Hargeisa- It is a ritual supposed to keep women “pure,” but an increased understanding of the severe health risks of extreme forms of female genital mutilation appears to be slowly rolling back its prevalence in Somalia’s northwest.
In the self-declared Somali republic of Somaliland, most women over 25 have undergone the most extreme form of FGM, known as “pharaonic.” This entails removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, cutting out flesh from the vulva and sewing up the outer labia, leaving only a tiny orifice for the passage of urine and menstrual flow.
The procedure is normally done with a razor blade when the girl is between 5 and 11 years old, and without any pain killers. They remain sewn up until marriage, at which point they are either opened up during sex — causing pain and distress to both partners — or cut open with scissors.
“I cut girls for 15 years. My grandmother and mother taught me how and it was a source of income for me — but I stopped doing any cutting four years ago,” recounted Amran Mahmood.
“I decided to stop because of the problems. The worst time was when I was cutting a girl and she started bleeding. I injected the muscle to stop the bleeding and I cleaned the area and she kept on bleeding.”
As well as social status, being a so-called “cutter” brought in good money. Cutting one girl takes 30 minutes and brings in between US$30 and US$50, a large sum of money for Somaliland.
Amran’s own daughter was cut, but she swears her granddaughters will not undergo the full procedure.
After attending awareness programs organized by Tostan, an anti-FGM NGO financed by the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF, Amran has become an anti-cutting advocate.
‘Things are changing’
The medical consequences of the stitching — urine retention, blocking of menstrual flow, pain, bleeding, infection and childbirth complications — have brought the practice into disrepute.
In the urban setting of Hargeysa at least, the generation who are adolescents today have largely abandoned it in favor of less extreme forms, which still involve the removal of the clitoris.
Their mothers, mindful of the pain they themselves have endured, support the change.
“Things are changing. There are now men willing to marry uncut girls,” said village headman Mohamed Said Mohamed, a Muslim like most in Somalia, sporting a graying beard and a traditional sarong.
“I am totally against cutting. It is not accepted by our religion.”
FGM is concentrated in some 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, according to the World Health Organization which says cutting has no health benefits and brands the practice a violation of human rights. It says more than 125 million girls and women today have undergone the procedure, whose roots are a mix of cultural, social and supposedly religious factors.
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to eliminate FGM in December 2012.
At Sheikh Nuur primary school the girls sit on one side of the classroom in long beige skirts topped off by a black hijab, the boys on the other in beige trousers and white shirts.
“People are beginning to see how dangerous the extreme form is,” said 14-year-old Sagal Abdulrahman, a slim, articulate and slightly solemn girl.
“The first type involved stitches, and is the painful one, because there are many times when the woman gives birth and has pain. And ? when she has her period, it causes pain. The second type is not that painful,” said her classmate Asma Ibrahim Jibril.
“I’m very happy because my parents chose the less severe one, and I was very OK with that. And I won?t face the painful things that would come in the future,” she said.
– Islamic jurisprudence –
For Charity Koronya, a UNICEF protection officer, all forms of FGM must be stopped.
“To me total abandonment is the key because even if it is just a small cut it is still a violation,” she said, explaining that she herself comes from a Kenyan tribe that practices the clitoridectomy form of FGM.
She escaped the practice because her father, who travelled outside their home district for his work, refused it.
The issue of whether of whether Islamic law requires FGM is the subject of much discussion, with several clerics admitting they themselves are confused.
The car bomb rammed into a concrete barrier in front of the presidential palace
A huge car bomb has exploded at the gate of Somalia’s presidential palace, followed by a fierce gun battle inside, officials say.
At least two senior officials and nine attackers are reported dead but the security minister told the BBC the situation was “under control”.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has told the UN envoy to Somalia he was not harmed, envoy Nick Kay has tweeted.
The al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab has said it carried out the attack.
