The Somaliland Forum is an international organization that brings together Somalilanders from all parts of the world through the medium of the Internet. The primary objective of the Forum is to work with the communities around the world in order to provide some lasting solutions to the problems and needs of Somaliland and its people. The Forum primarily sponsors public programs that benefit a wide array of needs such as Education, Health, and Infrastructure. It has, in the past, helped schools, universities, hospitals, and orphanages. In addition, the Forum closely follows the regional and local politics in Somaliland, and is active in responding to issues that the Forum finds important.

About four years ago, a dozen individuals, who were tired of the pointless discussions on the Somalia Newsgroup, started exchanging email primarily to share news about home. These individuals, by virtue of there of their locations (Australia, Canada, Europe, Middle East and USA), immediately realized the potential of creating a broader network among the Somalilanders in the Diaspora. Thus, the Somaliland Forum was created. Forum, because, initially, it was simply a discussion forum. However, within two years its membership grew both in quality and in quantity. Currently, the forum is structured organization with Bylaws, rules and regulations, and elected Executive Committee as well as volunteer task Forces that implement the various projects and programs. The instantaneous nature of the medium of communication makes this organization a robust one, because ideas and issues emanate from around the globe and are instantaneously acted on by all interested in those ideas or issues.

To fight for one Somaliland: peaceful, united, democratic, just, and prosperous. To encourage and participate in the implementation of sustainable development in our homeland: equitable, economically viable, and environmentally sound development. To keep an eye on the dynamics of the regional politics and to formulate agenda for actions that best protect the interests of Somaliland and its people.

Objectives of the Forum include: to work toward assisting and promoting social, educational and economic development programs of our communities in Somaliland and abroad; to promote self-sustainability and economic independence of Somaliland; to promote democratic institutions in Somaliland in order to expose and fight corruption, and to support freedom of press, speech, and protection of individual and human rights; to promote and support the cooperation and peaceful coexistence between Somaliland communities; and to work toward the recognition of Somaliland as a member of sovereign independent UN States.

Although the advent of the forum was born out of the desire among Somalilanders to swap news about home, for the past two and half years the association has embarked on tangible activities that transcended the stereotype, that we (the Somalis people) only know how to talk. Thus far, the Forum undertook the following various project and organized the following cyperspace conferences.

In November 1997, Somaliland Forum sponsored an education assistance program. It donated school supplies and sports equipment to the Ministry of Education and classroom furniture to Farah Omar Secondary School in Hargeisa. The Forum raised money close to 4,000USD from its members and non-members for this project. The fund was used to purchase school supplies, furniture and sports equipment (such as basketballs and volleyballs).

Somaliland Forum initiated a program to treat and prevent malarial disease during the time the disease was at its peak, the first quarter of 1998. The Forum raised funds of 4,655USD for purchasing and distributing of malaria nets and tablets to the populace in the areas most affected by the disease. A total of 45000 tablets and 120 Mosquito nets have been distributed in the eastern provinces of the country (Garadag, Eil-Afweyn, Eirgabo, Gowsa-Weyne, Balanbaal and surrounding areas in particularly).

The Forum has embarked on systematic efforts aimed at promoting international recognition for Somaliland. These efforts primarily focus on "Making The Case" for the de facto State of Somaliland through sustained letter writing campaigns, press publications, information sessions and, when ever possible, demonstrations to be held at strategic centers where the Somaliland communities are concentrated. In February 1998, this program organized a demonstration in front of United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, as well as in Ottawa, Canada and London, UK. In 1999 the forum wrote open letters, among the others, to the Secretary General of the UN, to the President of the General Assembly, to the president of IGAD, as well as to the World Leaders. The Forum issued, in particularly, a Press Release in the occasion of the visit of the Somaliland President in the USA in September 1999.

In 1998, the Forum was involved in efforts to fight ban imposed by Saudi Arabia government in livestock imports from the East African countries, based on a report of an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in parts of Kenya and adjacent areas in Southern Somalia. The Forum wrote an appeal letter to the government of Saudi Arabia, and also worked on getting relevant reports from the international NGO's to looking for evidence, mostly from studies conducted by NGO such as WHO. The main aim was to prove our case that there is no Rift Valley Fever in Somaliland or Somalia, and that the ban should be lifted.

In 1999 the Forum donated 26,200USD to the Burco Hospital. It was one of the most successful fundraising Forum's campaigning, and the members were deeply touched by the response from the community in helping the hospital. These funds, raised from forum members, non-members and friends of Somaliland, were used to purchase two big electric generators and sanitation equipment for the hospital. Forum representatives directly delivered the equipment in July 1999 and handed them to the Burco Local Authority and Burco Hospital Administration.

