As Somaliland moves towards including women more comprehensively in politics, Interpeace local partner, Academy for Peace and Development (APD) ran two fora, one in Burco and one in Borama. With a focus on capacity building, both sessions were broadcast live on Somaliland TV.

The discussions at the fora centered around the obstacles women will face in the upcoming local elections. A key result of these discussions was the formation of a National Advisory Committee. “This outcome is seen as a significant success,” confirms Nuria Abdi, Interpeace Programme Manager for Mainstreaming.

The two fora form part of the strategy to ensure women will be included in the upcoming elections. “Besides systematically encouraging women to run for office, APD plans to conduct training sessions for women in politics in order to help them navigate the political landscape in Somaliland,” explains Nuria. She expands: “There will be additional training on how to conduct a successful election campaign including campaign techniques, fundraising, public speaking, networking, advocacy, negotiation skills and media training.”