‘Scattered human flesh’
BBC Somalia analyst Mohamed Mohamed says this is the first time that al-Shabab fighters have entered the presidential palace, known as Villa Somalia.
Another police officer, Hussein Farah, told Reuters there were about 10 assailants, wearing uniforms similar to that of the presidential guards.
“All the Shabab fighters perished, some blew up themselves while others were shot dead. Several government guards also died,” he said.
“Now the fighting is over, and scattered on the scene is human flesh and blood.”
Security Minister Abdi Karim Hussein told the BBC Somali service that all of the country’s leaders were safe.
Senior officials in the prime minister’s office and security services are said to have been killed.
Al-Shabab military spokesman Sheikh Abdul Aziz Abu Musab said militants were still in control of some buildings inside the presidential compound.
“Our commandos have attacked the so-called presidential palace in order to kill or arrest those who who are inside,” he told the AFP news agency.
Mr Kay said the attack on Villa Somalia had “failed”.
“Sadly some lives lost. I condemn strongly this terrorism,” he said.
Al-Shabab was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 but it still controls many smaller towns and rural areas of the country and stages periodic attacks in Mogadishu.
Some 22,000 African Union troops are helping the government battle al-Shabab.
The car bomb rammed into a concrete barrier in front of the presidential palace
A huge car bomb has exploded at the gate of Somalia’s presidential palace, followed by a fierce gun battle inside, officials say.
At least two senior officials and nine attackers are reported dead but the security minister told the BBC the situation was “under control”.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has told the UN envoy to Somalia he was not harmed, envoy Nick Kay has tweeted.
The al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab has said it carried out the attack.
‘Scattered human flesh’
BBC Somalia analyst Mohamed Mohamed says this is the first time that al-Shabab fighters have entered the presidential palace, known as Villa Somalia.
Another police officer, Hussein Farah, told Reuters there were about 10 assailants, wearing uniforms similar to that of the presidential guards.
“All the Shabab fighters perished, some blew up themselves while others were shot dead. Several government guards also died,” he said.
“Now the fighting is over, and scattered on the scene is human flesh and blood.”
Security Minister Abdi Karim Hussein told the BBC Somali service that all of the country’s leaders were safe.
Senior officials in the prime minister’s office and security services are said to have been killed.
Al-Shabab military spokesman Sheikh Abdul Aziz Abu Musab said militants were still in control of some buildings inside the presidential compound.
“Our commandos have attacked the so-called presidential palace in order to kill or arrest those who who are inside,” he told the AFP news agency.
Mr Kay said the attack on Villa Somalia had “failed”.
“Sadly some lives lost. I condemn strongly this terrorism,” he said.
Al-Shabab was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 but it still controls many smaller towns and rural areas of the country and stages periodic attacks in Mogadishu.
Some 22,000 African Union troops are helping the government battle al-Shabab.
Camel milk, used medicinally for centuries by nomadic people, is the closest to human mother’s milk and contains 10 times more iron and three times more vitamin C than cow’s milk, according to The Huffington Post. Camels possess unique, powerful immune-system components, which are contained in their milk. Camel milk might potentially benefit disorders including diabetes and autism. As with any natural remedy, consult your doctor before drinking camel milk.
Diabetes
Low-fat camel milk not only contains healthy vitamins and minerals, but also is a rich source of insulin. This milk reportedly has about a quart of insulin in each liter, making it a potential treatment option for diabetics. The Huffington Post cites a 2005 study by India’s Bikaner Diabetes Care Research Center that observed the effects of camel milk on type 1 diabetes. Researchers determined that consuming camel milk significantly reduced insulin doses required to maintain long-term glycemic, or blood sugar, control. According to lead researcher Dr. R.P. Agrawal, 500 ml of raw, fresh camel milk daily improves the lives of diabetics due to an insulin-like protein that is absorbed rapidly and does not coagulate. However, Agrawal also states that insulin remains the most efficient treatment for diabetes, unless it is not an option. While research appears promising, additional scientific studies are needed to prove the effectiveness of camel milk for the treatment of diabetes.
