On Thursday 8 February 2024 the disabled people members made a press statement for disability rights inclusion in Somalia.  Three meetings were organized in two weeks is discuss the national disability act draft bill in the federal government parament for the second reading in the last week.  The National Disability Agency mandate expires in June 2024. The CRPD Convention Right Persons with a disability is ratified in 2019 has not been implemented in Somalia.

The Members of the PWDs and DPOs participated in the meeting and discussed the three aforementioned issues that need solutions and improvement in Somalia for disability inclusion. The members participating in the meeting have presented their concerns about the corruption of the NDA and the lack of progress in the disability legislation in Somalia.  This worsens the disclinations against the disabled people in Somalia for the public and private sectors and services an important work that all people are entitled to enjoy equally regardless of gender, ethnicity, and disability.

The Members of the PWDs and DPOs who participated in the meeting in Mogadishu raised doubt there is stakeholders for the disability issue in Somalia that consist of donors, government institutions, and individuals who work the coordination of the disability inclusion programs with minimal participation of the PWDs in the beneficiary and zero coloration with DPOs the actors on the ground.

The Members of the PWDs and DPOs raised several points to be considered as a national priority for the disability people. Equality in the society, free barriers and participation of the society and policy in Somalia. A fundamental right of every citizen of Somali. They made a press statement in Mogadishu called action to the disability exclusion and injustice in Somalia.

The Members of the PWDs and DPOs are estimated to be nearly 15% of society according to the WHO international disability census.  Nearly 3.5 million people are without census and participation in their nations. The long-lasting traditional practices in Somalia worsen the situation. I idea that disability is not valuable who deserve nothing at all. Or evil reaction on the people suffering some form of impairment for his/her life in the short time and the longer term.

Members of the PWDs and DPOs made press statements in Mogadishu

1. The federal government in Somali should look at the situation of the PWDs and DPOs. The establishment meeting with key decision-making organs in Somali.
2.  review back and amend the national disability act draft bill in the parliament. Specifically, articles that may discuss exclusion and problems to the PWDs and DPOs and input for supportive ideas or articles for disability protection and inclusion in Somalia.
3. The PWDs and Members of the DPOs call to the local and international the use of disability people rather than people with special needs. A mysterious sentence and words they have denounced to be nationalized in the country.
4. The mandate of the NDA national disability agency expires next month, the Members of the PWDs and DPOs demanded accountability of budgets, work, and implementation for their duties in the last four years of the mandate.  They warned about undisclosed work for extension and manipulation of the PWDs and DPOs decision-making tables for their autonomy the PWDs and DPOs

The participants of the meeting

1. Members from the Somali National Disability Council CSOs organization based in the Country
2. The Somali disability inclusion cluster CSOs union that works the coordination of disability inclusion programs and processes in Somalia
3. The members from the PWDs the students, youth, females, and gentlemen who worked the disability inclusion
4. The directors of the schools, organizations, and institutions of disabled people in Somalia

Zero telomerase for the corrupt disability inclusion in Somalia

Zero tolerance is the exclusion of the partnership between the PWDs in the donors

Nothing about us, without us.

On Thursday 27 July 2023 the federal government Somalia cabinet weekly official conference held in Mogadishu passed several draft bill   including the Somalia national disability drat bill passed by  today with vote of the cabinet members. The national disability act is main legislation in Somalia that could support the PWDs in Somalia get more rights in the social and policy in the country.

The draft bill will passed to day will be send to the 11 parliament of Somalia the house of the people that will be handed to the committee human rights in the HoP and go three reading in the house.  After the draft bill will go the upper house parliament Somalia  with similar process three reading including public hear for the civil society mainly the PWDs the target of the laws.

Somalia is working  the implementation of the an obligations  in the CRPD  and commitments made in the GDS one 2018 in UK London and GDS two Norway Oslo where commitment made including the fulfillment of the requirement for the protection of the disabled people rights in Somalia. These commitment of changes and change of changes made in the last years.

The national disability act will be prime law for the disability people in Somalia with an estimated of the 15% in the society roughly 3 million people with our role and rights in the society. This law will make clear the overall and specific rights of the people with disabilities in Somalia.

