Candidate of the Federal Republic of Somalia for the presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union

 On September 9, the Federal Parliament Council approved Mrs. Marwa Abdi Bashir, a member of the Federal People’s Assembly, to be the Federal Republic of Somalia’s candidate for the presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The parliamentarian submitted her candidacy report to members of the People's Assembly, which could benefit Somalia politically, in developing government services, and making crucial decisions.

Mrs. Marwa Abdi Bashir said: “If we win the next session, the presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union will raise the level of diplomacy and relations that our country Somalia enjoys in the international arena. It will also provide opportunities to communicate with other countries and follow up on international discussions on parliamentary and political issues.”

Ms. Marwa added that the Inter-Parliamentary Union supports the development of important policies and initiatives for each member state, such as human rights, democracy and public cooperation.

Mrs. Marwa explained that if she wins, Somalia, as an Arab, Islamic and African country, could attract, for the first time, the attention and influence of international media, which could be a reason to raise the country’s reputation, and perhaps Somalia could gain diplomatic power in the next few years.

Ms. Marwa Abdi Bashir has more than 15 years of experience in the government field, where she has gained an exceptional understanding of Somali business laws, national and international business practices, and is proficient in the Somali languages, English and Arabic.

The candidate of the Federal Republic of Somalia for the presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Algonquin University, Ottawa, Canada, in 1997-2000, and office administration from Algonquin University, Ottawa, Canada, 1996-1997.

She held several important positions in the private and public sectors, and in 2022 she won her constituency, where she became a deputy in the 275-member Federal People’s Assembly, and she was also chosen as vice-chairman of the Assembly’s natural resources committees.

In the year 2018-2020, Mrs. Marwa Abdi Bashir worked on a World Bank project, where she was the project coordinator at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. It supported the Ministry in managing contracts for the communications strategy, and also strengthened cooperation between the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and the World Bank team, consultants and federal member states.

Indeed, it has strengthened the capabilities within the main institutions of the federal government and member state governments involved in the development and governance of the oil sector, and has also launched annual work plans for the implementing agencies based on unified models, in addition to its good management of the implementation of the project’s procurement plan, and adherence to procurement guidelines and the provisions of the grant agreement.