Project overview

 Political Accommodation in Somalia (PDF)

Conflict Dynamics is undertaking an initiative to explore, generate and 'feed in' technical options to accommodate political interests and perspectives in Somalia. The purpose of this initiative is to enhance the prospects for peace and stability in Somalia, both through exploration of technical arrangements for political accommodation as well as through input and support to consultation and dialogue processes that may lead to these arrangements.

It is envisioned that by providing opportunities for conciliation of political interests, such technical options can assist in achieving broader consensus and 'buy in' to ongoing or potential future political processes in Somalia.
The types of technical options for political accommodation will span the spectrum of interactions within/between single- and multiple-entity configurations (e.g. the spectrum from interactions within a Unitary State to separate Independent States interacting through institutions/agreements).

Context

A new Consultation Draft Constitution (CDC) for Somalia has been drafted and was launched in August 2010. Insecurity, the lack of effective governance structures, the actual or perceived disconnect between the authority of the Transitional Federal Governemnt (TFG) and the de facto authorities in Somalia, among other factors, contributed to a limited consultation process during the drafting of the CDC.

Furthermore, some efforts to date focusing on exploration of possible governance arrangements have restricted themselves to arrangements in single areas (e.g. in the area of decentralization) which have been considered in isolation from other thematic areas.
There exists an urgent need to: (i) explore technical options that may better accommodate political interests and perspectives; and (ii) engage key constituencies and non-State groups in Somalia in dialogue on future governance arrangements. This requirement is reinforced by the need to develop effective options for political and economic interactions within Somalia following the Transition Period.

Objectives

In this context, this initiative aims to explore, generate and 'feed in' impartial technical options for political accommodation in Somalia. The target audience for these options includes: the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia; non-State armed groups in Somalia and de facto authorities, including the authorities in Somaliland and Puntland; other political parties/actors in Somalia; the United Nations and key regional supporters and facilitators such as the African Union; the European Union; the League of Arab States; civil society constituencies; and supporting States.

The specific project objectives are:

1. To conduct policy-orientated research and solicit perspectives from the TFG, other political actors in Somalia, de facto authorities, international actors, and others on prospects and opportunities for political accommodation
2. To promote a new vocabulary and new frameworks, centered on political accommodation, within the political discourse in Somalia
3. To generate options for political accommodation at two levels: at the level of the whole of Somalia (i.e. accommodation between the entities that make up Somalia, including Puntland, Somaliland and other regions), and at the level within each of the constituent entities (that make up Somalia)
4. To 'feed in' technical options directly to the target audience (mentioned above)
5. To contribute to a targeted dialogue among key constituencies on political accommodation and provide options for the process and structure of that dialogue

Political accommodation

The term political accommodation “encompasses the objectives, process or outcome of mutual conciliation around competing political views and interests.”

Conflict Dynamics has developed a typology of six focal areas for political accommodation which is being used to explore technical options for Somalia:

• Political Structure and Decentralization
• Electoral System
• Executive Branch
• Legislative Assembly
• Public Participation
• Traditional and customary arrangements

The program of work will be undertaken with a view to contributing constructively to peacemaking and peacebuilding processes, including constitutional processes. It seeks to encourage a focus on matters of conciliation and accommodation.

Project architecture and methodology

The program of work will include a substantive research and option generation component as well as a process-related dimension.

The methodology to implement the substantive part of the program of work consists of several components: (A) extensive literature review; (B) interviews and consultations; (C) development of technical options for political accommodation; (D) targeted presentation of technical options to political actors; and (E) consultations, outreach and dissemination.

The architecture for developing technical options focuses on options at two levels: at the level of the whole of Somalia; and at the level within the constituent entities.

The methodology for supporting and/or developing options for ongoing processes begins with systematic analysis using Conflict Dynamics' typology for political accommodation, and then combines cycles of consultations and dissemination with refinement of options.

Project outputs

The primary deliverables developed under this project are technical inputs and options pertaining to political accommodation. The substantive component will include analysis of the existing frameworks that lays out the modalities, institutions and arrangements for political interaction and accommodation. This will also include analysis of relevant case study contexts that may provide examples of technical attributes to formulate customized options for the situation in Somalia.

Options developed will be presented in targeted briefing papers which will be available in Somali and English.