STORY: Somali information ministry: more alignment

needed between government and international partners

on public awareness programmes
TRT: 3:55
SOURCE: UNSOM STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AND
PUBLIC AFFAIRS GROUP
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CREDIT REQUIRED: UNSOM STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 20/AUGUST/2019 MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, banner

2. Wide shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
3. Med shot, ministers of information from the federal member states of
Puntland, Galmudug, Jubaland, South West and Hirshabelle, directors from
the federal ministry of information, attending the consultative meeting
convened by the Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
4. Med shot, ministers of information from the federal member states of
Puntland, Galmudug, Jubaland, South West and Hirshabelle, directors from
the federal ministry of information, attending the consultative meeting
convened by the Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
5. Med shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
6. Med shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
7. Med shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
8. Wide shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
9. Wide shot, facilitator addressing participants during the consultative meeting
convened by the Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
10. Med shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
11. Close up shot, an official from the ministry of information giving his remarks
during the meeting
12. Wide shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
13. Med shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
14. Wide shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
15. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) MOHAMED ABDI HAYIR, FEDERAL MINISTER OF
INFORMATION, CULTURE AND TOURISM
“We would like our international partners to follow the set policies and
guidelines of the Ministry of Information, responsible for guiding and setting
policies of public awareness activities in Somalia.”

16. Wide shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
17. Close up shot, Abdirahman Koronto, the Senior Advisor to the Minister of
Information, presenting the ministry’s public awareness strategy.
18. Med shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
19. Med shot, Somali government officials listening during the consultative
meeting convened by the Federal Minister of Information, Culture and
Tourism
20. Wide shot, Abdirahman Koronto, the Senior Advisor to the Minister of
Information presenting the ministry’s public awareness strategy.
21. Med shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
22. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) ABDIRAHMAN KORONTO, SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, CULTURE AND TOURISM
“These are all meant to promote transparency. If you are doing something in
Somalia, let’s see what you are doing. As authorities at the federal and
member state levels, we have to know what you are doing, how are you
doing it, and how you achieve what you are doing. There must be a mirror
where we can see that everything is in line with what you are doing. The
Ministry of Information is not interfering, but needs to have oversight.”

23. Med shot, the Senior Communications Officer for AMISOM, Gifty Bingley,
flanked by AMISOM Public Information Officer, Gaffel Nkolokosa, listening
during the meeting
24. Med shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
25. Wide shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
 26. Close up shot, Somali government officials listening during the meeting
27. Med shot, ministers of information from the federal member states of
Puntland, Galmudug, Jubaland, South West and Hirshabelle, directors from
the federal ministry of information, attending the consultative meeting
28. Wide shot, journalists covering the function
29. Med shot, journalists covering the function
30. Med shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
31. Wide shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
32. Med shot, Information Minister, Federal government of Somalia, Abdi Hayir
inviting participants to give comments or ask questions
33. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) CARLOS ARAUJO, CHIEF OF STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS GROUP, UNITED NATIONS
ASSISTANCE MISSION IN SOMALIA (UNSOM)
“Without coordination and collaboration, unity of messaging, accountability
and knowledge of the local context, national public awareness campaigns are
bound to fail. This is why this meeting is so crucial.”

34. Wide shot, participants applauding

35. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) GIFTY BINGLEY, AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN
SOMALIA (AMISOM) SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
“We hope to work collaboratively with the Government. This is a welcome
meeting.”

36. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) ABDURAHMAN OSMAN, CONSULTANT BASED IN

MOGADISHU
“We have got a negative image. So we have to fight this off, and the way to
fight is to present our positive side and highlight it and do it as best as we
can.”

37. Wide shot, participants attending the consultative meeting convened by the
Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism
38. Wide shot, participants walking off after the meeting

Somali information ministry: more alignment needed between government and

international partners on public awareness programmes

Mogadishu, 20 August 2019 – Greater alignment and coordination of

communications efforts in Somalia, and the benefits of such cooperation, were
among the main points of discussion at a gathering of Somali and international
communicators today.

“We would like our international partners to follow the set policies and guidelines of
the Ministry of Information, [which is] responsible for guiding and setting policies of
public awareness activities in Somalia,” the Federal Minister of Information, Culture
and Tourism, Mohamed Abdi Hayir ‘Maareeye,’ said at the gathering.

Mr. Hayir noted that some international agencies working on public awareness
activities in Somalia had not been following established government policies and
strategies.

The minister was speaking in the capital, Mogadishu, at a consultative meeting with
representatives of international organizations and firms that are working on media
and public awareness programmes in Somalia. Those attending included
representatives from the United Nations system, the African Union, foreign
embassies and private companies.

Today’s meeting is part of a four-day long consultation organized by the Federal

Government of Somalia’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MOICT), and
attended by the information ministers from several of the country’s Federal Member
States, including the Ministers of Information from Puntland, South West State,
Galmadug, Hirshabelle – Ali Hassan Ahmed, Hassan Mohamed, Mohamed Aden
Osman and Abdiweli Mohamed Abdi – in addition to various officials these states
and Jubaland.

Support for public awareness plan

In his remarks to the gathering, the federal minister appealed to international

partners to support the implementation of the country’s media and public
awareness strategy, which seeks, among other goals, to counter negative narratives
and aid efforts to restore peace and stability.

In February this year, the MOICT launched the three-year plan – known as the
‘National Strategy for Public Awareness 2018-2021’ – which is centred on
coordinated and aligned public awareness campaigns by Somali authorities, media
houses, civil society groups and international partners.

A senior MOICT advisor, Abdirahman Mohamed Aden ‘Koronto,’ outlined to the

gathering the ministry’s policies, strategy and guidelines.

“These are all meant to promote transparency,” he noted. “If you are doing
something in Somalia, let’s see what you are doing. As authorities at the federal and
member state levels, we have to know what you are doing, how are you doing it, and
how you achieve what you are doing.”
“There must be a mirror where we can see that everything is in line with what you
are doing,” he added. “The Ministry of Information is not interfering, but it needs to
have oversight.”

Partners welcome meeting

Speaking on behalf of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), the Chief of

its Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Group, Carlos Araujo, welcomed the
meeting and its aims.

“Without coordination and collaboration, unity of messaging, accountability, and

knowledge of the local context, national public awareness campaigns are bound to
fail – this is why this meeting is so crucial,” Mr. Araujo said, adding that strategic
communication can play a vital role in promoting broader public understanding and
endorsement of government policies.

A senior communications official from the African Union Mission in Somalia

(AMISOM), Gifty Bingley, echoed Mr. Araujo’s sentiments: “We hope to work
collaboratively with the government. This is a welcome meeting.”

In his comments to the meeting, a Mogadishu-based communications consultant,

Abdurahman Osman, highlighted that improved collaboration among the MOICT and
its international partners would help support efforts to rebuild Somalia’s image as
the country emerges from decades of instability.

“We have got a negative image, and the way to fight it is to present our positive side
and highlight it and do it as best as we can,” said Mr. Osman.

Today’s gathering came to an end with the announcement of plans to hold technical-
level meetings between government and international partner communicators on a
regular basis in order to discuss the alignment and implementation of public
awareness programmes and review ongoing projects.