Autism
Some camel milk proponents believe that camel milk might benefit people with autism. A study published in the 2005 edition of the “International Journal of Human Development” observed the effects of camel milk consumption, instead of cow milk, on autistic people. Researchers discovered that after a 4-year-old female participant drank camel milk for 40 days, her autism symptoms disappeared. A 15-year-old boy also recovered after 30 days of drinking the milk. In addition, several autistic 21-year-olds consumed camel milk for two weeks and were observed to be quieter and less self-destructive. Though the milk is believed beneficial, insufficient scientific evidence exists to prove the effectiveness of it in the treatment of autism.
Allergies
Camel milk lacks two powerful allergens found in cow milk and contains immune system components that might benefit children allergic to milk and other foods. A study published in the December 2005 edition of the “Israel Medical Association Journal” investigated the effects of camel milk on eight children with severe milk and other food allergies. After failing to respond to conventional treatments, study participants consumed camel milk under the direction of researchers. Daily progress reports indicated that all eight children fully recovered from their allergies with no side effects. In fact, researchers stated that results were spectacular when compared with traditional treatments. Disease-fighting immunoglobulins in camel milk were believed to play a key role in reducing allergic symptoms; however, additional scientific research is needed to sufficiently prove the effectiveness of camel milk in treating allergies.
Immune
The potent immune-system components in camel milk might help fight diseases. Purportedly, the small size of the immunoglobulins, or antibodies, found in camel milk enables easy targeting and penetration of foreign disease-causing substances, called antigens, for destruction by the immune system. People with autoimmune system disorders, such as Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis, have immune systems that attack their own body tissues. Although traditional treatments for autoimmune disorders suppress the immune system, camel milk benefits these disorders by boosting it, according to Israeli physiology professor emeritus Dr. Reuven Yagil. Despite conventional wisdom, Yagil asserts that his observations over a five-year period indicate that camel milk can control or even heal autoimmune disorders, but insufficient scientific evidence exists to prove the effectiveness of camel milk in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
By Goth Mohamed Goth
HE President Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud Silanyo today officially opened the new headquarters of the Ministry of Sports and Youth building at the same time laying the foundation to a new building which will house the headquarters of Somaliland Youth organization during a well-attended ceremony.
President Silanyo presided over the twin ceremonies in the presence chairman of the national youth umbrella Hon Mubarik Ismael Taani, the Minister of Sports and Youth Hon Ali Said Raygal, executive director of SONYO Said Mohamed Ahmed and other top officials.
The Chairman of SONYO Hon Mubarik Ismail Taani on behalf of Somaliland youth thanked President Silanyo for his support towards the needs and priorities of the youth in form of the support the government offers and which are vital in mobilizing young people in Somaliland in order to engage with development issues.
Hon Mubarik Ismail Thani also lauded the support the current government the ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs and the ministry of finance for allocating funds in form of the Somaliland Youth Development Fund for the first time to be used in implementing National Youth Policy.
The Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs speaking at the ceremony said, “I do hereby thank his Excellency President Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud (Silanyo) for his never ending support to the youth of this country of whom the future lies with”,
The Sports Minister added that the youth umbrella ( SONYO) plays an important role in alleviating the status of the youth in the country such the economic enablement of the youth and which role the Somaliland National Youth Organization (SONYO Umbrella) in mobilizing and empowering young people in Somaliland.
The young Ethiopian woman at the centre of a trial where she was gang raped by seven men has been found guilty of committing “Indecent Acts”. She has been sentenced to 1 month in prison which has been suspended and a fine of 5000 Sudanese Pounds (approximately 961USD).
