International conference, 2019 - Istanbul, Turkey

14th – 17th July 2019

Youth, Reconciliation, Business and Environment: Challenges and Opportunities

The conference brought together over 150 distinguished Somali delegates, from all areas of public life, including high-ranking politicians, diplomats, renowned academics, Islamic scholars, civil society leaders and established professionals from the private and public sectors. Themes addressed in the conference derived from some of the most pertinent and pressing issues facing the global Somali population, from business and entrepreneurship to youth and social responsibility. Keynote speakers and panellists engaged in widespread knowledge exchange with the audiences and shared their expertise, while also providing ways in which certain issues are to be tackled. There were also workshops and other collaborative events that maximised engagement among the audience, participants, and delegates. Entertainment was provided by famed Somali poets and musicians, while exhibitions to showcase the diverse creativity of the Somali culture and tradition were also central to the event. 

Key Achievements: 

· Brought together over 150 key diaspora stakeholders, policy makers, civil society organisations, international and government institutions, and Somali members of business and private sectors from across the world 

· Facilitated panel discussions, keynotes, and practical workshops to network, learn, collaborate, and tackle some of the biggest issues facing Somalia and Somalis worldwide 

· Enabled platforms for collective action and consolidated efforts and opportunities for Somalis to unify on key issues

Symposium in Mogadishu, Somalia

16 -17 December 2019

Global Somali Diaspora Summit in the Homeland

The objective of “GSD in action Mogadishu” program was to put in practice recommendations from GSD International Conference (GSDIC) that took place on 14 -17 June 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Istanbul conference emphasised the need for GSD to create solution-based awareness at local level about key pressing issues of concern such as: 

·  Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship: One of the greatest asset Somalia has is a high proportion of youth population. Failure to channel their energy and enthusiasm to country’s development will lead them to be a liability to the country and the world at large.  

·  Environmental Degradation: Somalia has experienced worst draught and flooding in recent years. Creating awareness of practical ways to deal and prevent flooding and draught is necessary. 

·  Citizenship: Understanding the rights and responsibilities of the citizen. The understanding of citizenship was badly damaged by the civil war and was highly diluted. There was a need to detox the bad thoughts out the youth’s understanding of citizenship. 

·  Genuine Collaboration between Diaspora and locals. Somali diaspora and locals are complementary in their strength and weaknesses. Combined they may achieve advances which neither could alone. This was to move from Solo efforts to collective effort between them.

Somali Diaspora Conference, London, United Kingdom

February 15th, 2019

Challenges and Opportunities in the UK

The British Somali community is one of the largest black and ethnic minority groups in the UK. The community is diverse and complex, yet the general public know very little about them. Being reliant on mainstream media, which inflates issues such as terrorism, famine and piracy, the average British citizen may form negative images. 

The community is often described as ‘hard to reach and difficult to understand.’ The misconception of the community, a limited understanding of its specific challenges and needs, related to education, employment, mental health, immigration and legal issues, youth identity crises, housing and so on, can influence policymakers, service providers and the wider British community in negative ways. Such misunderstandings and misconception have disadvantaged the community from gaining adequate access to the British mainstream. Alongside settlement and social integration difficulties, the dysfunctional politics and power struggle happening in Somalia have also harmed the function and coherence of the community in the UK.

This conference aimed to explore challenges, opportunities, and solutions in four main areas: 

1. Social integration: Youth identity, cultural adaptation, language as a tool of social integration, identity and belonging.

2. Education and employment: School performance, community tuition, access to higher education, parent-school relationships, unemployment, barriers to employment, employment/unemployment impact on social integration and community upward mobility.

3. Security, transnationalism, and homeland engagement: Transnational security, community business and transnationalism, finance, remittance, and money transfer.

4. Health, housing, and wellbeing: Mental health and emotional wellbeing, healing, trauma, diet, physical and social wellbeing.

The conference brought together academics who specialise in Somali studies, particularly in the diaspora.  We also brought together community practitioners and service providers who represented diverse voices and experiences. The combination of academics, community members and practitioners put forward unique ways to address these challenges. Besides gaining knowledge about the community, the conference was a good platform for networking and collaboration among those involved and interested in community affairs, or willing to understand the community from different perspectives or academic findings.

Achieved outcomes for participants: 

·  Increased knowledge of challenges facing Somali-British community in UK in the four main areas specified in the concept note.

·  Gained an excellent understanding of effective ways to address community needs and challenges from a variety of community perspectives and academic findings.

·  Increased knowledge and awareness of how to utilize the opportunities available for the community in UK.

·   Increased collaborative work between Somali diaspora UK, policy makers and service providers.

·   Establishing connections which will build networks that enable participants get access to expertise, skills, knowledge, and resources.

·  Online publication of conference proceedings.

Organised by Global Somali Diaspora (GSD) in partnership with Anti-Tribalism Movement (ATM), African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) and Department of Development Studies, SOAS University of London. Hosted by the Centre for African Studies (SOAS). Coordinated by Dr Yusuf Sheikh Omar, Board Member of GSD and a Research Associate at SOAS, University of London.