Customized Gender Equality and Elections

NIMD Hosts Workshop to Enhance Women’s Political Participation in Somaliland

The Netherland Institute for Democracy with funding from Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office ( FCDO) hosted a four-days Gender and Elections Workshop in Hargeisa to enhance the capacity of women representatives from political parties and civil society organisations. The workshop enhanced the women with skills and knowledge necessary to improve their participation in the electoral processes. The event ran from 10-13 February 2025. The workshop aimed to equip 25 participants ( All females) with insights into global best practices for promoting gender equality in elections, fostering an inclusive, democratic process for Somaliland.

This event was necessitated by the low participation of women as candidates and low numbers in decision-making positions in Somaliland. So the workshop aimed at encouraging women to take part in future elections and developing strategies to increase their involvement. The workshop also aimed to address the absence of women’s participation in Somaliland ’s political landscape.

Ms. Sa’dia AwMuse Ahmed ,in her official opening of the workshop, expressed her gratitude to the participants for joining this crucial workshop on Gender and Elections. She also acknowledged the Netherlands Institute of Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) for organizing the event. Sa’dia emphasized the significance of the training, which would empower participants with essential tools and knowledge about elections and gender.

Facilitators were drawn from Zimbabwe, South Africa and a local based Facilitator for customisation and local adaptation purposes. They gave insights on the gender dimensions of the election processes using case-studies form different countries. They also underscored the need for gender equality in politics and elections, aligning with international commitments, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5.

The participants were an engaging and vibrant group who appreciated that this was the first time that a workshop for Women in Politics, specific to capacitating them on electoral issues and gender, had been conducted. They also applauded the learning methodology, the rich content of the interactive methodology as well as the sharing of experiences among the participants. They committed to implement the strategies and recommendations from the workshop into their own programming.