14 March 2006

A United Nations-backed initiative to consult all sections and regions of Somalia in an effort to rebuild a war-torn country that has been without a functioning government for 15 years began its largest operation to date today as scores of experts with 7,200 questionnaires fanned out to the remotest corners of the Horn of Africa nation.

The Somali Joint Needs Assessment, led by the UN and World Bank, is a major technical analysis by 135 experts, 70 of them Somali, in consultation with a wide segment of Somali people, aimed at securing a clear picture of present reconstruction and development priorities in the faction-riven country.

The national experts will reach areas that are currently inaccessible to international team members, querying the many concerned Somalis from civil society and regional authorities in order to ensure all voices are heard and included in the ongoing Post Conflict Needs Assessments.

“We are very proud that our Somali technical counterparts are taking the lead to seek and obtain information from the most inaccessible areas to enrich and strengthen the quality of the Somali Reconstruction and Development Programme,” said David Bassiouni, UN Senior Technical Coordinator for the project.

Among those who will be consulted are women, youth, religious and traditional leaders and business groups, parliamentarians and regional authorities. A Post Conflict Needs Assessments is a tool that donor countries, the UN and the World Bank have developed and refined over the years to help stop and avoid conflict in war-torn societies that are ready to move from conflict to recovery.

The questionnaires cover six subjects: governance, safety, rule of law; macro-economic policy framework and data development; infrastructure; social services and protection of vulnerable groups; productive sectors and environment; and livelihoods and solutions for the displaced.

Recent political developments to get Somalia back on its feet have included last month’s convening for the first time inside the country of the Transitional Federal Parliament in the town of Baidoa.

Somalia has been torn by factional fighting ever since the collapse of President Muhammad Siad Barre’s regime 15 years ago. Only last month clashes erupted in Mogadishu, the capital, and pirate attacks against aid ships have hampered UN efforts to provide emergency food at a time when severe drought has affected nearly 2 million people.