Looking towards an electoral process for Somalia and in order to enhance representativeness in Government, the Council of Ministers have set up bodies to deliver the relevant processes.

BRIEFING NOTEonThe Constitutional Conference in Garowe and the Roadmap

21 December 2011

The Reconciliation and Constitutional Conference in Garowe, Puntland, marks another step towards the implementation of the Roadmap for Ending the Transition in Somalia by discussing and agreeing to the constitution-drafting and adoption process.

· The meeting includes President Farole, President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, Speaker Sharif Hassan and Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, Ministers of the Somali Government, representatives of Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a (ASWJ), Galmadug, 3 of the 9 Committee of Experts, some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), UN, IGAD, Economic Commission (EC) and a number of Parliamentarians.

· The development of a constitution for Somalia is central to a wider series of reforms and actions, required to be implemented under the Roadmap. They fall under the four headings of Security; Constitution; Good Governance; and Outreach and Reconciliation.

· The Roadmap was discussed and adopted at a Consultative Meeting in Mogadishu on

6 September 2011. The meeting in Garowe is expected to consider recommendations produced on parliamentary reform, hold discussions on reconciliation initiatives and agree on the next steps for the constitution-making process.

· Currently, many hundreds of pages of feedback on the current draft constitution havebeen received and are being considered by the Independent Federal Constitution Commission (IFCC). Once a final draft is drawn-up (the Roadmap requires) a Constituent Assembly (to) will discuss and adopt the draft constitution. Political reform will take place step-by-step and must bring together all the major political factions in Somalia in order to build lasting peace and stability.

In addition to the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), representatives from the regional administrations of Puntland and Galmadug; the ASWJ; representatives from the business community, the professions, religious leaders, elders, youth and women’s groups have been included in consultations.

· To carry forward the next stages of the constitution-building process the Government

has appointed a nine-member Committee of Experts and the Prime Minister intervened to ensure that it works with the IFCC.

· The Government has appointed a Committee to carry out the process of setting up anIndependent Interim Electoral Commission which would oversee the ConstituentAssembly, which in turn, would eventually adopt the draft constitution.

· Looking towards an electoral process for Somalia and in order to enhance representativeness in Government, the Council of Ministers have set up bodies to deliver the relevant processes.

· Building on the growth of security in Mogadishu, the Somali Police and NationalSomali Security Agency conduct regular patrols and man checkpoints in the city. The National Security and Stabilisation Plan (NSSP) is currently awaiting approval from Parliament.

· The Government has supported the establishment of local peace-building initiatives in Galmudug, Himan and Heeb, Puntland and Gedo.

· In the humanitarian sphere, the Government has established coordination mechanismsto help improve the delivery of aid, including a Coordination Office in the Prime Minister’s Office and a Disaster Management Agency.

· The Council of Ministers have agreed to re-establish the Bureau for the Investigationof Corruption and the Interim Commissioners are currently undergoing vetting processes.

Challenges remain. Deadlines have been missed but work is continuing and gradual progress is being made. There have been difficulties in the areas of national reconciliation, declaration of an Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) and increasing transparency in governance. Delayshave often been due to inadequate capacity, agreement on means of implementation and resources.

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