Policy Briefs

This policy paper will examine rape culture in the context of traditional norms, historic nature of rape, rape as a weapon of war and the manner in which rape has climaxed in recent years. The aim is to analyze and dissect how powerlessness, inequality, entrenched cultural perception of gender and women’s place in society and […]

On 5 April 2019 the President of the Federal government, Mr Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, has called for a meeting of the National Security Council, inviting the presidents of the Federal Member States to Mogadishu on 19 – 23 April 2019. Notwithstanding the suggestions that this NSC meeting is convened at the behest of Somalia’s international

The Horn of Africa (HoA) region has been riddled with inter-state armed conflict, poverty, drought, extremism and famine. Dictatorships and authoritarian regimes have ruled much of the region and contributed to the broken political and social system in the region. Decades of underdevelopment coupled with social disparity and divisions along ethnic, religious, tribal, cultural and

Between March and June (2018) SIDRA Institute, in partnership with the Swedish organization Kvinna till Kvinna, undertook a study that gathered up to date data regarding women, peace and security in Somalia. The study -which main results are summarized in this Policy Brief- developed a series of data collection tools and methodology to collect information

To better understand the position the Somali government should take regarding the Gulf crisis, the Somalia Institute for Development and Research Analysis (SIDRA) carried out a policy briefing study in five of the major cities of Somalia (Mogadishu, Kismayo, Baidoa, Garowe and Adado). The study collected data through public surveys and key informant Interviews. For

Female educational attainments are associated with women’s capacity to make informed decisions about various aspects of life, including health, marriage, and reproduction. To discuss the challenges and opportunities facing women in higher education and possible solutions, SIDRA arranged a knowledge exchange conference to discuss ‘gender in higher education in Puntland, Somalia on 21-23 November, 2016.

Climate change poses a great risk to the livelihoods of the Somali people. This is because the Somali natural environment and associated production systems are highly vulnerable to climate change. This policy brief address this problem by: (1) Assessing the key bio-physical constrains faced by the Somali natural environment, (2) Examining development challenges that reduce

Experience in the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals has brought out the limitations of the top down approach. There is an urgent need for localizing its successor programme, the Sustainable Development Goals. such an approach in Somalia would call for both structural and institutional changes in order to facilitate citizen participation in defining and

The process of constitutionalizing democratic elections in Puntland began in 2008 under President Adde Muse’s through a draft constitution which was later adopted following a constituent assembly vote during President Farole’s administration. The draft constitution received an overwhelming acceptance in 2012 with 472 votes from 480 delegates. This resulted in the introduction of a multi-party

At the end of 2013, the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) committed to “Vision 2016”, an audacious plan to execute all the points of reference in the Provisional Constitution of Somalia and the New Deal’s Somali Compact. These two crucial documents directed the FGS to undertake various legal and institutional functions within a specific time