Move on Somalia Declaration 2008
MoveOnSomalia Coalition
2008 TORONTO DECLARATION
March 3, 2008
We, members of MOVEONSOMALIA Coalition,
held a one day convention in Toronto, attended by a group of scholars,
activists, women’s groups, members of Somali Diaspora, members of civil
society, and Canadian politicians, as well as representatives from the
Transitional Federal Institutions of Somalia.
The conference brought
together participants from across the regional and political spectrum of Somali
society. For the first time in recent memory a face to face dialogue took
place between supporters of Somaliland secession and those who are in
the
forefront in defending the unity and the territorial integrity of our country.
There were moments of tears; moments of laughter and plenty moments of
reflection.
The following constitute a Declaration of Principles advanced
in the convention proceedings and that reflects the prevailing spirit of the
Panelists and attendees:
1. PEACE AND RECONCILIATION
We
hold that it is self evident that the root causes of the Somali conflict is not
clan based but rather based on repeated violations of the human rights of the
Somali citizen over the last 30 years and also based on poverty and persistent
lack of human and food security.
We believe that an enduring peace can
only be attained by addressing human rights issues and by strengthening the
economic capacity of the state in a manner that delivers social services to the
average citizen. Towards that goal, we urge the Transitional Federal Government
(TFG) to:
(a) Embark on a national Disarmament, Demobilization and
Re-integration plan that is aimed at rehabilitating the thousands of youth who
are disenfranchised into civic engagement. There will not be peace and
stability so long as these youth are
disenfranchised and are not made to be
stakeholders in civil order and peace.
(b) Institute a national Human
Rights public education campaign through the media, schools, civil society and
also within law enforcement officials. Such education should also incorporate
gender equality within all spheres of Somali public and private
life.
(c) Extend the work and mandate of the National Reconciliation
Commission (NRC) so as to take the reconciliation process to the local and
regional levels as a confidence building mechanism.
(d) Appoint a
national Emergency Preparedness and Refugee Commission that addresses the
plight of the thousands of Somalis who are constantly being displaced by a
combination of the vagaries of the weather and the civil war.
2.
TRANSITIONAL FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS (TFI)
(a) The TFG should give top
priority to building the capacity of TFIs. Towards that goal the TFG should
put together an effective transparent program aimed at tapping into the
professional and technical expertise of local Somali personnel as well as the
Diaspora community. In order to successfully implement this interim emergency
Program, the TFG should:
• Identify critical areas that require
immediate professional and technical expertise, and qualifications of potential
applicants to these positions; and Request the United Nations, Arab League, EU,
and individuals countries to fund this initiative;
(b) The TFG should
without delay appoint an Election Commission, made up of credible membership,
to prepare for future Elections and Referendums and seek appropriate technical
and financial support from the international community for such
undertaking.
(c) The TFG is seen as a voiceless political entity. To
fill this glaring void, the TFG should rehabilitate Radio Mogadishu and use it
to loudly and clearly articulate to the Somali nation its vision and road map
towards national recovery.
(d) The TFG should be more vigilant in
protecting the territorial integrity of the country and should confront the
schemes of secessionists who are aggressively engaged in attempts to break up
the country; and
(e) The TFG should immediately address the illegal
encroachment of regional administrations on the natural resources of the
country and initiate capacity building initiatives aimed at protecting what
remains of our natural resources while at the same
time holding Regional
Administrations accountable for encroaching on jurisdictions falling within the
TFG mandate. It should be made clear that the natural resources (below and the
surface) of Somalia belong to all the citizens of the nation, and that
such benefits do not accrue solely to resource rich regions.
3.
TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND NATIONAL UNITY
We hold that the Somali
people are one unitary ethnic group that is bound by linguistic, cultural and
religious under-pinning. As mentioned above, the root causes of the Somali
conundrum is rooted in the past human rights violations committed against all
Somali citizens of all regions, and the way forward is to work for a governance
structure that is anchored on foundational principles of human rights and
dignity.
We call upon the political elites in Hargeisa to stop the
delusion of separatism and engage in national dialogue on resolving the
seemingly intractable problems of the country. In the long run, peace and
stability in pockets of a country is unsustainable while other parts of the
country are gripped with violence and lawlessness. The Somali people share
common political challenges emanating from shared social and economical
realties.The problems are the same and the potential solutions are the same.
