Somaliland Policy and Reconstruction Institute will host the 2006 Somaliland Conference, in conjunction with the Somaliland Communities of North America, on September 8-10, 2006 at Metro-Washington DC.

Capacity Building while holding hands: The Convention, which builds on last year's successful Los Angeles convention, aims to focus on the twin objectives of governance and development. After nurturing peace and stability for fifteen years and have successfully transitioned to a democratic system of governance, the focus will be on capacity building of te nascent democratic institutions and economic development to improve the lives of the people of Somaliland. Our objective is engaging the international community, and highlighting the need for the Diaspora community to organize and pool their economic and intellectual resources globally to give back to their people.

The conference will feature prominent speakers who will share their experiences by addressing some of the critical issues that are facing Somaliland today. The following is the list of speakers, panelists and discussants confirmed thus far.

From inside Somaliland

• Somaliland Administration representatives. 1-2 senior Ministers, (including the Foreign Minister) and possibly even the President, to attend.
• The Heads of both Houses of the Legislature (the Speaker and Vice-Chair of Parliament and the Chairman of the Guurti (Council of Elders).
• Heads of Opposition Parties: Chairpersons of KULMIYE and UCID.
• Chairman of Somaliland Election Commission
• Representatives of Civil Society, Women’s Groups and Academia
• Representatives of the Business Community (among them: Chief Executive Officers of Daallo Airlines and Telsom (Telephone) Company.

From the Diaspora:

• Prominent members of the Somaliland community in th US, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, from academia, the private sector, and community organizations). University professors.

Friends of Somaliland Communities - keynote speakers invited include:

• Ambassador David Shinn, Adjunct Professor, The Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University
• Prof. Eqbal Jhazbhay, Lecturer, University of South Africa
• Stephanie Blanton Director of Africa Program (International Republican Institute)
• Dave Peterson Director of Africa Program (National Endowment for Democracy)
• Matt Bryden Director of Africa Program (International Crisis Group)
• Prof. William Reno Program of African Studies, North Western University
• Dr. J. Peter Pham Director of the Nelson Institute, James Madison University
• Ambassador, Princeton Lyman Director, Africa Policy Studies, Council of Foreign Relation
• Dr. Jeffrey Herbst Vice president-Provost-Academic Affairs, Miami University, Ohio
• Prof.Mitsugi Endo, Waka University, Tokyo Japan.

For Convention logistics, including details about the conference agenda, conference registration, registration fee payment types, and hotel reservations; please visit the web site www.sopri.org

Ahmed Mahdi,
Director, Media and Communications
2006 Somaliland Conference
contact@sopri.org