Somalia signed and joined the CRPD member state the year august 2019 a country that has not summited the initial report expected to submit with the first two years  August 2021 and complimentary report with four years the august 2023.  This is violation of an international convention which one of the top convention in the United nations serving more than 1 billion people in the world which has watch dong team and  the ad hoc committee for the CRPD.

Somalia  federal government 11 parliament passed national disability Agency  legislation to build the committee and the structure of the agency on 31 December  2018 where HH President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo made degree that allows the leaders, scholars and activist from the PWDs and DPOs would be consulted and presidential nomination for the council has not been presented public.

Somali  is making progress for the disability inclusion where the government has made the participation of the PWDs in the program beneficiaries and the donors has made  inclusion the humanitarian and development program. This has captures in the report circulated online and presentation made yearly in the budget dashboard.  

The PWDs suffer highest unemployment in the country, highest education recruitment and DPOs are mostly excluded from the partnership which violation of the CRPD and donor countries commitment for the disability inclusion in Somalia.  The hope for the PWDs is to engage with legislation public hearing for the disability act to make more strong with articles that serve the protection of the PWDs rights and promote the participation of public and private opportunities.  Somalia is a country that no national disability census, strategic plane, development policy and quota for the participation of the public and private opportunities. 

On 30 June 2022  workshop  training the CRPD is held in the IDP camps for the disability. The workshop is organised by Somali disability network. The workshop is benefited the people in three IDP camps located Afgoye road corridor. The workshop is participated 40 persons most of them females from female house hold in the camps.

This is part of the SDN strategic plan to empower the PWDs and member of the families. The workshop is participated member PWDs,  DPOs, Camp heads, Merchant people in the area and Quran school teachers who all come from divert background in the area.

the CRPD Article 5  free from discriminations, art 6,7 women and children  should full rights in the society,  article 8,9,10 awareness, accessibility and right life. Art 11,12, and 13 protection  of risk, access humanitarian aid, access to justice. article 14 to 23  freedom expression. Liberty and independent life. Art 24 to 30  access basic life the education, health, employment, recreation, public and cultural role.  Art 31 to 39 statistic, implementation convention, reporting, establishment committee and monitoring.  All 50 articles of the convention are important for the protection PWDs and DPOs. But these articles are key that work best for the improvement of the social, human rights,  participation of  social, cluster and policy. As well as reporting and implementations.

All these an advantage for the PWDs and DPOs. Without information and knowledge of CRPD and disability act can make subjective to voiceless suffering human right violations.  We made this training workshop the empowerment of the community to be activist working in the villages. Special some of you can be CRPD ambassador who can make outreach and protection in their villages and places of work.

The head of the camp Axmed Mohamed told the participants to take the lessons and implement in the society in their homes and village. He added I thank to the team who did the work  are very good for the explanations of the book. We hope more other training the people are more than

On 26 may 2022 electoral observation and human rights protect training workshop for the SCOs the civil society organizations is concluded in Mogadishu. The workshop   is strengthen the capacity of the SCOs clusters in Somalia for the  coordination  of electoral work  in the country.  this  program has trained 40 persons both male and female including  the disability people.

The workshop was implemented jointly by  the Disabled People Inclusion cluster and Human right Cluster with the support from the UNSOM HRPG office. The objective of the  workshop is    to fill in the gap for some SCOs. To be  active engagement in the Somali electoral process,  both parliamentary and presidential. The   two main elections  that is common in Somalia a  country that has under gone,  decades of wars and unrest that made very difficult  civilian rights and role to vote for the leadership they want.

The workshop plan was 20 person participant for each session from the date 25 and 26 May 2022. The participants who came from the SCOs clusters learned  education for election procedures in the country. The participants gained skills for electoral principles and  requirement for organizing, implementation and observation  pre and post-election.

The facilitators  made interactive engagements,    that feed the trainees  respected role in the sessions. With extended  contributions for the lessons, the process  and guide workshop and group work role made that made three different topics and discussions presented members in the participants.  . the workshop made deeper explanation of  all cycles of the election.  And harmonize national elections which has long lasted problems and obstacles against democratic election to happen in the country.

