As-salamu alaykum, Ramadan Kareem, and Happy International Women’s Day.

It's my pleasure to welcome Director General of the National Identification and Registration Authority of Somalia, Abdirehman Saeed Ahmed, and the NIRA team to this special Iftar gathering, celebrating their dedication and contributions.

This year, we celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme: For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment. It is a call to action, to unlock equal rights, power, and opportunities for all.

I extend my congratulations to NIRA and its committed staff for launching the transformative "Her Identity, Her Future" campaign, providing free ID registration for women throughout March. This initiative is a significant step toward ensuring that every woman in Somalia has access to legal identity and the opportunities that come with it.

I also appreciate NIRA leadership, along with the World Bank and UNDP teams, for enabling National ID registration for women during the holy month of Ramadan by establishing women-led registration centres in Mogadishu, Baidoa and Dhusamareb, where women enrolment officers are leading the registration process for women, ensuring an accessible and enabling environment for legal ID.

At UNDP, we are committed to gender-inclusive digital public infrastructure. Removing structural barriers that prevent women from accessing legal identity and economic participation is central to our mission of advancing inclusive, scalable, and sustainable digital public goods. The launch of dedicated women-only registration units is a major step toward creating a gender-responsive identity – one that ensures women feel safe and empowered.

We must also remember SDG target 16.9, to provide legal identity for all by 2030. Legal identiry enables more inclusive societies, better access to social services, greater safety and security. In this regard, I commend the Federal Government’s commitment to issuing a digital ID that supports Somalia’s socio-economic, financial and foundational development. 

However, the current gender gap in ID registration remains stark: 79% male and 21% female. This year, UNDP together with NIRA and research institutions, will conduct a behavioral insights research to identify cognitive, social, and structural barriers affecting women’s ID registration in Somalia. Through experiments and field studies, the research will test nudges like simplified messaging, social proof, and incentives to accelerate uptake. Findings will be scaled and integrated into Somalia’s mass registration strategy, ensuring a data-driven, inclusive approach.

Additionally, UNDP will support NIRA in developing a gender-responsive registration protocol, ensuring that identity services are tailored to women’s lived experiences by addressing practical constraints, cultural norms, and accessibility challenges.

Today, let me also recognize the Women of NIRA, who are at the forefront of digital identity implementation, ensuring inclusion is not just a policy but a practice. Their work is a testament to the power of women in governance, technology, and service delivery. By empowering women in the identity sector, we are strengthening institutions for a more equitable Somalia for future generations.

UNDP reaffirms its commitment to supporting NIRA in building a gender-inclusive identity system by promoting meaningful dialogue, enhancing institutional capacity, and driving gender-responsive civic education—ensuring that every woman has equal access to legal identity and the opportunities it unlocks. Thank you – Ramadan Kareem

Remarks by UNDP Resident Representative Lionel Laurens at the celebratory Iftar organized for Women in NIRA on the International Womens Day, 8 March 2025, by UNDP and NIRA in Mogadishu.