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The wider legitimacy of the Somaliland parliament rests on both houses being able to instill
trust in the institution among Somalilanders in the communities members represent. As the
decentralization process progresses, this relationship is all the more important given the remit of
members of parliament to scrutinize local service delivery.
Opportunity 4: Explicitly consider how parliament relates to wider governance-support
projects.
In relation to the above point, parliamentary concerns could be mainstreamed into all
governance-related projects by considering their relation to and impact on parliament. In this
way, donors may be able to achieve wider-reaching impact within governance programs.
Parliament should not be considered in isolation, despite being formally separated from the
executive, and thus donors should bear in mind how particular governance projects impact the
workings and effectiveness of parliament – in both positive and negative ways.
Opportunity 5: Support programs that equip Somaliland civil society organizations with
the necessary skills and knowledge to support both houses of parliament.
While civil society may have the capacity, through its prior and current receipt of donor
programming, to organize around an issue of concern, there is little to no influence by civil
society currently on parliament’s processes, debates or decisions. Support to civil society needs
to expand its capacity to engage, provide information to, and influence parliament (as well as
the executive). Donors should look for opportunities to jointly work with both parliament and
civil society to, for example, hold cooperative issue-based forums or to partner in the
development of policies or legislation.
Opportunity 6: The design of programs to support parliament must involve wide public
consultations, ideally co-facilitated by parliamentary, governmental and civil society
representatives.
The priorities identified by workshop participants and interviewees, discussed above, do not
take into account the views and perspectives of “ordinary” citizens. The subsequent design of
programs to support parliament must involve wide consultation with the citizenry, as well as
partnership with civil society organizations.
Opportunity 7: Explore opportunities for parliament to develop partnerships (formal or
informal) with organizations that provide resources and support to members of
parliament around the world.
There are a number of parliamentary-oriented organizations that the Somaliland parliament
could partner with, both formally and informally. Parliament should be supported to explore
new links with organizations such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the
Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against
Corruption and the Canadian Parliamentary Center.
