Visiting Executive Director of the UN entity dealing with issues related to gender (UN Women), Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, expressed optimism that the country’s ongoing constitutional review process can ensure women are given more opportunities in the Horn of African country.
“We can have an impact on the constitutional review process to make sure (a future constitution) contains language that gives women opportunities in a very specific way, so that girls and women will benefit in the future.”Mlambo-Ngcuka, who is on a three-day to Somalia, said.
Somalia’s constitutional review comes ahead of the federal elections scheduled for 2020. The previous federal elections, in 2016, were held under an indirect suffrage system, which a report from UNSOM, released earlier this month, credited with the formation of a more diverse Parliament: almost a quarter of those elected were women, up from 14 per cent in 2012.
Mlambo-Ngcuka’s visit coincided with the World Humanitarian Day. She took the opportunity to thank humanitarian workers in the country for their sacrifices and their dedication to communities.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been an estimated 74 incidents of violence affecting humanitarian personnel in Somalia, resulting in the deaths of seven workers. A further 18 were abducted, and six are still being held captive.
“We are there with them every step of the way,” Mlambo-Ngcuka said. “(We) call on all of those who work in the humanitarian space to have targeted interventions to ensure that the security of women and girls is addressed and their participation as leaders and not just as victims is also enhanced.”
