Somalia signs an agreement in Geneva to promote human rights and support the establishment of an independent commission.

Somalia signs an agreement in Geneva to promote human rights and support the establishment of an independent commission.

 The Federal Government of Somalia, represented by the Minister of Family Development and Human Rights, Ambassador Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi, signed an agreement with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to implement Human Rights Council Resolution A/HRC/RES/60/28, concerning the establishment of the Independent Human Rights Commission of Somalia.

The agreement aims to define the framework for cooperation and technical support necessary to strengthen the human rights system in Somalia and enable it to fulfill its national and international obligations.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the United Nations by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and represents a preliminary step towards opening the Office of the High Commissioner in Mogadishu, the first of its kind in the country.

This step comes within the framework of ongoing government efforts to develop the human rights sector and strengthen its institutions, in parallel with the progress made in establishing the Independent National Human Rights Commission.