When the Galkayo district council was established through a selection process among clan elders in August 2009, 6 women were among the 31 selected councillors. While women had been selected as councillors in Puntland previously, this was the first time ever that women were selected by women. The district councillors are responsible for ensuring the delivery of basic services to the local people.

In 2007, Puntland adopted a quota system for district councils, whereby 30 percent of district councillors should be women. UNDP, through the Joint programme on Local Governance and Service Delivery, has supported the Ministry of Women Development and Family Affairs to ensure that the presidential decree establishing this quota was acted upon.

Deeqa Warsame, a Ministry of Women Development and Family Affairs representative in Mudug, remembers the turning point: “It was an emotional scene when the President (the highest authority in the country) and the ministers agreed to the full participation of women in the council selection process. This event heralded a new hope for the people of Galkayo, especially the women.” 

Typically in Puntland, district councils are established through a selection process among the clans. But in Galkayo, the councillors were chosen more for their ability to carry out the work than for their clan affiliation. This was assured through a process where women’s networks went through a Ministry of Women Development and Family Affairs leadership programme and agreed on criteria for good leadership skills. These criteria were used in the selection process.
 
The ministry’s leadership programme included training the women’s networks in leadership roles and holding discussions on what kind of qualifications were required of a leader.

Farhio Yusuf Hersi, a member of the Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Network, echoes the ministry representative’s sentiments: “This is a new dawn for the women of Mudug in particular and the women of Somalia in general, for women to also participate and be selected to the district council. Women were never considered before.”

The Puntland Government now wants to use the same process for future district council selections.

The Joint Programme on Local Governance and Decentralized Service Delivery is a joint effort with UN-HABITAT, UNICEF, UNCDF, ILO and UNDP throughout Somalia. It ensures that communities have access to basic services through local government and that local governments are transparent and accountable, thus contributing to peace and equitable service delivery.

Listen to the interview with Farhiya Yusuf Hirsi (in Somali).

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