Public Affairs Section

Women day celebration - 2009
U.S. Embassy Celebrates Somali Women
April 3, 2009

On March 31, the United States Embassy’s Somalia Unit celebrated the tenacity, perseverance, and leadership of Somali women as part of International Women’s History Month.  This year’s theme was Somali Women of Courage: Celebrating Generational Leadership.  The guests enjoyed performances of Burambur by Madame Dhoofo Khalif, songs by Wayaaha Cusub, art by MBM and inspirational speeches from Somali women spanning generations, including 2008 Right Livelihood Award winner and pioneer Asha Hagi Elm.

2nd Youth Enrichment Programs
The Somalia Affairs section of the U.S Embassy in Nairobi, conducted a second Youth Enrichment Program, YEP, in the border town of Mandera from August 25-28. 45 Somali youth came across the border to join 18 Kenyan youth for a week of sports, cultural activities, and discussions.

45 Somali youth, 11 of whom were females, spent five days and four nights with 18 Kenyan youth, most of whom were ethnic Somali.  Activities included soccer, volleyball, and handball. In addition, the youth participated in a Qaranic recitation contest, an art contest, a poetry contest, and wrote letters to leaders of their choosing, appealing for peace in Somalia. The youth came from a variety of organizations in Somalia, including schools, sports organizations, and youth groups. Also in the group were several youth who were reformed militia, having turned away from violence and now engaging in productive activities in Somalia. The youth, initially suspicious of one another and their American hosts quickly grew into a cohesive unit, supporting one another in the activities and trading ideas in both the formal activities and the discussions that occurred during meals, break times,
and in the evenings.

While all of the participants certainly benefited from this program, it was noted that some of them provided leadership among the youth.

Embassy-supported peace message
June 4, 2008
The Somalia Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi recently supported the production of Waayaha Cusub's new album Dhalinyaro ("Youth").  The album's 17 songs celebrate the role of youth in Somalia's continuing efforts to move toward peace and stability.  The CD's, VCD's, and cassettes were distributed free of charge throughout Somalia and among Somali populations in Kenya.  Waayaha Cusub marked the success of the project with an event in Eastleigh, Nairobi in early June at which representatives of the Transitional Federal Government and U.S. Embassy's Somalia Unit spoke about the group's commendable work in promoting reconciliation in Somali.

Ambassador hosts Somali Women
The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi sponsored a reception with the theme “Somali Women of Courage: Celebrating Women’s Vision,” at the residence of U.S. Ambassador to Kenya on March 27.  Over 100 guests attended the celebration, which was the first of its kind organized by the U.S. Embassy.  The event, in celebration of Women’s History Month, aimed to give Somali women a unique forum for discussing their goals and to join other women in celebrating the achievements of Somali women.  In order to encourage high level of participation and instill sense of ownership, the Embassy engaged a group of four Somali women to lead in organizing the event.  It is an inter-generation group of Somali women leaders who are currently based in Nairobi. Among the Somali women in attendance were politicians, human rights activists, civil society members, aid workers, business entrepreneurs, and representatives of traditional and cultural groups as well as youth associations.  One of the notable guests was Farhiyio Farah Ibrahim, winner of the 2008 Secretary’s International Woman of Courage Award.  Ms. Ibrahim had recently returned from the awards ceremony in Washington.  Halima Mohamud, founder of the new Somali women’s lifestyle magazine “Sahan”, also made remarks and displayed her magazine’s second issue.

Embassy Hosts U.S Writers in Dadaab Refugee Camp

June 23, 2009 U

 

U.S. Embassy Hosts Writers in Eastleigh and Dadaab

 

The U.S. Embassy’s Somalia Unit hosted a reading and lecture tour, under the auspices of University of Iowa’s International Writing Program.  Tour participants conducted workshops with Somali youth in Nairobi and in the Dadaab refugee camps from June 9-18, 2009.  Four distinguished writers – Christopher Merrill, Eliot Weinberger, Terese Svoboda, and Tom Sleigh – conducted a workshop in Eastleigh, then spent three days in Dadaab, where they visited all three camps and reached nearly 200 young people. 