Mogadishu, Monday, November 22, 2021:The Federation of Somali Journalists (FESOJ), Somalia Disability Cluster and Human Rights Cluster have today, November 22, 2021, concluded two – day face-to-face panel discussion meeting on inclusive safety for all journalists and human rights defenders during the election held at Sahafi Hotel in Mogadishu.

The meeting focused on how to ensure the safety and protection of journalists and human rights defenders during the election coverage in Somalia.

The two-day panel discussion event has been participated by twenty members from the Ministry of Information, Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development, Judiciary, and Parliament. The participants were divided into two groups of ten persons. The first group took part on the first day, while the second group attended the next day.

The discussion has focused on how the Somali government’s agreements on human rights can be applied to protect journalists and human rights advocates as part of Somalia’s election monitoring and reporting.

During the meeting, members from FESOJ, Somalia Disability Cluster and Human Rights Cluster has made presentations detailing the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) relating to the human rights treaties to which Somalia is a party and the recommendations on the safety of journalists and human rights defenders.

Furthermore, Khalid Ma’aw, Somali MP and Ahmed Abdi Omar, Director of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Women have provided valuable suggestions on how the journalists and the human rights defenders can achieve safety in considering the human rights treaties that Somalia has signed.

The twenty persons participating in the two–day panel discussion meeting have discussed the current situation of the Human Rights defenders and the safety of the journalists, in particular how to ensure their safety during the election coverage.

The two–day panel discussion meeting held from 21st to 22 November 2021 was organized and conducted by FESOJ, Somalia Disability Cluster and the Human Rights Defenders Cluster with the support of UNSOM Human Rights Protection Group (HRPG) has discussed the significant roles of the media and human rights defenders during the elections.

In conclusion, the panel discussions meeting was also a platform raising the key questions relating to how the journalists and the human rights defenders could ensure to achieve conducting elections that are free and fair in a safe and conducive environment.

 

On Monday, November 8, 2021, members of the PWDs Persons with Disabilities and DPOs Disabled People Organizations representatives participated   one-day training workshop in Mogadishu training   civil society can engage  effectively  peace building and social cohesion .

 A total of 60 people attended the workshop, with 33 Male Persons  and 27 Female Persons. The workshop participants learnt how to develop community social cohesiveness and foster peace. Participants obtained knowledge and skills that will benefit their organizations and beneficiaries.

Peace building and social cohesion training are critical for disability groups that seek to empower and advocate for persons with disabilities.

The disabled persons voiced their  concern about the country’s organized and unorganized conflicts, which might affect them in a variety of ways, including limiting their mobility while escaping the wars and fighting in the adjacent places and the displacement caused the conflicts.

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On Thursday 30 September 2021 the ninth SDC monthly meeting is held in Mogadishu . the  meeting is participated member from the cluster who made inter active discussion in the agenda on the table. The agenda was overall situation of the PWDs and DPOs 

Agenda

1. The impact of the covid19
2. The impact of the disasters  PWDs
3.  The status of the CRPD implementation 
4.  Strengthen  the Capacity of the DPOs in Somalia 
5. Fund Raising for the PWDs and DPOs support programs

PWDs are estimated more than 20% in the population near 2.5 million persons with role in the social and policy the decision making as well as the legislation.  This made them vulnerable people without voice in the public.  Majority of them live below  poverty line. Lack of social protection is major source the gap of the disability in the society from the economic, education and employment

The work of the DPOs on the ground is  increasing  active operation in  many parts of the country. primarily Mogadishu the capital  city  of Somalia  is the revolution of the disability advocacy started on the ground awareness for the PWDs realise their role in the society which took decades to stand up and visible on the table.

Alone in Mogadishu there are over 45 DPOs and 3 networks operating the coordination of the PWDs work in the country. started to lobby empowerment the PWDs in the society. And advocacy establishment national legislation and  the ratification of the international conventions  the CRPD and other protocols which are  important the protection of the disabled people protection I Somalia.

