NAIROBI, May 3 (Xinhua)– Some 250 Somali lawmakers began a six-day training seminar on Wednesday in southwestern town of Baidoa to prepare the ground for a new Federal Constitution, according to a United Nations statement available here.
The May 3-8 seminar on Federalism and Constitutional Affairs has been organized by the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) to stimulate a dialogue on the Transitional Federal Charter, to help members understand how federal government works and to enhance their legislative and policymaking capacity, the UN said in a statement.
“UNPOS has commissioned experts to make a comparative analysis of federal systems and explain to the Somali parliamentarians how legitimate power is shared in constituent political units,” the statement said.
According to the UNPOS, this week’s seminar is one of six Trust Fund projects recently approved by the UN Department of Political Affairs to back peace-building and reconciliation efforts in Somalia by supporting civil and political leadership, demobilizing militias and notably child soldiers, preventing the re-emergence of large scale conflict among militia groups, and resuming commercial and income generating opportunities.
“The peace building projects involve UN agencies, Somali authorities and civil society organizations and fall under the broad headings of: security, reconciliation, economic recovery, the judiciary as well as state-building,” it said.
Somalia has been without a central government and supporting public institutions for 15 years. During this time, civil war and humanitarian crises have taken a heavy toll on the population.
A National Reconciliation Conference resulted in the establishment of Somali Transitional Federal Institutions and a Transitional Federal Charter with a five year mandate ending in (2009).
The Charter indicates that a new Constitution is to be drafted within two and half years and to be adopted by popular referendum during the last year of the transitional period (2009).
The new Federal Constitution is to be based on the Charter. Enditem
Source: Xinhua, May 3, 2006
