Action plan aims to improve women’s role in the maritime sector

Women to benefit from Somalia’s Blue Economy

SOMALIA: A new national action plan for enhancing and empowering Somali women in their country’s maritime sector was launched this week at a high-level event bringing together senior government officials and representatives from civil society and the international community, including the United Nations.

“The Blue Economy that we want to exploit includes fisheries from our waters and all the goods that pass through it; we also have to consider the value chain from the fisherman, to the buyer, to the marketer and to the investor. In order to succeed in this venture we need to empower women across the whole value chain,” Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Salah Ahmed Jama, said in his speech at the event to launch the Women in Maritime Sector (WiMS) National Action Plan.

“I can assure you that if we put all our efforts and work towards empowering women, especially in the Blue Economy and around climate change, we will definitely have success,” he continued.

“The WiMS National Action Plan will help to ensure that women operating across the maritime domain are provided increased visibility and opportunities to not only participate in, but also benefit from, the sector,” the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, Anita Kiki Gbeho, said in her remarks.

“With its vast coastline, Somalia’s Blue Economy could be at the forefront of delivering change and generating wealth for Somalia’s women and, indeed, for the nation,” added Gbeho, who also serves as the Officer-in-Charge of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

The WiMS National Action Plan marks the culmination of a Somali-led process that began in September 2019, with coordination and support from UNSOM and the European Union Capacity Building Mission in Somalia (EUCAP Somalia).

“This Action Plan takes a lead in ensuring that women are included in this area and will contribute wider to gender equality in Somalia,” Amb. Intelmann said in her remarks at the launch.

Somalia suffers from a critical shortage of maritime skills due to the lack of educational and institutional capacity. In addition the country experiences gender inequality that deprives Somali women and girls of their basic rights and opportunities, including maritime education, economic participation and access to financial resources.

The Action Plan, developed through an inclusive approach involving the Federal Government of Somalia and the country’s Federal Member States, was designed to collectively develop women’s needs and priorities in the maritime sector, within both the private sector and government institutions.

Built on partnerships

Those involved in developing the action plan over the past six years also include the Federal Government of Somalia’s Ministries of Port and Maritime Transport, Women and Human Rights Development, Fisheries and Blue Economy, Education, Labour, Internal Security, Justice and Planning, as well as a range of corresponding ministries from the country’s Federal Member State.

In their remarks, the Deputy Prime Minister and the UN Deputy Special Representative noted the important role of international partners.

“Organisations should work on empowering women. We are hoping that our donors and partners will consider investing in women in this sector,” Deputy Prime Minister Jama said.

“The UN believes,” Gbeho continued, “an ocean of opportunities exist for Somalia to explore; I can see its Women in Maritime are ready to be part of the exploration team.

“The collective commitment we are making jointly today in launching the WiMS National Action Plan is of vital importance,” she said. “We need a gender responsive maritime domain, with new procedures and structures that bring real change. We need a sector that recognises and promotes women’s willingness and agency to work in maritime, fisheries, mineral extraction and law enforcement sectors.”

In this respect, she also encouraged UN agencies such as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to continue their support.