A second consultative workshop bringing together key stakeholders to discuss the role of the Boundaries and Federalism Commission (BFC) was held on February 9 in the Somali capital, and participants urged Somalis to work together to find a federal model that suits the needs of the country.

The workshop is part of a series of initiatives that seeks the opinions of stakeholders and leaders on the Commission’s role in the federalism process and promotes cooperation with other actors engaged in the formation of federal member states.

The Chairman of the Commission, Khalif Abdikarim Mohamed, said the workshops were important in helping Somalis to understand the federal system and develop collectively key priorities to be addressed by BFC in its work. “The outcome of this BFC consultation should come from the public,” said the chairman. “Their recommendations will be executed in order to create boundaries for the federal states and [criteria] for federal member states in Somalia.”

David Akopyan, Deputy Country Director of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), stressed there is no single model that addresses the needs of all countries and encouraged the workshop participants to devise a federal system that is appropriate for Somalia’s unique circumstances.

By way of illustration, Mr. Akopyan noted that the federal ministry of education should establish nationwide standards for textbooks, but the management of an individual school should be handled at a local level.

Shakti Sinha, a UNDP expert on federalism issues in Somalia, said there is a need for the BFC to develop synergies and clarity of purpose on federalism issues through an inclusive process that is people-driven.

The workshop was attended by BFC Commissioners, top officials from various Federal Government ministries, development partners, academics drawn from a number of Somali universities, and representatives of civil society.

The series of workshops was organized by the Ministry of Interior and Federal Affairs with the support of the UNDP’s Somalia office and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia.

The Boundaries and Federalism Commission was established in July 2015 to help the country devise a suitable federal model.