Major Concerns
When the World leaders adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000,Somalia was already into 9 years without a formal state. Today, 10 years later,Mogadishu manifests all the concerns that the MDGs seek to address in each of the 8 Goals.
Without a formal job market, widespread and stable agricultural and other economic activities,Mogadishuwallows in an almost permanent state of extreme poverty and hunger – the concern of Goal number 1. With broken down educational infrastructure,Mogadishulike the rest of Somalia has no programme, let alone the capacity to ‘achieve universal primary education by 2015’ as stated in Goal number 2. With broken down political institutions and fledgling Transitional Government, the environment and mechanisms ‘to promote Gender equally and Women Empowerment (Goal number 3) do not simply exist. Goals number 4 (reduce Child mortality) number 5 (improve maternal health) and number 6 (combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases are unlikely to be achieved a violent conflict environment that Mogadishu has become without innovative approaches and selfless dedication. The ongoing destruction and degradation of the environment completely undermines goal number 7: ensure environmental sustainability while insurgency and piracy undermine Goal number 8: Develop a Global partnership for Development. Yet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the most broadly supported, comprehensive and specific development goals the world has ever agreed upon and provide a legitimate Platform on which we can launch our plan to restore the glory ofMogadishu.
The Mogadishu City Council lacks Skilled Professionals to provide crucial Services, Strategic, Business or Operational Plans in place and formal Policies and Procedures. We came into an Administration without actively working Council Committees, without a history of regular or special meetings to pass resolutions and policies and an old Office Infra-structure sparsely furnished and equipped only with Typewriters. Currently, the Council is not able to pay the Staff and Volunteers who work for us.
In our quest to revive and restore the glory ofMogadishu, we shall have to address the persistent conflict, weak border policing mechanisms, Armed Opposition Groups and foreign fighters, prevalent culture of corruption, un-bridled competition for meager resources among the residents, and rogue members of the Business Community.
We shall also have to deal with the impact and effects of conflicting Foreign Interests and Actors as well as a Media focused on negative and sensationalist reporting. Much more immediately however, we shall have to resolve the problems of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Returnees deported from abroad whose numbers have increased in recent days. These concerns are captured in the following clusters: