Hargeisa, Somaliland | 30 July 2026

In Hargeisa, 91 women now shaping Somaliland’s justice institutions have completed training that puts survivors — not procedure — at the centre of how justice is delivered.

Delivered by UNDP through the UN Joint Rule of Law Programme II, in partnership with UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with funding from the European Union. the training held on 6 to 22 July 2026 strengthened 91 participants’ legal expertise while promoting survivor-centred, gender-responsive approaches to justice and stronger collaboration across Somaliland’s justice institutions. The participants recorded an average 27-percentage-point improvement in legal skills assessments, strengthening their ability to support survivors of gender-based violence.

The programme builds on broader efforts to strengthen access to justice across Somaliland. In 2025 Somaliland’s new Legal Aid Law helped more than 1,800 vulnerable people access free legal aid, including 547 women, while Baahi-Koob Centres in Hargeisa, Burao and Borama supported 464 survivors of gender-based violence with integrated legal, medical and psychosocial care.

Participants represented the Attorney General’s Office, the Somaliland Judiciary, the Somaliland Women Lawyers Association ( SWLA), the Somaliland Lawyers Association ( SOLLA), the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Baahi-Koob Centre, Hargeisa University, the Faculty of Law and Legal Clinic, the National Human Rights Commission and civil society organizations.

Opening the programme, H.E. Mohamud Abdirizak, Director General of the Ministry of Justice, emphasized that women justice professionals are central to rebuilding public trust in institutions that have historically been difficult for many women to access.

Other speakers, including representatives from the Attorney General Office, Somaliland Lawyers Association and the High Court, reinforced this message, emphasizing that women are not only beneficiaries of capacity-building initiatives but also leaders and decision-makers shaping stronger justice institutions.

“For women survivors, navigating the justice system can be very daunting. They often must engage with multiple institutions including community support, police, prosecution, lawyers and courts. A delay or error at one stage can create cascading effects throughout the justice pathway and have significant consequences for their wellbeing, access to justice and confidence in the system,” said Nimco Ali Jama, Attorney at the Attorney General’s Office.

That perspective was reinforced by participants who stressed that strengthening women’s representation within justice institutions is equally important.

“I think we need more women professionals in the justice system. While increasing the number of women may not be sufficient to transform the justice system, greater gender diversity brings a wider range of perspectives and can help address the gender power imbalances in the justice system and the legal, cultural and institutional barriers that women face in accessing justice and, in the long term, improve justice outcomes for women,” said Amina Hassan Osman, Senior Lawyer at the Somaliland Lawyers Association.

The training combined technical legal knowledge with practical, gender-responsive, survivor-centred and inclusive approaches to justice. It addressed the barriers women and vulnerable groups continue to face in accessing justice, including social stigma, limited access to female justice professionals, obstacles affecting persons with disabilities, and the frequent informal resolution of serious gender-based violence and family-related cases outside the formal justice system. Participants also explored practical challenges such as incomplete investigation files, insufficient evidence, delayed medical and forensic documentation, confidentiality concerns and inappropriate pressure on prosecutors handling sensitive cases.

Bringing together prosecutors, lawyers and paralegals who typically engage at different stages of a case, the training created a rare opportunity to examine the justice system as an interconnected process. Participants identified opportunities to strengthen coordination across reporting, investigation, prosecution, court proceedings and survivor support, helping reduce gaps that can affect survivors’ access to justice.

“We need to gather all the information in order to establish the facts, but the way we ask can either encourage the person to speak and share experiences or make her close down,” said Khadra Hussein Mohamud, Deputy Attorney General.

The impact of the training was reflected in participants’ assessment scores, which increased from 65 to 89 percent in the first cohort, 56 to 84 percent in the second and 50 to 80 percent in the third, representing an average improvement of more than 27 percentage points across all participants.

About the Project

The UN Joint Rule of Law Programme II is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with financial support from the European Union. The programme supports justice institutions across Somaliland to strengthen the rule of law, improve equitable access to justice and promote accountable, inclusive and gender-responsive justice systems.

UNDP gratefully acknowledges the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands for its financial contribution through UNDP Window Funding, which contributed to the successful implementation of this training.