Of the seven men who were also under trial, three were convicted of adultery and sentenced to 100 lashes, whilst a further two were convicted of indecent acts and sentenced to 40 lashes, one with an added 3000SDG (577USD approx) fine and the other with an added 2000SDG (385USD approx) fine. A sixth person involved with incident was set free due to insufficient evidence against him. A further man was convicted of Article 153, distributing indecent material, and was sentenced to 40 lashes and a fine of 10,000 SDG (1,923USD approx). Those subject to lashings had their sentences carried out immediately afterwards in a closed court setting.
The victim, an Ethiopian migrant, has now further been threatened by the court with Article 30-A of the passports and immigration law (of 1994) which is as translated “punishment for illegal entry: anyone who enters Sudan illegally and stays in the country illegally, faces a jail sentence not less than one year and not more than two years or faces a fine or both sentences. And the court has to send him/her back”
The 18 year old Ethiopian woman was lured to an empty property whilst she was house hunting, once there she was attacked by seven men and gang raped. The incident was filmed by perpetrators but was only sent out through social media six months later in January 2014. It was the film that prompted the arrests and investigations of all persons involved with the incident. The Ethiopian woman, who is currently nine months pregnant, was three months pregnant at the time of the rape itself. Since her arrest she has been kept in police cells and been refused requests for her transfer to medical facilities.
Since the court case began on the 6th Feb, various charges have been added, removed or amended against those standing trial, with up until yesterday (19th Feb) the Ethiopian woman as well as five of the male perpetrators being charged with adultery. Similarly, where there had been some dispute regarding the woman’s marital status, the court finally accepted that she was divorced, thus mitigating the threat of a death by stoning sentence which could be levelled against a married person for adultery.
It is of note that the woman, in the aftermath of the rape, was found by a police officer. The police officer in question brought the woman to a police station however due to it being the public holiday of Eid Al Fitr failed to file a formal complaint. The Attorney General, following the woman’s arrest, has since blocked the woman from filing a complaint of rape as she was under investigation for a criminal offence. There is no legal guidance on whether a person under a criminal investigation can raise criminal complaints and the Attorney General has arbitrarily interpreted this legal void in a way that the perpetrators have been made immune from prosecution for rape.
Denying her the ability to make a formal complaint which serves to refute the charges being laid against her and pursue justice, renders the perpetrators immune from accountability and violates the rights of the victim. It furthermore is prohibitive of her making a future complaint as it is illegal for persons to be tried using the same facts and evidence twice.
The conviction of indecent acts against the woman seeks to place culpability upon the part of the victim, but is also notable in that the conviction of adultery was dropped as a verdict of adultery rests upon a demonstration of consent on her part, which could not be proven.
The case has raised multiple challenges regarding the treatment of rape survivors and their capacity to pursue justice and exacerbates the risk that those who have been raped and victimised already maybe re-victimised by the judicial system and subject to imprisonment, fines or at worst corporal punishment. Placing culpability on the part of the victim minimises the accountability of the perpetrators and implicitly sends a message that sexual violence is in part the fault of the victim.
Hala Elkarib, SIHA Network’s Regional Director stated that, “This verdict reflects the substantial challenges in enabling victims of sexual violence to pursue justice. It will also serve to prevent future victims from speaking out and seeking assistance and entrenches a culture of impunity for perpetrators.”
“Women migrants and IDPs are some of the most marginalised people in Sudan and most vulnerable to violence, abuse and persecution. The Sudanese judiciary today has demonstrated its incapacity to protect the most vulnerable in society and instead attempt to delegitimize those that experience abuse at the hands of its citizens. The levelling of immigration charges against the victim further denies her protection by the state and protracts the punishment and emotional stress against her whilst she has been subjected to the most brutal of crimes.”
For more information please contact joanne@sihanet.org or reem@sihanet.org on either +256 779 386 476 or +249 (0)912333763 (liaison with lawyers working on the case can be arranged as can statements from SIHA Regional Director)
NOTES AND INFORMATION:
• It is of note, that Sudanese legislation, in respect of adultery, is the effective criminalisation of all sexual relationships outside of the marital bond, as such any individual that has had intercourse with a person to whom they are not married is liable to be charged for adultery. The punishments stipulated within legislation vary in relation to the marital status of the perpetrator and for those who are already married; the penalty can be as severe as death by stoning.