Moreover, both nternational law and convention are in line with the
preservation of the sanctity of the territorial integrity and unity of Somalia
as are consistent declarations and resolutions by the UN, the EU, the AU, the
LAS, IGAD and the United States.
We are encouraged by the recent
reaffirmation of these principles by the United States government. At the
same time, we are deeply concerned by the recent visit to Hargeisa by Madam
Jendayi Frazer; an act that we consider is counter productive to the good
efforts of the International Contact Group on Somalia, in which the United
States plays a crucial role. We urge that any future informal contacts with the
Hargeisa secessionists must present a concurrent opportunity to remind them of
the United States’ full commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of
the Somali nation.
4. INTERNATIONAL CONTACT GROUP
We call
upon the International Contact Group on Somalia to convene an urgent donor’s
conference on Somalia and mobilize and commit the necessary funding for the
Transitional Federal Institutions. The TFG can not embark on a meaningful
reconciliation process, will not be able to properly train law enforcement
officials, can not engage in capacity building of its institutions, can not
institute proper revenue generation processes, will not be able to disarm and
rehabilitate the militia-
unless requisite funding is availed to it. We
believe that, following the Afghanistan model, a unified donor response is
appropriate for the TFG to go beyond the current stalemate.
5.
CONCLUSION
It is resolved that MOVEONSOMALIA is determined to move
Somalia forward. In order to do so, we will engage in an intensive campaign to
create a movement built on a solid coalition for peace and unity and to change
the divisive mindset wrapped in the madness that got us into this cesspool of
injustice, civil war, hatred, poverty, anarchy, piracy and lately extremism.
Towards that goal, MOVEONSOMALIA will hold periodic workshops, seminars and
town hall meetings inside the country and outside in order to genuinely engage
the Somali public on a national conversation around issues of human rights,
justice and fairness, peace and dialogue, respect and unity.
For those
who share this national urgency and want to MOVE SOMALIA FORWARD, please join
us and sign up for this
urgent duty at:
moveonsomalia .org
2008 TORONTO DECLARATION
March 3, 2008
We, members of MOVEONSOMALIA Coalition,
held a one day convention in Toronto, attended by a group of scholars,
activists, women’s groups, members of Somali Diaspora, members of civil
society, and Canadian politicians, as well as representatives from the
Transitional Federal Institutions of Somalia.
The conference brought
together participants from across the regional and political spectrum of Somali
society. For the first time in recent memory a face to face dialogue took
place between supporters of Somaliland secession and those who are in
the
forefront in defending the unity and the territorial integrity of our country.
There were moments of tears; moments of laughter and plenty moments of
reflection.
The following constitute a Declaration of Principles advanced
in the convention proceedings and that reflects the prevailing spirit of the
Panelists and attendees:
1. PEACE AND RECONCILIATION
We
hold that it is self evident that the root causes of the Somali conflict is not
clan based but rather based on repeated violations of the human rights of the
Somali citizen over the last 30 years and also based on poverty and persistent
lack of human and food security.
We believe that an enduring peace can
only be attained by addressing human rights issues and by strengthening the
economic capacity of the state in a manner that delivers social services to the
average citizen. Towards that goal, we urge the Transitional Federal Government
(TFG) to:
(a) Embark on a national Disarmament, Demobilization and
Re-integration plan that is aimed at rehabilitating the thousands of youth who
are disenfranchised into civic engagement. There will not be peace and
stability so long as these youth are
disenfranchised and are not made to be
stakeholders in civil order and peace.
(b) Institute a national Human
Rights public education campaign through the media, schools, civil society and
also within law enforcement officials. Such education should also incorporate
gender equality within all spheres of Somali public and private
life.
(c) Extend the work and mandate of the National Reconciliation
Commission (NRC) so as to take the reconciliation process to the local and
regional levels as a confidence building mechanism.
(d) Appoint a
national Emergency Preparedness and Refugee Commission that addresses the
plight of the thousands of Somalis who are constantly being displaced by a
combination of the vagaries of the weather and the civil war.
2.
