Baidoa (6 July 2006) – The Bay region in central Somalia today celebrated the appointment of its new Governor, Mohamoud Mohamed Aden (Barbaar) in Baidoa.
This comes as a result of the joint Transitional Federal Institutions/international community ‘District-based Peace-building and Reconciliation Project’ which has drawn together various opinion leaders such as traditional elders and civil society (political, religious groups, women, young people and intellectuals) to work towards re-establishing representative local administrations. The five districts in the region convened district-level Reconciliation Conferences out of which District Council Commissioners were elected, police chiefs appointed and District Development Councils formed. The Council representatives have now elected a Governor and two deputies for the region.
“This is really a milestone for us in this region, said Governor Aden. “This is a process that consults the people on the kind of administration that they want and that they feel will best address their needs. They know the people who they have selected to represent them in the Council and this has provided a sense of ownership to the people in the region.”
The establishment of the local administrations applies Chapter 4, article 11 of the Transitional Federal Charter for the Somali Republic regarding the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) role in promotion and development of ‘State Governments, Regional and District Administrations subject to the legislation and the guidelines of the Federal Constitutional Commission on the formation of the Transitional Federal Government.’
The project, which is an integral part of the UNDP Governance Programme, is implemented by the TFG, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Centre for Research and Dialogue in Mogadishu under the overall coordination of UNDP with financial assistance from the Government of Italy.
“There is no substitute for representative governance,” said Special Envoy of the Italian government Senator Mario Raffaelli. “We have seen it all over the world. When people feel that they have a stake in the political process, they will participate and work towards the betterment of their communities. The fact that we are witnessing this celebration today is in recognition of that fact.”
The establishment of the Bay Region administrations is now complete and the TFG is considering a rapid expansion of the project to five other regions.
UNDP Resident Representative Dr Eric Laroche added: “It is absolutely critical that we all support these local administrations in the delivery of visible and concrete services to the people they represent. This is an opportunity to consolidate the peace process which in turn sets the ground for job creation and provision of better healthcare and schools. We cannot squander this chance and I request all Somalis in country and in the diaspora, as well as the international community to take these administrations seriously.”
In this context, the UNDP Community-Based Peace Support Project has already held consultations in Baidoa to support the capacity building of the newly-created district administrations and the development of economic opportunities for communities in those areas. During 8-9 July 2006, district committee representatives will be attending their first briefing on their roles and responsibilities. The project complements ongoing assistance provided by ILO, FAO, UNICEF and UN-HABITAT in the region.
Source: UNDP Somalia, July 6, 2006