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STORY: SOMALIA / YOUTH PEACE
TRT: 3:02
SOURCE: UNSOM
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: SOMALI / NATS
DATELINE: 21 SEPTEMBER 2020, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
21 SEPTEMBER 2020, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
1. Wide shot, moderator introducing panelists
2. Med shot, Jelle giving opening remarks
3. Close up, participant listening during the event discussions
4. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Abdiwaasa Idriss Jelle, Director, Somali Youth Civic Organization (SYCO):
“A country is saved by its youth. It is the youth who lead in all efforts to bring change, hence it is good for the youth to also participate in politics and to be part of the positive change and development in the country.”
5. Wide shot, panelist Bilan Mahamud, activist representing the Somali National Women’s Organization (SNWO), giving her remarks
6. Med shot, panelist Bilan Mahamud giving her remarks
7. Various shots, participants
8. Close up, panelist Bilan Mahamud giving her remarks
9. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Bilan Mahamud, Activist, Somali National Women Organization (SNWO):
“Since women and youth are history makers in Somalia, and play a role in nation-building, we want them to move forward, because we need them to find solutions to the huge challenges we are facing now as a nation. Youth must never back down but instead they need to come out and develop their country.”
10. Med shot, moderator speaking
11. Med shot, panelist Mohamed Shirie, Director of the multi-sectoral platform Somalia Non-State Actors (SONSA), giving his remarks
12. Various shots, participants
13. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Mohamed Shirie, Director, Somalia Non-State Actors (SONSA):
“The event was really important because it relates to the current realities faced by youth in Somalia. The youth need to be always sensitized because our country is reeling from years of conflicts and many challenges, and we motivate youth to actively take part in politics, upcoming elections and reconciliation efforts.”
14. Various shots, participants taking part in group discussions
15. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Abdiaziz Mahamud Aidid, participant:
“Today the Somali youth have a huge opportunity to take part in nation-building, to bring political change through the upcoming elections and to take an active role in rebuilding their country.”
16. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Fatuma Abdullahi Mahamud, participant :
“I have learned the importance of youth in peacebuilding and I am now motivated to take part in politics and peace-building. I also have realized how valuable I am as a youth to the community.”
17. Pan right, participants taking group photo
Somalia’s youth need to be change-makers and actively take part in politics, reconciliation, peace-building, elections and ongoing efforts to help develop their country – this was the main message stemming from a recent panel discussion which brought together more than 30 youth representing different parts of Somali society.
“A country is saved by its youth. It is the youth who lead in all efforts to bring change, hence it is good for the youth to also participate in politics and to be part of the positive change and development in the country,” the Executive Director of the Somali Youth Civic Organization (SYCO), Abdiwasa Idriss Jelle, said at the gathering, held at a venue in Mogadishu this past Monday (21 Sep).
The event was organized by SYCO, a local non-governmental organization which focuses on youth development and leadership, de-radicalization and livelihoods, with the support of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). Held on the International Day of Peace, celebrated globally on 21 September, the event was aimed at helping empower Somali youth, and underpinned by the belief that youth who are well-informed and engaged are well-placed to help rebuild and transform their country.
The panel discussion brought together youth representatives from many of Somalia’s different clans and different walks of life, including young professionals, university graduates and students. It was also held in the midst of an exacting panorama for Somalia as it engages in preparations for parliamentary and presidential elections, while also dealing with the social and economic consequences of the ‘triple threat’ posed by floods, the highly infectious COVID-19 pandemic, and locust infestation.
Panelists at the event noted that youth in Somalia form around 70 per cent of the population, and broadly urged them to tap into their numerical strength to mobilize for peace and development – with the role of young women particularly highlighted.
“Since women and youth are history makers in Somalia, and play a role in nation-building, we want them to move forward, because we need them to find solutions to the huge challenges we are facing now as a nation,” an activist representing the Somali National Women’s Organization (SNWO), Bilan Mahamud, said in the discussions.
Looking back to Somalia’s history of women’s involvement in national efforts, Mahamud encouraged participants to emulate the 13 members of the Somali Youth League, and prominent woman activist Hawo Tako, all of whom played critical roles in the country’s path to independence in the 1950s and 1960s.
“Youth must never back down, but instead they need to come out and develop their country,” she added.
Another panelist, Mohamed Shirie, the director of the multi-sectoral platform Somalia Non-State Actors (SONSA), which brings together non-governmental and community-based organizations, highlighted that the topics under discussion were centred on the unavoidable realities faced by Somali youth.
Some attendees said that being able to take part in the discussions helped motivate them to vie for slots in the upcoming parliamentary elections as well as be more involved in community matters.
Noting the need to have youth avoid becoming radicalized, one participant, Abdiaziz Mahamud Aidid, compared youth to a double-edged sword in that they can be used for both good and bad purposes – and stressed the need for youth to be catalysts of positive change.
“Today, the Somali youth have a huge opportunity to take part in nation-building, to bring political change through the upcoming elections and to take an active role in rebuilding their country,” said Aidid.
“I have learned the importance of youth in peacebuilding and I am now motivated to take part in politics and peace-building. I also have realized how valuable I am as a youth to the community,” said another attendee, Fatuma Abdullahi Mahamud.
The UN Security Council has highlighted, through resolutions 2250, 2419, and 2535, the key role that young people can play in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peace-building and sustaining peace, as well as the importance of facilitating youth participation and leadership in these areas, as well as the importance of facilitating youth participation spaces.
