This briefing paper seeks to understand the existing gender situation in the Somali media and make recommendations to Fojo Media Institute and International Media Support on how to develop their ‘Strengthening Somali Media” program in a gender-sensitive manner.

Fojo Media Institute (Fojo) and International Media Support (IMS) commissioned this briefing paper on gender and the Somali media in preparation for the implementation phase of the SIDA-funded project ‘Strengthening Somali media: Promoting peace, reconciliation, accountability and citizen participation in democratic processes.’ Currently in the inception phase, the project is intended to span four years, and this study paper is intended to inform the project’s overall gender strategy and framework as the project is refined for implementation and rolled-out over the remaining three-and-a-half years.

The project has three focus areas: (i) to increase freedom of the media, (ii) to increase media independence, and (iii) to improve the quality of journalism across all three regions of Somalia – South Central, Puntland, and Somaliland. At the same time, Fojo and IMS have identified three cross-cutting areas – peace and reconciliation, gender, and youth – which they are committed to effectively addressing as part of the project.

The cross-cutting theme of gender is of particular importance in Somalia, as women’s participation in the public sphere is continuously challenged and their rights are relentlessly contested. Yet, in the wake of the installation of the country’s first permanent government in over two decades in South Central Somalia, there exists a window of opportunity to reform patriarchal roles and create a power structure that is inclusive of Somalia’s diverse population, women included. As Fojo and IMS have recognized, the media serves as a powerful tool in giving women and other marginalized groups a voice, and their engagement as both creators and consumers of media vis-à-vis this project, is integral to achieving the ‘peace, reconciliation, accountability, and citizen participation’ that the project title promises to deliver.