In 1999 the Forum established SOAP, a humanitarian assistance program to the orphans in various Orphanage Centers (OCs) in Somaliland. The first recipient of this assistance was Hargeisa Orphanage Center (HOC). The short-term goals of this program included rehabilitating some of the damaged and uninhabited buildings of the HOC; buying bedding materials such as mattresses, bed sheets, basic play equipment for the children in the center. The Forum donated 6,740USD for rehabilitation of six buildings and appropriated 3000USD for beds, mattresses and bed sheets. Other OCs in other cities will follow as recipients of this assistance.

In 1999 a new Task Force to help the University of Hargeisa was established. The Forum has undertaken a fundraising campaign with Somaliland communities at large to raise funds that would enable the University to open its doors to high school graduates and the citizenry that may need polishing up skills that are marketable in Somaliland today. The first tangible result of this program was handing 10,000USD to the University as first part of its donations to the University. The second part of the donations is expected by the coming weeks. This program is studying new strategies to support the University in its long-term projects.

In August 1999, the Executive Committee of the Somaliland Forum delegated an ad-hoc committee to study the changes to the Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland proposed by the Somaliland Government, and to submit to the Forum their opinions and proposals. This ad-hoc committee prepared an open letter setting out Forum's comments and suggested sending this letter to the Government, the Houses of Parliament, and the Somaliland press. The Forum endorsed the idea and these recommendations were published on the local press in Somaliland. A booklet containing these recommendations and in general comments on the constitution is being published for wide audience. In march 2000, the Executive Committee proposed the formation of permanent Task Force for Constitution related issues, of which main aim is to develop the Forum's contribution to the dissemination of the provisions of the Somaliland Constitution, both at home and abroad.

In early 1999, the Forum established Human Rights Task Force as a result of the creation of "special" courts to deal with the "peace" in Somaliland. The Forum heard that the aim of the Administration in Somaliland was that these courts have powers that could deny basic rights of the accused people. It was the intention of Forum that such a Task Force will work towards safeguarding the rights of Somaliland citizens since that is one of the major goals of the Forum.

In 1999 the Human Rights Task Force undertook an action to condemn and oppose Press Laws that were proposed in Somaliland. The Task Force wrote a letter to the Somaliland Government to make clear the Forum opposition to the proposed law.

Since its birth, the Somaliland Forum has been striving to formulate a comprehensive plan to help the education system in Somaliland. The Forum organized in January 1999 a Panel on Education within the Forum members. The objective of the panel was to encourage Forum members to present papers and essays addressing the education system in Somaliland and to discuss what needs to be done to rehabilitate the system. Details on this program were provided after the panel discussion has been concluded and a final report was submitted to the Forum Committee. The forum, in collaboration with Somaliland Community in Finland, published the proceedings of selected papers/essays presented during the conference.

The Forum hosted an on-line conference on Economic and Social Development for Somaliland between January - February 2000. It has been a little over three weeks of absolutely essential and much needed intellectual discourse between the forum members. To follow up on some of the recommendations provided by the authors who shared their thoughts with the Forum, the Organizing Team members are consulting with a group of experts in this Forum to formulate policy instruments from the papers. These recommendations will be sent to the Government of Somaliland, Higher Education Institutions in Somaliland and other concerned national and international associations. The proceedings will be published in collaboration with the University of Hargeisa.

Each month, the membership of the Forum increases with minimum of 12 members. Each new member brings resources (i.e., skills, experience, global coverage, and possibly donations) into the Forum. As evident from its mission statement and objectives, the Somaliland Forum is a non-partisan organization whose members wish to uphold each and every statement in the Forum's mission and objectives. We do not release position statements without consensus (usually through vote) of general members. Our allegiance is to the Somaliland people and the nation. We are determined to forge ahead as we head into the new millennium and hope those on sidelines will join us in this struggle to build our home. It is the only way, if we want to repudiate the famous saying "cidi uma maqna, ceelna uma qodna" (laterally meaning "they neither have the resources to help themselves nor anyone else looking out for them.") We need to stress that repudiating this axiom is not an easy task, thus, we appeal to our fellow Somalilanders, including our Government officials, to work together for the common good.

For further information, please visit the Somaliland Forum's web-site at  http://wwww.somalilandform.com   
or send an email to somalilandforum@somalilandforum.com
You can reach the Forum by writing your preferred regional contact address.

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