Hiiraan Online

Key note speakers and panel members at the opening of the Conference yesterday.

“The purpose of this conference is to create an umbrella body to represent the Somali people as a whole in the Diaspora,” said Mohamed Sheikh Ali (Diini), Director of New Horizon a youth focused capacity building and Leadership training provider organisation in Somalia.

This idea originally came from a group of Diaspora members living in Somalia in 2013 and a meeting that followed this in Sweden between 17-18th May 2014 made up of small but diverse Diaspora members from all over the world.

The event was addressed by multiple key note speakers from the Diaspora groups, Somali civil society leaders based in Somalia, chair of the Turkish Diaspora organisation, the Somali ambassador to Turkey and the Turkish ambassador to Somalia Dr. Kani Torun. All the speakers acknowledged the important role the Diaspora have played and continue to play in the development of Somalia and the need for this to not only continue but to be recognised by the international community and to be extended further as a development tool.

The Turkish ambassador to Somalia His Excellency Dr. Kani Torun stated that the Turkish nation, like that of Somalia today, is indebted to its Diaspora for working hard to build it and sustain its success. He made it clear that he himself has witnessed the positive impact the Somali Diaspora have had on Mogadishu as one of the first ambassadors to live in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

“If there is one group that has kept Somalia afloat it is their Diaspora,” said the ambassador.

Dr. Kani Torun spoke of the special relationship between the Somali and Turkish people which he anticipated would only strengthen with their ongoing cooperation and mutual respect for each other.  The ambassador made it clear that Turkey’s commitment to Somalia is long term and that, as the best aid is trade, his nation has and is actively encouraging their companies and citizens to directly invest in Somalia like many of the Somali Diaspora have already. 

Dr. Maryam Qasim, the former Minister for Social Services in Somalia in her address to the audience spoke of the vital contribution of the Somali Diaspora, especially the women, to their home nation but argued that not all the Diaspora have had good intentions in the past as it was some within them who facilitated the violence and State collapse with their negative actions.

“We invested our efforts and wealth to destroy Somalia but now it seems as though we are turning a corner,” said Dr. Maryam Qasim. The former Minister continued on to challenge the Diaspora to recognise and accept that the impact of poverty brought about by the civil war in Somalia had greatly impacted on the country and its people still living there. She urged the Somali Diaspora to not only invest for their own private gains but to invest in the social programmes  such as education and health which can lift all disadvantaged Somalis living in different communities across the country out of poverty.

The gap in wealth and understanding that Dr. Maryam Qasim spoke passionately of between the Somali Diaspora and the non Diaspora Somalis was highlighted by a presentation of the findings of a recent research carried out by the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies Think Tank in Mogadishu by its author Maimuna Mohamud, a researcher there. Maimuna argued that while the Diaspora were returning in larger numbers and becoming more visible in Somalia, tensions between them and the non Diasporas still existed due to perceptions of a sense of superiority among the Diaspora and the employment advantages they have over locals due to their inherent advantages as a result of living abroad. Maimuna concluded that this disconnect between the two groups who must work with each other for the development of Somalia was a concern that needed to be addressed urgently by both government and other stakeholders.

The Diaspora organisations and individuals at the meeting were split into three groups after the speeches to debate and formulate the international Diaspora organisations name, make up, governance and core values. After this all 3 groups reported their ideas and suggestions back to the rest of the group. Eventually a motion to adopt the resolutions was unanimously voted on by all.

The Diaspora delegates of the conference who actively participated were grateful that they were part of something that could steer Somalia and its people both at home and abroad in the right direction.

“The Somali Diaspora are a great human capital lacked by our home nation. They are disintegrated now but with unity can aid their home nation in achieving peace, security and prosperity,” said Abdinasir Bashir Ahmed an activist from South Africa.

“We have always known that the Diaspora are crucial to Somalia’s development and in this conference we want to action this positively for the benefit of ourselves in the Diaspora and our people at home,”  added Mohammed Cantoobo, chairman of the UK based awareness raising and advocacy organisation Act For Somalia.

At the end of the conference it was announced that 12 selected members of the Somali Diaspora delegates were to meet with the Prime Minister of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan somewhere in Istanbul to discuss the issue of Somali Diaspora contributions to their home nation and to promote the international conference of which they are all apart of. Further, many saw it as an opportunity to thank the Turkish government and its leader Mr. Erdogan who himself has been a great advocate and friend of Somalia and its people.

The conference was not just about talks but celebrating Somali culture and its strong relationship with the conference’s host nation Turkey. This was done through music performed by Ahmed Naaji Saad and Somali students studying in various Turkish academic institutions.

The conference will resumes today for its second and last phase.

HOL English News Desk