Somalia Opens EU-Backed Training to Strengthen Women's Leadership and Policy Advocacy

MOGADISHU (SONNA): The Federal Government of Somalia has opened a three-day training programme aimed at strengthening women's leadership and building their skills in policy advocacy, part of a broader effort to expand women's participation in public decision-making and to anchor gender equality within the country's development and human rights agenda.

The training was officially opened in Mogadishu by the Director of the Women's Development Department at the Ministry of Family and Human Rights Development, Ms. Sadia Mohamed Nor. It is being delivered under the Empowering Women through Investment and Inclusion Networks in Somalia (e-WINS) Project, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the Ministry in partnership with ADRA Somalia.

Running over three days, the programme focuses on developing women's leadership, strengthening evidence-based policy advocacy and promoting inclusive participation in the processes of development and decision-making. Its stated aim is to equip Somali women with the skills to influence policy and to contribute to inclusive governance, social justice and women's economic empowerment.

The opening session drew a broad cross-section of Somali society, reflecting the inclusive design of the initiative. Among those present were a representative of the Office of the Prime Minister, civil society organisations, women and youth representatives, and organisations representing people with disabilities, alongside delegates from other sections of the community.

Addressing participants, Ms. Sadia Mohamed Nor encouraged them to make full use of the training and to apply the knowledge and skills they acquire to the development of their communities, the defence of women's rights and the growth of inclusive leadership across the country. She said the Ministry would continue to advance work on building women's capacities, protecting and upholding human rights, and constructing a Somali society founded on equality, inclusive participation and sustainable development.

The training forms part of a wider agenda that the Ministry of Family and Human Rights Development has pursued on several fronts in recent months. Days earlier, the Minister of Family and Human Rights Development, H.E. Amb. Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi, held a series of bilateral meetings on the margins of a conference on women in Islam in Islamabad, where discussions with counterparts across the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation centred on family development, women's empowerment and the exchange of expertise. The domestic training in Mogadishu carries that same emphasis from the level of regional diplomacy into direct engagement with Somali women and community organisations.

The initiative also intersects with the government's broader investment in human rights institutions. Somalia recently established an Independent Human Rights Commission, a step that has drawn offers of support from partner bodies abroad, and the empowerment of women sits at the core of the mandate such institutions are expected to uphold. Programmes that build women's capacity to advocate within policy processes are intended to reinforce that architecture from the community upward.

For the European Union, the e-WINS Project represents a continuing strand of cooperation with Somalia in the areas of inclusion, investment and social development. Delivered alongside ADRA Somalia and the Ministry, the project channels that partnership into measurable outcomes for Somali women, from leadership training to support for their participation in economic and political life.

The Ministry of Family and Human Rights Development said it remains committed to strengthening women's capabilities, safeguarding human rights, and building a Somali society grounded in equality, inclusive participation and lasting development.