 

U.S Ambassador Visits Injured Somalis

On June 26, United States Ambassador Michael Ranneberger visited a Nairobi hospital, where Somali elders and TFG officials who were wounded in the June 18 al-Shabaab suicide attack in Beledweyne, Somalia, are being treated.  The June 18 attack took the life of Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Minister of National Security Omar Hashi and as many as forty others.  In remarks to the press after the visit, the Ambassador condemned the attack, and pledged continued U.S. government support for the TFG.

 

 

 

 

2007: International Women's Day

Ambassador hosts Somali Women
The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi sponsored a reception with the theme “Somali Women of Courage: Celebrating Women’s Vision,” at the residence of U.S. Ambassador to Kenya on March 27.  Over 100 guests attended the celebration, which was the first of its kind organized by the U.S. Embassy.  The event, in celebration of Women’s History Month, aimed to give Somali women a unique forum for discussing their goals and to join other women in celebrating the achievements of Somali women.  In order to encourage high level of participation and instill sense of ownership, the Embassy engaged a group of four Somali women to lead in organizing the event.  It is an inter-generation group of Somali women leaders who are currently based in Nairobi. Among the Somali women in attendance were politicians, human rights activists, civil society members, aid workers, business entrepreneurs, and representatives of traditional and cultural groups as well as youth associations.  One of the notable guests was Farhiyio Farah Ibrahim, winner of the 2008 Secretary’s International Woman of Courage Award.  Ms. Ibrahim had recently returned from the awards ceremony in Washington.  Halima Mohamud, founder of the new Somali women’s lifestyle magazine “Sahan”, also made remarks and displayed her magazine’s second issue.

Ambassador visits wounded Amisom troops

On September 22,United States Ambassador Michael Ranneberger visited a Nairobi hospital where victims of the September 17 dual suicide bombings in Mogadishu were being treated.The Ambassador affirmed the U.S. government’s support for AMISOM and Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government.He thanked Kenyan government for the treatment provided to the wounded troops.Ambassador Ranneberger stated, “In fact, this attack really shows why it is important that the TFG succeeds in order to ensure stability in the future.” The ambassador was accompanied to the hospital by Deputy commissioner for AMISOM.

Assistant Secretary Carson meets Somalia president in New York

 

The two enjoyed a fruitful discussion during which Assistant Secretary Carson reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering support for President Sharif and the TFG

Assistant Secretary meets President Sharif in New York

Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson met with Transitional Federal Government President Sharif on September 25,2009 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.The two enjoyed a fruitful discussion during which Assistant Secretary Carson reaffirmed the United States’unwavering support for President Sharif and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia

International Communique

International Contact Group on Somalia
17 December 2009, Jeddah
Communiqué

The 16th meeting of the International Contact Group on Somalia (ICG) was held under the chairmanship of the UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, on 17 December 2009 in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  The meeting was opened by the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, and the Somali Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke. 

The ICG welcomes the directions provided by the Government in its preparatory papers for the conference which were further articulated by the Prime Minister. It further welcomes the concrete progress made so far in these different areas by the TFG which increases the confidence of the international community in its capacity to deliver. The ICG reiterates its full support for the TFG.

The ICG welcomes the TFG’s commitment to continue its outreach efforts to all groups willing to cooperate and ready to renounce violence and encourages the TFG to continue and expand its efforts. 

The ICG reiterates IGAD’s position that the Djibouti process is the framework within which all international efforts should be undertaken and that reconciliation steps should continue to empower and support the TFG. It calls on all groups and factions to join the Djibouti process and work with the Transitional Federal Government which is the legitimate and internationally recognised Government of Somalia.

The ICG condemns the continuing violence perpetrated against Somali civilians by extremists, in particular the suicide bomb attack on the graduation ceremony in Mogadishu on 3 December 2009. It recognises the moves made by the TFG to pay allowances to some of its security forces and to consolidate its central command structure.  It reiterates its full support for the excellent work carried out by AMISOM and recognizes the sacrifice of its brave troops. The ICG further calls on the international community to provide coordinated, timely and sustained support to build Somali security institutions including the provision of stipends following the completion of training.

The ICG welcomes the convening of the newly refocused Joint Security Committee and High Level Committee and encourages the members to continue utilizing these organs to agree on concrete approaches and actions.
The ICG appreciates the TFG’s commitment to fully implementing the Djibouti Agreement. It agrees that holding a well-planned, international conference, as specified in the Djibouti Agreement, would be an important contribution towards establishing the objectives of the transition. It also agrees that the discussion on transition should be placed within the framework of a longer term recovery effort. In this regard the ICG notes the Somali Prime Minister’s call for this conference to take place as soon as possible.

