Somalia Opens Stakeholder Consultation on Accession to CEDAW

Mogadishu, (SONNA) – The Acting Minister of Family and Human Rights Development and State Minister, H.E. Mohamed Osman Omar, officially opened a stakeholder consultation meeting in Mogadishu on Somalia’s potential accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

In his opening remarks, the State Minister emphasized the importance of promoting gender equality, protecting women’s rights and strengthening the role of government institutions and various sectors of society in addressing all forms of discrimination against women.

He said the meeting, organized by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) in collaboration with UN Women, provides an important opportunity to improve public understanding of the CEDAW Convention, discuss the process of Somalia’s potential accession and develop practical recommendations to guide the way forward.

The State Minister stressed that the consultation should be grounded in Somalia’s Constitution while fully taking into account the country’s religion, culture and social circumstances. He called for the participation of government institutions, Parliament, the judiciary, women’s organizations, civil society, religious scholars, traditional elders, the media and youth in the discussions.

He also underscored the importance of women’s participation and leadership throughout the consultation and decision-making processes.

The State Minister commended NUSOJ for organizing the meeting and thanked UN Women for its support in facilitating the consultation.

He formally opened the meeting and wished participants productive discussions that would generate practical recommendations.