Sunday July 26, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) – Somalia’s drive to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) faced international scrutiny at the 2026 United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), held from July 7 to 15, as the federal government presented the country’s Second Voluntary National Review (VNR).
Somalia’s trade union movement also contributed to the review through the UN-recognized Major Groups and Other Stakeholders (MGoS).
The annual UN gathering serves as the leading global platform for reviewing implementation of the 2030 Agenda, bringing together governments, UN agencies and stakeholders to measure progress and determine what action is needed to accelerate delivery of the SDGs.
The Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU) was among those invited to participate. It attended as part of the global trade union delegation coordinated by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), with support from the European Union.
FESTU said the forum gave Somalia’s organized labour movement a direct voice in global sustainable development discussions while underscoring the importance of trade unions as partners in the country’s development.
Planning, Investment and Economic Development Minister Mahmoud Abdirahman Sheikh Farah Beenebeene presented Somalia’s Voluntary National Review, detailing the country’s record in implementing the 2030 Agenda.
He set out the gains made so far, the obstacles that remain and the need to build stronger partnerships to speed up progress toward the SDGs.
Dr. Abdisalam Abdirahman Mohamed, director general of the Somalia National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS), joined the minister, presenting the statistical evidence underpinning the review and explaining the consultation process behind the national report.
At the invitation of the president of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), FESTU General Secretary Omar Faruk Osman spoke for the Workers and Trade Unions Major Group during Somalia’s review.
“Sustainable development cannot be achieved without full respect for fundamental human rights and internationally recognized labour rights. I call for stronger protection of journalists and decisive action to end impunity for crimes committed against them,” Osman said.
He called for intensified action to promote decent work, widen universal social protection and support peacebuilding through inclusive social dialogue.
Osman said these priorities were critical to sustainable development and to ensuring that the benefits of economic growth reach every part of society.
FESTU’s appearance at the forum capped months of engagement in Somalia’s national process for monitoring, implementing and reviewing the SDGs.
Working with its 12 affiliated trade unions, the federation participated in consultations to prepare the review. The Somalia National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS), under the Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development, led the process.
FESTU said its submissions captured workers’ priorities, including decent work, human and labour rights, social protection, social dialogue, a just transition and other issues central to national development.
“Many of our inputs were incorporated into the final review report, which demonstrated the value of an inclusive process grounded in social dialogue,” FESTU added.
A day before Somalia delivered its presentation, FESTU and the International Trade Union Confederation ITUC unveiled Somalia’s Country Profile on the Realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The document sets out the priorities of Somali workers and urges a new social contract that puts workers at the heart of national development. It names decent work, labour rights, social dialogue and social protection as core foundations for delivering the 2030 Agenda.
It also calls for effective implementation of Somalia’s Decent Work Country Programme and closer coordination with the National Transformation Plan (NTP). The report records advances secured through social dialogue and details the priorities and demands of Somalia’s trade union movement, which it describes as the country’s largest membership-based social movement.
While attending the forum, FESTU representatives took part in thematic sessions and bilateral meetings with senior UN officials, government delegates and civil society organizations.
Those talks examined how workers and trade unions could play a larger role in the global sustainable development agenda. They also covered decent work, fundamental rights at work, stronger social dialogue, journalist safety, democratic freedoms and civic space.
“Somalia’s trade union movement had made significant contributions not only to the country’s Second Voluntary National Review but also to the preparation of the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Somalia. We remain committed to working with the UN, the federal government, federal member states and other partners to promote social justice, decent work, human and labour rights and progressive labour legislation,” it noted.
FESTU said Somalia had made discernible progress between its first and second Voluntary National Reviews, pointing to wider participation and deeper involvement by workers and other stakeholders in the latest national review.
“Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires the full and meaningful participation of workers and their representative organizations,” the trade union underscored.
The federation vowed to maintain cooperation with national, regional and international partners so that Somali workers remain at the centre of sustainable development efforts and their priorities continue to shape the national agenda.
