By Deeq S. Yusuf
Somalia’s large and growing youth population present both a challenge and an opportunity to policymakers. If Somalia’s economy can productively absorb this population, the country could reap the benefits of a demographic dividend[1]. In the empowerment front, it is important to recognize the role Somali youth can play as partners, not only beneficiaries, as they are best placed to provide solutions to issues that affect them and their communities.
Today, the Ministry of Youth and Sports (FGS) will lead national celebrations as it joins its global counterparts in observing the International Youth Day (IYD). Issues affecting Somali youth will take centre stage during this important occasion which is observed each year on August 12th. The International Youth Day is meant to recognize and celebrate the efforts of youth in enhancing global society, and to promote ways to encourage youth to make positive contributions to their communities.
In Somalia, this year’s International Youth Day comes at a very challenging time in an election session and IYD might also serve as a reminder of the need for multi-stakeholder action to further the youth participation in politics.
The main objective of the 2021 International Youth Day is to hold thematic discussions and information campaigns to engage both Youth in the capital Mogadishu and members from Federal states to understand the needs of young people, to implement policies to help them overcome the challenges they face, and to include young people into the decision-making process[2].
The United Nations, for statistical purposes, defines ‘youth’, as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years, without prejudice to other definitions by Member States[3]. However, the UN also recognizes that, apart from that statistical definition, the meaning of the term ‘youth’ varies in different societies around the world.
According to the United Nations, “young people increasingly contribute to innovative solutions, driving social progress and inspiring political initiatives. They are agents of change, mobilising to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to improve the lives of people and the health of the planet.[4]”
In terms of youth development, Article 10 of the African Union’s Youth Charter states “every young people shall have the right to social, economic, political and cultural development with due regard to the freedom and integrity and in equal enjoyment of the common heritage of mankind.” It calls upon State Partners “to encourage youth organizations to lead youth programmes and to ensure the exercise of the right to development.[5]” While emphasizing the youth’s right to participate in all spheres of society, the Charter encourages State Parties to take measures “to facilitate the creation or strengthening of platforms for youth participation in decision-making at local, national, regional and continental levels of governance” as well as “ensuring equal access to young men and women to participate in decision-making and fulfilling civic duties.[6]”
In Somalia, like in many other countries around the world, anyone 40 years of age and below fits the societal definition of youth. It is worth noting that young people spearheaded Somalia’s struggle for independence and shaped national politics during the formative years of democratic rule that was brought to an abrupt end by the 1969 military coup. In the annals of liberation politics, Somalia has earned an enviable place given that a youth-led political party formed by thirteen young freedom fighters unshackled Somalia from Italian and British rule delivering independence in 1960. Active between 1943-1969, the Somali Youth League (SYL), was a nationalist, political party that espoused Pan-Somalism with the intended goal to end colonial rule, unite all Somali territories and safeguard Somali interests.
Notable national leaders that emerged out of SYL ranks include former Presidents, Aden Abdullah Osman / Adan Adde (1960-1967), Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke (1967-1969) and Prime Ministers Abdirizak Haji Hussein (1964 – 1967) and Mohamed Ibrahim Egal (1967 -1969). While no political forces can replicate SYL’s feat in today’s conflict-prone era, steps can be taken to empower the young generation to enhance their ability to influence public decision-making at local and national levels. Furthermore, SYL’s enduring legacy can serve as a source of inspiration and point of reference for today’s youth whose drive for empowerment can elevate their socio-economic standing, advance peace and stability and help re-shape Somali national politics and its development agenda.
As a starting point, policy makers and the Somali society in general should espouse a viewpoint that values the youth for their strengths and assets. Largely sidelined from almost all facets of life in the last 30 years or so, a large segment of Somalia’s youthful population has earned the unfavourable label “the lost generation” after being deprived of educational and economic opportunities following the collapse of the public education system and government institutions in the decades old protracted civil strife.
According to the Ministry of Youth and Sports (FGS), youth in Somalia are still faced with a range of challenges. Avenues for youth to obtain an education, gainful and decent employment, as well opportunities to engage politically, economically, or socially remain limited. “The space and opportunities are even further restricted for girls and young women due to cultural biases and traditional practices. The Ministry acknowledges participation of young people in decision-making has been challenging due to issues related to clan and cultural affiliations, gender, age, illiteracy, and poverty, among other factors, including the prominence of elders in the political system.[7]” Furthermore, exclusion creates frustration and demoralization among many youths. It limits capabilities and opportunities and constricts the contributions of youth to peacebuilding and development in Somalia. Worse still, the Ministry notes Covid-19 has had a negative impact on young people which further disenfranchises them.
Despite these challenges, the Ministry salutes young Somalis who are already contributing to the resilience of their communities, proposing innovative solutions, driving social progress, in urban as well as rural contexts[8].Young people constitute a tremendous and essential asset worth investing in, opening the door to an unparalleled multiplier effect. Therefore, improving young people’s lives is crucial for building lasting peace and stability in Somalia[9].
On its part, the Ministry of Youth and Sports is working with different partners to:
- Revise the National Youth Policy and develop costed action plan to guide integrated response on youth on issues such as education, access to decent employment, entrepreneurship, youth political participation, access to health care services and information, among others.
