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The Somalia office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said on Wednesday that it had launched a project to encourage Somali professionals living abroad to use their skills to improve the lives of their compatriots back home.
The project, dubbed Qualified Expatriate Somali Technical Support (QUESTS), is modelled on the UNDP global initiative known as Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN), which encourages expatriate nationals to volunteer their skills in the service of their homelands for short periods of time, the agency said in a statement.
Under the QUESTS project, authorities in Somalia and local and international humanitarian organisations will identify priority sectors, which would benefit from the skills of Somali expatriates. Health, education and agriculture have initially been identified as the priority sectors.
"The project will engage Somali institutions operating in these sectors by encouraging them to identify immediate, short-term capacity needs and diaspora professionals to fulfil them," UNDP said.
UNDP would support 10-15 institutions annually to bring interested diaspora professionals to Somalia on a voluntary basis with a view to addressing three major needs: the reversal of brain drain, support lasting peace, and increase the participation of the Somali diaspora in the creation of a conducive environment for sustainable human development.
"We encourage professionals in the diaspora to contact local hospitals, clinics, schools, universities and other facilities operating in their sector of expertise," Maxwell Gaylard, UNDP Somalia Resident Representative said.
"By communicating directly with the institutions and assisting them in identifying needs and how you can assist, we can improve the standard of living of ordinary Somalis, and create a unified effort and revitalized spirit needed to rebuild Somalia," he added.
The project will be implemented by UNDP Somalia’s Governance and Financial Services Programme that focuses on building the capacity of human development and financial services.
The agency encouraged interested Somali professionals in the diaspora to contact their local community organisations. Interested institutions were also invited to apply to participate in the project.
Information on eligibility and application forms are available online at www.so.undp.org or at UNDP Somalia offices.
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