• It is of note further that the commission of adultery rests upon the capacity for the woman to give consent to sexual intercourse, which in this case the Ethiopian woman was unable to do.
• Adultery Legislation in its full form:
Article 145
There shall be deemed to commit adultery:- (a) every man, who has sexual intercourse
with a woman, without there being a lawful bond between them; (b) every woman, who permits a man to have sexual intercourse with her, without there being a lawful bond, between them.(2)Sexual intercourse takes place by the penetration of the whole glans, or its equivalent into the vulva.(3)There shall not be deemed, to be lawful bond, marriage which, by consensus, is ruled void.
Article 146
Whoever commits the offence of adultery shall be punished with : (a) execution, by Lapidation (stoning) where the offender is married (muhsan); (b) one hundred lashes, where the offender is not married (non-muhsan).(2) The male, non-married offender may be punished, in addition to whipping, with expatriation for one year.(3) Being “muhsan” means having a valid persisting marriage at the time of the commission of adultery; provided that such marriage has been consummated.
• Details on Sudan’s Criminal Code and Article 151 can be found on pages 2 – 11 of the SIHA report to the 52nd Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.
• A further report by Nobel Women’s Peace Initiative and the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict detailed the complexities of pursuing rape cases in Sudan and the re-victimisation by the legal system of those who have been violated.
• Although rarely executed, the sentence of stoning for adultery has been deployed twice in recent years, both times in 2012 where two women, Intisar Sharif and Layla Jamool were convicted for adultery. Following appeals in both cases, the sentences were overturned.
• Migrants in Sudan experience substantial mistreatment and marginalisation by Sudanese authorities and the Sudanese community at large. Significant animosity is directed towards the Ethiopian community on the pretext that they are steeling jobs with prejudices being laid against them that they are either HIV positive or that they are all prostitutes.
• The Sudanese media has been engaged in an effort to defame and thus delegitimize the Ethiopian woman in a bid to reduce the perception of criminality by the perpetrators. Such defamation has included falsely claiming that she has HIV and claiming that she is a prostitute. There have even been cynical attempts to falsely claim that the men were accidently prescribed hallucinogenic drugs by a chemist beforehand.
• The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network) is a regional network working in the Horn of Africa (HoA), since the early 1990’s with a membership of women’s civil society organisations in the region, which include Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. Our vision is that all women and girls in the HoA must have the right to live in a peaceful, just environment and to exercise their equal rights as human beings. SIHA works to realize this vision through a network that is well grounded within civil society and regionally active, whilst taking account of global issues.
SIHA’s overarching goal is to eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls. SIHA does this through implementing capacity building programs to grass roots civil society, providing direct support for women in conflict and post conflict situations, and promoting the human rights of women through advocacy and campaigning activities.
www.sihanet.org
SomalilandPress-The recently announcement of acquisition by the current government of Road construction equipment has finally materialized with the assorted road works equipment consisting of heavy duty earth excavators, Bulldozers ,tankers ,heavy duty trucks and other assortment of equipment arrived in the country today.
The Minister of Presidential Affairs Hon Hersi Ali Haji Hassan and other top government officials, local elders, chieftains, Sultans and members of the Burao-Erigavo Road funds committee received the assorted equipment at the Kalaybdh custom office, in Gabeliy region.
The Road construction equipment meant to be used in the building of the phase one of Burao-Erigavo road was offloaded from a cargo ship docked in neighboring Djibouti and was received by government officials led the Minister of Presidency in a ceremony in Kalaybdh and was later transferred to officials from Somaliland Roads Agency.