- Developing sport policy
- Conduct a mapping exercise of youth programmes/initiatives and stakeholders to know who is working on youth empowerment and strategize how to better coordinate the Ministry’s work
- Establish a youth centre in each district in Somalia that provides integrated services
- Enhance the youth, peace, and security agenda to recognize and strengthen the important and positive role young women and men play in peace and state-building
- Enhance talent search and sporting activities in the country.
With youth aged below 35 years constituting over 75 percent of Somalia’s population, there is an urgent need to overcome these barriers to realize the potential of the country’s demographic dividend. To leverage their comparative advantages and provide a consolidated and coordinated support to youth empowerment, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and UN in Somalia are moving forward with a proposed joint programme that builds on past successes.
The proposed Joint Programme on Youth is centred around key four objectives:
- Increased youth (boys and girls) access to decent jobs in Somalia
- Empowerment of youth to fully engage in policy making and civic engagement
- Increased youth use of adolescent and Youth friendly health services and adoption of healthy lifestyle practices; and
- Empowered youth at the forefront of the peace and security agenda.
These objectives align the programmes with the UN 2030 Youth Strategy and Somalia’s National Youth Policy, contributing to the advancement of Somalia’s National Development Plan-9. The programme also aligns with the UN Somalia’s Cooperation Framework, Africa Union’s Vision 2063, and the Sustainable Development Goals[10].
Outputs that will contribute to the achievement of these objectives include:
- Increased employability and skills development for youth
- The establishment of youth-friendly policies
- Youth skills development to participate in civic engagement and policy dialogues
- Meaningful participation of youth in local peacebuilding through youth-focused organizations
- Increased youth access to health services and awareness of healthy life choices.
Additional resources and funding are needed to implement the following:
- Prioritizing funding for Youth peace and security.
- Economic empowerment of youth and establishment of holistic youth centres
- Supporting the Ministry institutional building (technical expert, infrastructure support)
- Use of sport tournaments for peace/ enhance traditional sporting in the country.
- Supporting youth innovations/talent search in the country and sustaining the creation of appropriate permanent mechanisms of youth participation in decision-making processes at different levels eg national youth conference etc.
Amidst the current election fever, the youth can play an important role in political stability and development. One way of enhancing the youth’s political awareness is to involve them in the electoral observation, which can serve as an effective tool to increase youth engagement and build their capabilities in the electoral process and politics in general. Promising youth candidates should be encouraged to run for office and be fully funded by willing benefactors.
According to the UN, election observation can help promote and protect the civil and political rights of participants in elections while observation by domestic groups encourages civic involvement in the political process.[11] Following elections, reports and recommendations by youth observer groups can lead to changes and improvements in national law and practice. The UN further notes observation takes on heightened importance in post-conflict countries since creating confidence in elections can help promote national reconciliation and sound democratic practices.[12] Carefully designed and conducted election observation that include the youth can improve the implementation of the human rights of women and help to enhance their participation in electoral processes. When young women get the opportunity to participate equally as observers, “observation itself can serve to bring more women into the political process.[13]”
The Federal and FMS’s Electoral Commissions should borrow a leaf from the Independent Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC), which partnered with that country’s National Youth Service Corps to support the recruitment of young people in the electoral process, training them in a range of functions for the 2015 elections[14]. In the lead-up to the 2019 elections, INEC entered a partnership with the Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) to develop a strategic framework for youth engagement. Entry points for youth workers include as candidates, election observers and electoral staff. [15] Making these range of functions available to Somali youth will help build their confidence in the system, inspire them to act as agents of change in national politics and in the democratization, peacebuilding, and development arenas.
As the UK’s Guardian once noted, “Somalia’s young population could be its greatest strength, but only if it tackles the sky-high unemployment and economic disenfranchisement.”[16] In sum, youth empowerment is an investment that never fails to provide a great return; it only increases over time.[17] In Somalia, youth empowerment will facilitate the process of nation-building and development and will equally contribute to political stability and economic prosperity.
Deeq S. Yusuf
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
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Deeq Yusuf is the Director General of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Federal Government of Somalia, former DG of the Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development, Former Chief of Staff, Puntland Presidency.
References:
[1] Ministry of Youth and Sports (FGS) Briefing Note, August 2021
[2] Ibid
[3] United Nations Youth: https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/youth/fact-sheets/youth-definition.pdf
[4] UNITAR: https://unitar.org/sustainable-development-goals/multilateral-diplomacy/our-portfolio/multilateralism-training/united-nations-young-leaders-training-programme
[5] African Youth Charter: https://au.int/sites/default/files/treaties/7789-treaty-0033_-_african_youth_charter_e.pdf
[6] ibid
[7] Ministry of Youth and Sports (FGS). August 2021.
[8] Director -General, Ministry of Youth and Sports (FGS).
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] https://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/wps/publication/Chapter7.htm [12] Ibid
[13] Ibid
[14] ACE Project: The Electoral Knowledge Network: https://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/yt/yt50/youth-as-observers/benefits-of-youth-as-observers
[15] Ibid
13.The Guardian: Somalia’s Lost generation – Why Youth Employment is Key to Stability. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/somalia-lost-generation-youth-unemployment-stability
[17] Enactus Sheridan: https://enactussheridan.ca/importance-of-youth-empowerment/
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