments in Puntland and Somaliland has been completed making

both parliaments a much safer place for MPs and staff.

The UNDP Parliamentary Support Project (PSP) provides support to the NFP, and the Parliaments of

Puntland and Somaliland in order to capacitate them to operate as inclusive, transparent and effec-

tive law-making, oversight and representative bodies. The project provides technical assistance to

1. enact quality legislation and to maintain effective oversight over the government

2. establish effective institutions, with a functioning administration and infrastructure

3. empower MPs to represent and remain accountable to the people and to provide leadership

The Project is supported by the European Union, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and UNDP.

The total budget for 2013-2016 is 11.7 million USD.

Young both conducting a jumping competition at Lido Beach - Mogadishu UPCOMING EVENTS

United Nations Development Program

in Somalia

PARLIAMENTARY SUPPORT PROJECT

PSP N

EWSLETTER

INSIDE THIS EDITION

NFP Training On Reporting.

SWSA: Second Induction Workshop .

PL VTC Installation.

Project Board Meeting (May 2016).

Completion of Needs Assessment Re-ports.

Training workshop Baidoa.

SL Guurti: Strategic Plan Preparation

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The 8th session of the National Fed-

eral Parliament of Somalia which will be the last session of this legislature started on

April 11th.

Several priority bills are included in the agenda for this session such as:

Law establishing the Human Rights Commission.

Law establishing the Constitu-

tional Court.

Counter Terrorism bill.

Law on Political Parties & Multi-Party System.

Petroleum bill.

Law on Retirement Benefits of the Political Leadership of Fed-

eral Government and Parliament of Somalia.

Telecommunications bill.

Review and amendment to the Border & Federal Commission Law.

Bill on the review of the Provi-sional Constitution.

NFP MPs attended IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Zambia PSP

Two (2) Youth Caucus represent-

atives had the opportunity to en-

gage with parliaments and parlia-

mentarians of other countries in the

IPU Global Conference of Young

Parliamentarians, held in Zambia

between 16th 25th March 2016.

The conference functioned as a

forum for dialogue and parliamen-

tary diplomacy of legislator’s world-

wide and provided a unique plat-

form for familiarizing with political

opinions and trends around the

world and to share experiences.

The agenda included a dedicated

day for a Forum of Young Parlia-

mentarians whereby they discussed

their input to the Assembly: Rejuve-

nating democracy, giving a voice to

youth. Perspectives of young parlia-

mentarians on draft resolutions for

prevention of terrorism and preser-

vation of cultural heritage were also

discussed in this forum.

MPs will share the acquired

knowledge with their fellow MPs.

The participation in the conference

has been funded by the UNDP Par-

liamentary Support Project.

The Federal Parliament of Somalia commenced its 8

th Session on 11

April 2016. In his speech President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud the President congratulated the Speaker and Members of Parliament for the good work they have done during

the past four years. He stressed that there is a lot of work ahead this year and elections are one of them. Pres-ident Hassan said, “As we all recog-nized that one-person-one-vote elections will not be possible this year, there are other methods of

arrangements and indirect elections. He assured the MPs that all issues regarding the elections will be sub-mitted to parliament for legitimacy.

His Excellency also emphasized the exertion and legitimacy done with agreement forward by preserving the current procedures of the nation-al institutions.

The President pointed out that the 9th House of Somalia is the best compared to previous parliamentary sessions of the country experienced during the process of national recon-struction in Somalia started in the 2000s. The Rt. Hon. Speaker of the House of the People Mr. Moham-mad Sh. Osman Jawari in his speech focused on achievements of the Parliament and the tasks ahead.

The Speaker emphasized the need to prepare for elections in 2016, to go ahead with the constitutional re-view process, institution building and the strengthening the judicial ser-vice.

PARLIAMENTARY SUPPORT PROJECT 2

Opening of the 8th Session of the Somali Federal Parliament


The UNDP Parliamentary Support Project is supported by the European Union, Norway, Sweden (Sida), the United Kingdom (DFID), and UNDP , and is managed by

the United Nations Development Programme in Somalia.

Legislative Agenda for the 8th Session of the NFP

President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud During his Speech


UNDP provided three days of train-ings on the House Rules of Proce-dure to two separate groups of staff members of the National Federal Parliament. The first group was comprised of Committee staff. The second group was comprised of the leadership office and departmental Staff. The following offices and departments were represented: Speaker’s office, Chief Whip, Secre-tary General, Plenary, Public Out-reach, Public Relations/Media and Procurement/Logistics.