The Presidency Minster said, “I am so pleased and I thank Allah for making these possible today to see the arrival of these equipment safely in the country, as you can see these equipment consists of heavy duty earth excavators, Bulldozers, tankers, heavy duty trucks just to mention a few and we are still expecting more to arrive in the country in the few coming months which includes excavators and Tar mixing equipment such as boilers and lots of other equipment essential for road construction.
Hon Hersi went on to say, “We shall make a public announcement this coming Saturday regarding the amount of funds collected for the road and we shall be honoring all those citizens who have donated and contributed to the road in addition to a list of those persons who have pledged to donate towards the road construction so I do inform those doubting Thomas to wait until Sartuday”,
Political Settlements and State Formation: The Case of Somaliland may not sound like much of a page turner, but it is brilliant. It explores one of those natural experiments beloved of researchers – what can we learn when two neighbouring countries part company and head off in different directions (North v South Korea, West v East Germany).
Phillips compares Somaliland v Somalia – while the first has emerged from the shared chaos of the 1990s (and a brutal effort by Somalia to put down Somaliland separatists) into the sunlit uplands of relative peace and stability (some taxation, rudimentary public services, security, two peaceful presidential transitions through the ballot box, including one to the opposition), the other is the quintessential failed state. How come?
Her conclusions do not make comfortable reading, for they trample on any number of received wisdoms. Try these on for size:
Somaliland’s government has received virtually no direct financial aid, largely because it is not internationally recognized. The country itself gets a lot of aid via NGOs, UN projects etc etc, but the government has been generally outside this loop, forced to rely on local sources of funding.
Perhaps more important than the financial aspects, this meant there was no pressure to accept template political institutions from outside. Instead, Somaliland had time and political space to negotiate its own (e.g. clan-based) political settlements. The process involved a series of ad hoc, messy, consultative, and local peace conferences. In the most important conference, in 1993, one group stalled proceedings by reciting the Koran for several days. That’s not in the good governance playbook.
The peace process was almost entirely locally funded, due to Somaliland’s unrecognized status (so no bilateral aid or loans were available). That produced a strong sense of local ownership (literally). In the words of one minister, when asked by Phillips about aid ‘Aid is not what we desire because [then] they decide for us what we need’.
What’s less discussed is the power politics that underlies this transition. The second president used private loans to demobilise about 5,000 militia fighters. He offered stability (and tax breaks) to the business elite in exchange for funding demobilisation and the nascent state institutions. This was effective but certainly not inclusive – the elite came mainly from the President’s own clan. But according to Phillips, Somalilanders generally still see it as a legitimate process – that’s what leaders do.
The paper highlights the critical political importance of elite secondary schools in forging leadership. Available to a relatively small group of often privileged Somalilanders, this is in stark contrast to the donor emphasis on universal primary education. In particular, many of Phillips’ interviews led to the Sheekh Secondary School, set up by Richard Darlington, who fought in WWII as the commander of the Somaliland Protectorate contingent. Sheekh took only 50 kids a year and trained them in leadership, critical thought and standard (Darlington borrowed from the curriculum of his old school, Harrow). Sheekh provided 3 out of 4 presidents, plus any number of vice presidents, cabinet members etc. And no it isn’t a weird Somaliland version of Eton and Harrow (I asked) – it stressed student intake from all clans, especially from the more marginalized ones.
Somalilanders believe they are special, but also at risk:
‘For Somalilanders, the threat of violence was less from an external invasion than an internal combustion. This perception had profound impacts on the institutions – and the ideas about violence that undergird them – that were fostered during this period. Protection from violence was viewed as an internal matter, and if violence had been a political tool and a political choice for local actors in the recent past it was believed that it could become so again with little warning. Peace was precarious, and it rested on a tenuous balance between coalitions with roughly equivalent power. Somaliland’s civil wars in the mid-1990s provided the opportunity for local coalitions to determine that no one clan could dominate the others.’
