Thursday June 12, 2014
Hiiraan Online
Dr.Abdirahman Beileh, alongside his counterparts from Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone was hosted at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in central London by Mark Simmons MP the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The meeting was aimed at the exchange of views and national experiences of the long term issue of child soldiers in their countries. All the Ministers agreed that child soldiers were an appalling reality that needed an urgent response in tackling from them and their development partners across the world.
Dr.Beileh in his statement expressed gratitude to the organisers of the meeting including Mark Simmons MP, the British government and the British embassy in Somalia. He expressly thanked them for their support in returning Somalia to the international agenda by being one of the leading nations supporting Somalia in its efforts and journey to stability and development.
Dr. Abdirahman Beileh passionately stated his government’s commitment to safeguarding and protecting Somali Children from the terror and the lasting long life trauma of conflict. The Minister spoke of his country’s civil war and its crippling impact on society and its most vulnerable citizens especially women and children. He identified the key problem in terms of tackling the matter permanently as alternative livelihoods for his country.
“It is imperative that we as a government find alternative livelihoods for the affected children and their families,” said the Dr. Beileh. “We need to provide for their every basic need which is every child’s Human right.”
Dr. Abdirhman Beileh announced one of the programmes his government is tirelessly working on is Give your Gun and Go to School (GIGS). This programme is aimed at establishing vocational training courses and strategies for children between 10-17 years of age who were unable to be absorbed in to the normal school system.
“This (GIGS) will provide them with the opportunities to go to boarding schools to train and educate themselves so that they are better equipped to better their lives.”
The Foreign Minister, Dr. Beileh, made very clear that the future success of GIGS or any other programme of support for the most vulnerable in Somali society will depend on partnership, co-ordination and leadership from all stakeholders including businesses and civil society.