Furthermore,  the active work in the federal states of the PWDs is in growing process where there is large number of DPOs based regions. These DPOs work in the areas of base for the humanitarian and development.  The major achievement made  ratification of the CRPD in Somalia came from the campaign from the disability people and their organizations.

3.1. The covid19 treat to  the disabled people increase more day to day where they suffer  Lack of support and protection is risk to the PWDs. most of these people did not get PPE. Many of these people shelter in camps and slum villages where they do not receive humanitarian aid equal to the other people.  The members in the meeting raised painful problems the WPDs feel from the covid19 in the country. the IDP camps  who are more vulnerable unable to buy the protection materials for the pandemic, where they can get test and vaccine easily. Members in the meeting participants expressed their concern for the situation and the law awareness of the PWDs

3.2 The CRPD the members participating the meeting presented their appreciation Somali to be member state of the CRPD and ratified 2019 more than two years. Somalia should start initial report for the CRPD which has not processed so far. The ministry of the women and human rights should stand good place for the issue. And the international community should monitor the status of the CRPD in Somalia with cooperation the stakeholders the civil society, DPOs and government. There has not been implementation campaign for the convention where the stakeholder made deliberate negligence to the protocol articles.  Both the civil society, international donors and the government made violation some of the article of the convention. 

3.3. The Disasters  risk   to the PWDs is highlighted where  rains, floods, droughts and armed conflict left painful impact to the PWDs and members of their families. The rains make risk most of the PWDs in urban and non-urban areas , people are very vulnerable to die or drown the water.  Lack of risk protection and prevention  the PWDs is key problem that has not addressed so far. Huge program made in the country were not planed as inclusive for all.  Like the risk protection awareness campaigns made that had no informative supporting the PWDs learn more the protection and privations.

3.4. Strengthen DPOs Capacity in Somalia is an important work for the overall situation of the disability improvements. The DPOs are key driver who can contribute the work on the ground. They are based many areas in the country. they can serve as lesion  working with donors through partnership implementing  program and project  in the country . humanitarian, human rights and development project supporting  hundreds beneficiaries  who are based areas without interventions and situations that denied by the actors on the ground.  DPOs have greater experiences and knowledge the serving the PWDs.

Many DPOs need capacity building training and equipment that could help them reach the donors table.  Mainly organizational management, program management and fundraising are problem to some DPOs.  So far there has not been program addressing the gape of the DPOs for the technical skills and office equipment.   Except some organization like save children who supported some DPOs from the office equipment’s and trainings. This is very little that could not held the out of the gap.  There are hundreds programs with huge equipment damped every year. These program are in variety regions where they can support dumping the program and project equipment the office equipment, computers and vehicles  as tool for the DPOs

3.5 Fundraising DPOs is the most important challenges  that stand in front of many  DPOs based in variety regions. Extensive training for the fundraising is important. DPOs   suffer discrimination  partnership  the programs of the  civil society, donors and government organs.  DPOs are dealt with charity models where some partners support indirect. Not accessing partnership and contract. Lack of inclusive plans and program make the DPOs left alone.  This make the situation of the PWDs appalling and ordeal.  The donors and government organs should realise the partnership of the DPOs may lead progress to insure the activates to be inclusive for all.  In the humanitarian DPOs work inside the PWDs and have more accessibility that could reach many people in the right time and  right target

Recommendations

1. The establishment of the PWDs Tusk for Covid19 prevention
2. The establishment of the Tusk force monitoring CRPD in Somalia
3. Insure inclusive fro all covid19 protection and support program
4. Insure inclusive for all  partnership in the donors and government support programs
5. Insure the implementation  of the CRPD in the country in the country

participants

1. SAFDI  Somalia Association Female Disability
2. IEDP Institute of Education for Disabled People
3. UDHAN Somalia Visual Impaired youth
4. Disabled Team From the Martini Hospital
5.  Somali Disability Cluster
6. SDN Somalia Disability Network
7. National Disability Council

new members from local universities in the country joined SDC staff. these young student in the social study from different universities who are taking internship in the office and the field. these team are both bale and female young student near graduate for their last academic year 2021.