The ICG calls for the international community to offer practical, and where possible, direct support to the Government. Doing so gives the TFG the opportunity to demonstrate that it can deliver on completing urgent tasks and be held accountable including through such mechanisms as the Central Bank or PricewaterhouseCoopers. The ICG believes the international community should make further progress on understanding the requirements of the TFG. It welcomes the continuing development of the partnership between the TFG and the international community.

The ICG deplores the continuing scourge of piracy which has had a devastating effect on the lives of those in Somalia and the region as well as international trade. It welcomes the international maritime presence while recognizing that the causes of piracy are on land and must be addressed urgently.

The ICG notes the call by the TFG for the international community to establish a greater presence in Mogadishu as soon as possible and welcomes the OIC’s decision to open an office there.

The ICG thanks the OIC for arranging the meeting and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting it. The next ICG meeting will be hosted by the League of Arab States in Cairo at a date to be determined.

Participants
African Union, European Union, Gulf Cooperation Council,  IGAD, Islamic Development Bank, League of Arab States, Organization of Islamic Conference, United Nations, World Bank, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, United States, Yemen.

 

 

Call For Proposals

 January 20, 2010

To support the political, economic and social advancement of Somalia’s women, the Somalia Affairs Unit at U.S. Embassy Nairobi would like to announce a new grants initiative.

We are soliciting project proposals geared toward improving women's leadership capacity and enhanced economic opportunities for women. The U.S. Department of State has made funds available for programs for women in developing countries and we would like to see a winning proposal from Somalia. Funded proposals will creatively identify and address priority issues facing women and promote women's political, economic and social advancement in developing countries.

Projects may include but not limited to such themes as:

- Economic opportunity: programs to provide training in business and management through mentoring, and support for women's artisan groups for product design, marketing, and related needs; - Democracy and political empowerment: political and policy reform and leadership training initiatives;

- Education: women's literacy and innovative ways to keep girls in school and help ensure safety while attending school; also, health education initiatives; - Food security: supporting small holder female farmers through women's leadership and property rights training and land tenure reform advocacy initiatives; - Climate change: support to women's community groups for training in adaptation and mitigation, and enhanced participation of women in climate change problem solving; - Gender-based violence (GBV) support to NGOs or community-based resource centers in combating GBV manifesting in practices ranging from honor killings to indentured servitude; support for victims of domestic violence as well as rape as a tool of war - Legal reform: judicial and law enforcement training initiatives; promoting women's property rights; and equal access to justice. Proposals should not exceed six pages in length and must include the following:

 a statement clearly identifying the problem to be addressed;

 a summary of the proposed program;

 a project description, including specific activities, desired outcomes and performance measures; a detailed budget of no more than $100,000;

 and a description of the recipient organization, including their technical and management capacity.

The project should not exceed eighteen months in duration.

Proposals will be evaluated based on how effectively the proposal addresses the issue(s) described in the problem statement, the sustainability of program accomplishments, the capacity of the recipient organization to account for the funds and ensure that funds are spent for the intended purposes, and the expected results. Priority will be given to proposals that describe a project that, if successful, would have the potential to be expanded to reach a broader community. However, no additional funding commitments can be made, so the proposals should be stand alone, discrete activities that can be fully funded and completed with the resources requested through this program.

Project proposals are due to the U.S. embassy, to the attention of Jessica Davis Ba, by February 9, 2010. The address follows:

Jessica Davis Ba

Somalia Affairs Unit

Embassy of the United States of America

United Nations Avenue, Gigiri

Nairobi, Kenya

 

Banadir University fundraising drive at U.S Embassy, Nairobi

The Somalia Unit at the United States embassy in Nairobi hosted a fundraiser for Banadir University on the evening of February 9.  Distinguished American pianist Ned Kirk performed a series of pieces, including compositions by Beethoven, Debussy, and List.  The proceeds from the benefit concert, nearly US $8,000, will be given to the university to assist in the recovery from the tragic December 3, 2009 suicide bombing in Mogadishu, which targeted a Banadir University graduation ceremony.