The objective of the trainings was to work with the staff to give them an improved understanding of the Rules of Procedure. The training began with an overview of the general prin-ciples of Parliamentary Law and the structure of the House Rules. Particular attention was paid to the Constitutional underpinnings of many of the Rules.

Over the three days, in-depth train-ing was provided on the following overarching topics: Organization of the House - Participants discussed the Organization of the House in-cluding the election of the leadership (Speaker, Deputy Speakers, Chief Whip and Deputy Whips) and exam-ined the duties of those officers.

The management of the House was also a topic of study as participants gained an understanding of the com-position and the role of the Standing Committee in the House. Members' rights, responsibilities, privileges and

immunities were discussed and the

reasons why Constitutions in most

countries grant Parliaments (and the MPs) immunity. Great attention was paid to the proceedings in the Plena-ry - how the agenda is established, the order of business, quorum re-quirements, debate and points of order. The role of the Plenary in debating and draft laws was covered as well as the process of amend-ment of draft laws through the three readings required by the Rules of Procedure.

Finally, the establishment, organiza-tion, authorities and functions of the Committees were examined, includ-

ing the specific authorization for

Committees to engage in public

hearings and consultations.

Committee meetings and the re-quirements outlined in the Rules

of Procedure were looked at as was the process that Committees are to use when amending and reporting draft laws back to the Plenary.

Areas of the Rules of Procedure still to be covered in future trainings in-clude the election and impeachment of the President, House and Com-mittee relations with the Government including votes of confidence, inter-pellations and questions.

Training Participants with the Consultant

NFP Delegation Participated in Global Conference on Sustainability, Energy and Development PSP

1st Deputy Speaker and Secretary

General of the National Federal

Parliament participated in an Inter-

national Parliamentary Conference

on Sustainability from 14th -17

th of

March 2016, in London.

The Representatives of the National

Federal Parliament considered this

conference as an eye opener in

terms of the critical role parliamen-

tarians need to play in shaping and

monitoring Sustainable Develop-

ment Goals related to energy and

sustainability, including oversight of

the executive performance and ex-

penditure for this area.

Topics also included funding of sus-

tainable development, climate

change related finance, presenta-

tions on the vital issue of access to

reliable data and statistics.

The panel of high level speakers

was composed of representatives

from the UK’s Independent Climate

Change Committee, European Bank

for Reconstruction and

Development, Caribbean Develop-

ment Bank, UNDP and UNEP,

amongst others. UNDP supported

the participation of the NFP delega-

tion both logistically and financially.

House Rules of Procedure Training to NFP staff Conducted in Mogadishu




In order to improve the security of the parliaments the project has con-tracted local construction firms to upgrade the security infrastructure of the Puntland Parliament premises and the Somaliland Parliament

based on assessments conducted in December 2014.

The construction work commenced in December 2015 and for both par-liaments has been completed in March 2016. The total costs for

both constructions together is ap-proximately 150,000 USD.

Considering the security situation in Garowe and Hargeisa the upgrading of the security parameter became a necessary investment in order to ensure that both MPs as well as the parliamentary staff of both institu-tions can work in a safe environ-ment.


UNDP Parliamentary Support

Project has procured and installed

high-speed internet for the Parlia-

ment of Jubaland offices in Kismayo,

thereby addressing one of the key

operational requirements of the Par-

liament.

The leadership, staff, and MPs of the

Jubaland State Assembly indicated

their need for reliable internet. The

MPs said that the internet would

ease their day to day work both

when in session and during the re-

cess period in order to meaningfully

represent the needs of their constitu-

encies.

The improved communication facility

will allow internet research on bills

and policies and will help to conduct

oversight over the executive.

Internet will ensure that the mem-

bers of the Secretariat will be able to

communicate efficiently with staff,

MPs and other stakeholders. The

new internet will provide the MPs

and staff with access to real-time

information and enables them to

search and find latest updates on

matters and issues that affects their

districts.

Importantly, this new support will

create linkages between the parlia-

ment, the media, and citizens and

will provide them access to more

information about the activities of the

executive branch. Secretariat Browsing UNDP Web P

Upgrading of Puntland HoR Security Parameter Completed

High-Speed Internet Installed For Jubaland Parliament PSP




Watchtowers reinforce the Puntland HoR Security Parameter

Ballistic Wall protecting the Somali-

land Parliament


Training on Principles of Democracy & Democratic Society held for SWS Assembly in Baidoa PSP

Based on a request coming from the recently formed South-West State Assembly UNDP together with UN-SOM arranged a first initial work shop for a group of 30 MPs.

The three-day workshop jointly con-ducted by project staff and staff from the UNSOM office in Baidao provid-ed SWS MPs with basic information on Principles of Democracy and Democratic Society which aimed at introducing the recently selected MPs to the principles and core ele-ments of democracy and parliamen-tary.

