Sunday July 26, 2026
Mogadishu (HOL) – Somalia’s progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) came under international review at the 2026 United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) held from July 7 to 15, where the federal government presented country’s Second Voluntary National Review (VNR).
The review was presented alongside contributions from Somalia’s trade union movement as the UN’s recognized Major Groups and Other Stakeholders (MGoS).
The annual UN forum is the main global platform for reviewing implementation of the 2030 Agenda and brings together governments, UN agencies and stakeholders to assess progress and identify actions needed to accelerate the SDGs.
Among the invited participants was the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU), which attended under the leadership of the global trade union delegation coordinated by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), with support from the European Union.
FESTU said its participation enabled Somalia’s organized labour movement to contribute directly to global discussions on sustainable development and reinforce the role of trade unions as key partners in national development.
Presenting Somalia’s Voluntary National Review, Planning, Investment and Economic Development Minister Mahmoud Abdirahman Sheikh Farah Beenebeene, outlined the country’s progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda.
He highlighted achievements, remaining challenges and the need for stronger partnerships to accelerate implementation of the SDGs.
He was joined by Dr. Abdisalam Abdirahman Mohamed, director general of the Somalia National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS), who presented the statistical evidence supporting the review and described the consultation process used to prepare the national report.
At the invitation of the president of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), FESTU General Secretary Omar Faruk Osman addressed the forum on behalf of the Workers and Trade Unions Major Group during Somalia’s national 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 also urged greater efforts to advance decent work, expand universal social protection and strengthen peacebuilding through inclusive social dialogue.
Osman said those priorities are essential to achieving sustainable development and ensuring that economic growth benefits all sections of society.
FESTU’s participation at the forum followed months of involvement in Somalia’s national SDG monitoring, implementation and review process.
Together with its 12 affiliated trade unions, the federation took part in consultations for the preparation of the review, a process led by the Somalia National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS), under the Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development.
FESTU said it submitted recommendations reflecting workers’ priorities on decent work, human and labour rights, social protection, social dialogue, a just transition and other national development issues.
“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.
On the eve of Somalia’s presentation, FESTU and the International Trade Union Confederation ITUC launched Somalia’s Country Profile on the Realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The report outlines the priorities of Somali workers and calls for a new social contract that places workers at the centre of national development. It identifies decent work, labour rights, social dialogue and social protection as essential pillars for achieving the 2030 Agenda.
The report also advocates effective implementation of Somalia’s Decent Work Country Programme and closer alignment with the National Transformation Plan (NTP). It documents progress achieved through social dialogue and sets out the priorities and demands of Somalia’s trade union movement, describing it as the country’s largest membership-based social movement.
During the forum, the FESTU delegation also held bilateral meetings and joined thematic discussions with senior UN officials, government representatives and civil society organizations.
The discussions focused on strengthening the contribution of workers and trade unions to the global sustainable development agenda, promoting decent work, protecting fundamental rights at work, reinforcing social dialogue and advancing the safety of journalists, 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 also said progress could be seen between Somalia’s first and second Voluntary National Reviews, citing broader participation and stronger engagement by workers and other stakeholders in the national review process.
“Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires the full and meaningful participation of workers and their representative organizations,” the trade union underscored.
The federation pledged to continue working with national, regional and international partners to keep Somali workers’ voices central to sustainable development and ensure their priorities remain part of Somalia’s national agenda.