TRANSITIONAL FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS (TFI)
(a) The TFG should give top
priority to building the capacity of TFIs. Towards that goal the TFG should
put together an effective transparent program aimed at tapping into the
professional and technical expertise of local Somali personnel as well as the
Diaspora community. In order to successfully implement this interim emergency
Program, the TFG should:
• Identify critical areas that require
immediate professional and technical expertise, and qualifications of potential
applicants to these positions; and Request the United Nations, Arab League, EU,
and individuals countries to fund this initiative;
(b) The TFG should
without delay appoint an Election Commission, made up of credible membership,
to prepare for future Elections and Referendums and seek appropriate technical
and financial support from the international community for such
undertaking.
(c) The TFG is seen as a voiceless political entity. To
fill this glaring void, the TFG should rehabilitate Radio Mogadishu and use it
to loudly and clearly articulate to the Somali nation its vision and road map
towards national recovery.
(d) The TFG should be more vigilant in
protecting the territorial integrity of the country and should confront the
schemes of secessionists who are aggressively engaged in attempts to break up
the country; and
(e) The TFG should immediately address the illegal
encroachment of regional administrations on the natural resources of the
country and initiate capacity building initiatives aimed at protecting what
remains of our natural resources while at the same
time holding Regional
Administrations accountable for encroaching on jurisdictions falling within the
TFG mandate. It should be made clear that the natural resources (below and the
surface) of Somalia belong to all the citizens of the nation, and that
such benefits do not accrue solely to resource rich regions.
3.
TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND NATIONAL UNITY
We hold that the Somali
people are one unitary ethnic group that is bound by linguistic, cultural and
religious under-pinning. As mentioned above, the root causes of the Somali
conundrum is rooted in the past human rights violations committed against all
Somali citizens of all regions, and the way forward is to work for a governance
structure that is anchored on foundational principles of human rights and
dignity.
We call upon the political elites in Hargeisa to stop the
delusion of separatism and engage in national dialogue on resolving the
seemingly intractable problems of the country. In the long run, peace and
stability in pockets of a country is unsustainable while other parts of the
country are gripped with violence and lawlessness. The Somali people share
common political challenges emanating from shared social and economical
realties.The problems are the same and the potential solutions are the same.
Moreover, both nternational law and convention are in line with the
preservation of the sanctity of the territorial integrity and unity of Somalia
as are consistent declarations and resolutions by the UN, the EU, the AU, the
LAS, IGAD and the United States.
We are encouraged by the recent
reaffirmation of these principles by the United States government. At the
same time, we are deeply concerned by the recent visit to Hargeisa by Madam
Jendayi Frazer; an act that we consider is counter productive to the good
efforts of the International Contact Group on Somalia, in which the United
States plays a crucial role. We urge that any future informal contacts with the
Hargeisa secessionists must present a concurrent opportunity to remind them of
the United States’ full commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of
the Somali nation.
4. INTERNATIONAL CONTACT GROUP
We call
upon the International Contact Group on Somalia to convene an urgent donor’s
conference on Somalia and mobilize and commit the necessary funding for the
Transitional Federal Institutions. The TFG can not embark on a meaningful
reconciliation process, will not be able to properly train law enforcement
officials, can not engage in capacity building of its institutions, can not
institute proper revenue generation processes, will not be able to disarm and
rehabilitate the militia-
unless requisite funding is availed to it. We
believe that, following the Afghanistan model, a unified donor response is
appropriate for the TFG to go beyond the current stalemate.
5.
CONCLUSION
It is resolved that MOVEONSOMALIA is determined to move
Somalia forward. In order to do so, we will engage in an intensive campaign to
create a movement built on a solid coalition for peace and unity and to change
the divisive mindset wrapped in the madness that got us into this cesspool of
injustice, civil war, hatred, poverty, anarchy, piracy and lately extremism.
Towards that goal, MOVEONSOMALIA will hold periodic workshops, seminars and
town hall meetings inside the country and outside in order to genuinely engage
the Somali public on a national conversation around issues of human rights,
justice and fairness, peace and dialogue, respect and unity.
For those
who share this national urgency and want to MOVE SOMALIA FORWARD, please join
us and sign up for this
urgent duty at:
moveonsomalia .org