The training-workshop, which was held at UNSOM compound 20 to 23 of March was the first one of a se-ries of in-house training workshops that UNDP is planning to implement in Baidoa in the next several weeks in order to reach all 149 MPs.

The workshop among others ad-dressed issues such as democracy & the Quran, functions of parliament, human rights and principles of democracy. As a result, participants have now an improved

understanding of their role as parliamentarians in a democratic society.

Sout-West State Assembly: Needs Assessment Conducted

From 20 to 23 March, a small team from the Parliamentary Support Project conducted an extensive needs assessment of the South West State Assembly. The assess-ment consists of two distinct parts, one is the Organisational Assess-ment examining the physical and

human resources while the MP Needs Assessment looked specifi-cally at the background, interests, and needs of the MPs in order for them to be effective lawmakers. Upon completion of the data analy-sis, a short report will be prepared which will be shared first with the

Speaker. Once his feedback is in-corporated the report will serve as the basis for the strategic inter-ventions which UNDP will make based on the Annual Work Plan for 2016. This report will be shared with donors and other stakeholders by the end of April.

Training Participant with The Speaker and UNDP/UNSOM Project Staff

Training Needs Assessment Conducted for Jubbaland MPs

UNDP Parliamentary Support Pro-ject (PSP) provides a broad range of technical assistance to all Somali parliaments. Training and capacity building activity is a key component of the Project’s supports to the par-liaments as it is a way to ensure that MPs have the right knowledge and skills to be able to do their work effectively and competently.

Training activities are effective when they are tailored to the needs of the MPs. In this regard, PSP conducted a training needs assessment for Jubbaland State Assembly MPs on 11-14 of April 2016. The purpose of the assessment is to identify the gap between current and desired knowledge, skills and abili-ties of the MPs. The result of the

assessment will help PSP to develop appropriate training programs for the MPs and to focus project’s resources to capacity-building programs where most needed. Data collected through the assess-ment will also provide a baseline against which the impact of PSP as-sistances may later be evaluated.





The Parliamentary Project and Con-stitutional Support Project held a project retreat from 7-8 April in Nai-robi, Kenya to discuss important issues and to build team spirit among the project team. The retreat followed the UNDP Somalia Retreat 2016 held in Naivasha, Kenya from 4-6 April 2016.

The objective of the retreat was to enhance team work and team spirit among staff to work towards com-mon goals and to increase commu-nication and cooperation between units. A number of specific issues were discussed, follow-up action agreed and their operationalization laid out. The discussion of the first

session focused on organizational behavior, effective communication and team building, i.e., establishing team-oriented culture and what "effective leadership" entails - is it a title or is it a behavior?

The second session addressed is-sues related to planning and imple-mentation, i.e., how do we plan; with whom do we plan; how we cooper-ate with our partners in developing and implementing projects; result oriented approach to project imple-mentation. The third session ad-dressed issues relating to business processes and efficiency in the of-fice, i.e., how we can improve the management of our operational pro-cesses; how can we simplify our work-processes to reduce labor in-tensity and improve clarity? How can we better streamline and accel-erate our work-processes?

The last session focused on office structure & staff development, in-cluding roles & responsibilities of each unit. Discussion included: how can we improve the cooperation and communication between different units? How can we develop and decide specific standards for the different services the units provide to each other? How can we improve the communication between the offices in different geographical lo-cations?

Project Receives Additional Funding from Norway, Sweden and UNDP/TRAC PSP

Project Staff With The Country Director

During the last PSG 1 meeting Nor-way and Sweden agreed to provide an additional 1.2 million USD to the Parliamentary Support Project.

Furthermore UNDP decided to re-lease an additional 0.5 million USD for the project from its TRAC funds. Based on the additional funds the

project in cooperation with the parlia-ments will elaborate a 2016 AWP. The project wants to thank all its do-nors for these contributions.

PARLIAMENTARY SUPPORT PROJECT (PSP)

Contact:

Mr. Nabil Youssouf Abdi Reporting & Communication Officer Cell Phone : +252 619 33 9060

EMAIL: [email protected] : +252 699 39 0111

Mogadishu Somalia

2016 Project Retreat in Nairobi / Kenya

National Legal Officer Recruited

PSP in March recruited one more

national staff member Mr. Dahir

Mahmoud, as a National Legal

Officer.

Mr. Dahir has more than 20 years of

experience with both the continental

and the common law system. In

previous assignments

he worked as legal advisor in com-

munity legal clinics proving support

re access to justice for marginalized

groups.

united nations development program psp in somalia

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