Mogadishu - The Somali Ministry of Women and Human Rights with the support from the UN has today convened a review meeting to collectively discuss the progress made and challenges encountered in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) in Somalia.

The Declaration was adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. The declaration reaffirmed the fundamental principal that the rights of women and girls are an integral part of universal human rights and calls upon governments to take action to address several critical areas of concern.

This is the first time that Somalia will report on the implementation of the BPfA and the critical areas of concerns to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The Minister of Women and Human Rights Development H.E. Khadija Mohammed Diriye emphasized the commitment of the government to take the lead in addressing issues affecting the Somali women adding that this is an opportunity for the stakeholders representing women organizations to deliberate and discuss the challenges faced during the years of civil war and how best this could be addressed.

“Through this consultation we can come up with the achievements and gaps, challenges and gaps that we could address during the forthcoming meeting of BPfA and how this would uplift the rights of Somali women,” Said the Minister.

Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Fatiha Serour said that the meeting today is an opportunity for Somalia to present the achievement they have made in relation to the Beijing Platform for Action.

The review will give Somali women visibility in order to making sure the next 10-20 years allows them to achieve equality in terms of participation in the political field, contributing to peace, better education and economic empowerment.

Leila Musa, a member of the Somali Women Journalists noted that such dialogue would contribute significantly towards solving the problems the women of Somalia are faced with.
“If we talk about every sector of empowering women and what the problems women have, we can bring solutions and we can get more development and we can feel the difference,” she said.

The consultation agreed upon the account of achievements and gaps, challenges and opportunities per critical area of concern. The outcomes of the consultation will inform the review report which in turn will influence the Somalia’s reconstruction and peace consolidation agenda.

The meeting was attended by over 60 stakeholders from across the Government, Non-Governmental Organizations, women’s groups, Human Rights Organizations and representatives of youth and elders.