Share & more
Women representing five regions in southern and central Somalia are holding a meeting in the town of Marka, 100 km south of the capital, Mogadishu.
The three-day workshop, jointly sponsored by the UN Development Fund for Women and IIDA, a local women's NGO, opened on Monday.
The workshop, which comes a few days before the Somali peace talks are due to open in Eldoret, Kenya, is expected "to give the women a forum to discuss, debate and develop an approach for peace that can succeed in Eldoret", said a press statement issued by IIDA on Monday.
The objectives of the workshop include "understanding the root causes of the civil war and identify solutions for approaching peace", it said.
The workshop is also expected to promote the awareness of the participants "on the Islamic view of women's role in decision-making and political participation", the statement added.
At the end of the workshop the participants will write an appeal to send to Eldoret, highlighting their common vision and strategy for accomplishing peace in Somalia.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions