By Goth Mohamed Goth
HARGEISA, Republic of Somaliland – NAGAAD National Women Network has convened a high-level regional conference aimed at developing sustainable strategies for the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The gathering brought together civil society organizations from across Somaliland, Somalia, and Djibouti, with the core objective of strengthening cross-border collaboration within the Horn of Africa. Participants focused on accelerating joint advocacy efforts and adopting unified, region-wide approaches to combat the practice.
A central component of the conference was the sharing of national experiences, lessons learned, and the diverse strategies each country has employed in the pursuit of FGM abandonment.
Delegates gained particularly valuable insights from the Republic of Djibouti, which shared its significant progress in this area. Djibouti’s comprehensive model—highlighting the successful enforcement of anti-FGM legislation alongside robust community mobilization and awareness campaigns—served as a key case study for effective, integrated approaches.
The conference concluded with the adoption of a joint communiqué. This document outlines a series of concrete commitments and defines actionable steps to guide collaborative efforts toward the total eradication of FGM across the region.