Conclusion (with due nods to local context, can’t generalize etc etc)? There is an upside to detachment from external aid and political influence. In the right circumstances, being detached can promote co-dependence between local elites, leading to durable, authentic institutions: ‘legitimate institutions are those born through local political and social processes, and that these are largely shaped through the leadership process.’
Here is the letter to the Director General of the International Labour Organization on the complaint submitted by EI (Education International) Committee on Freedom of Association of the ILO violation of Conventions 87 and 98 of the ILO by the Government of Djibouti. The complaint was submitted on behalf of SYNESED, SEP and EI (Education International).
Mr Director-General,
Please find enclosed a complaint to the Committee on Freedom of Association, presented by Education International (EI) Education, the Union of teachers colleges and schools of Djibouti (SYNESED) and the Teachers’ Union First Degree (MS), for violations of Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise and Convention 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining by the Government of the Republic of Djibouti. These fundamental ILO Conventions have been ratified by both the Republic of Djibouti in 1978.
Please kindly forward this communication to the Committee on Freedom of Association as a formal complaint against the Government of the Republic of Djibouti.
EI, the SYNESED and SEP are concerned about the deteriorating situation of teachers Djibouti and serious violations of freedom of association in the country and hope that the strong recommendations of the Committee will full respect for trade union rights in Djibouti.
The contact person for this complaint is Mr. Farah Abdillahi Miguil, Secretary General of SYNESED, which can be reached through the International Education for more information.
Please accept, Sir, the assurances of our friendly greetings,
Ms. Ismail is receiving an honorary Doctor of Sciences this according to Vice President and Secretary of the University Leslie Laird Kruhly who has announced the 2014 honorary degree recipients and the Commencement Speaker for the University of Pennsylvania. The Office of the University Secretary manages the honorary degree selection process and University Commencement.
The 258th Commencement ceremony will be streamed live over the Internet.
For University of Pennsylvania Commencement information, including historical information about the ceremony, academic regalia, prior speakers and honorary degree recipients seewww.upenn.edu/commencement
Eugenio Calabi – Doctor of Sciences
Thomas A. Scott Professor of Mathematics Emeritus,University of Pennsylvania
Johnnetta Betsch Cole – Doctor of Humane Letters
Director, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art; Former President, Spelman College
Edna Adan Ismail – Doctor of Sciences
Director and Founder, Edna Adan Maternity Hospital; Founder, Edna Adan University, Hargeisa, Republic of Somaliland
John Legend, C’99 – Doctor of Music
Grammy-award winning songwriter and musician; Founder, Show Me Campaign
Raymond G. Perelman, W’40 – Doctor of Laws
CEO, RGP Holdings; Trustee, Raymond and Ruth Perelman Education Foundation
Olympia J. Snowe – Doctor of Laws
Former United States Senator; Chairman and CEO, Olympia Snowe LLC
George A. Weiss, WG’65 – Doctor of Laws
CEO, Weiss Multi-Strategy Advisers LLC; Founder and Chairman, Say Yes to Education Foundation
Edna Adan Ismail In 1961,Edna Adan Ismail became Somaliland and Somalia’s first qualified nurse/midwife when she returned to her homeland after training in the United Kingdom. Her career has been dedicated to improving health conditions, reducing the rates of maternal and infant mortality and providing health care for thousands of women and children. Through the years, she has served in many roles for the World Health Organization, as a nurse/midwife educator, an advisor for issues relating to maternal and child health, including gender issues and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, and as the WHO representative in the Republic of Djibouti where she served until her retirement in 1997. Upon her retirement, she personally funded, built, and opened in 2002 the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Somaliland. The hospital is a major referral hospital as well as a teaching hospital for nurses, midwives and other health professionals, including medical students and anaesthesia technicians. Ms. Ismail became the first and only woman Minister in the government of Somaliland when she assumed the role of Minister of Social Affairs in 2002, and from 2003 to 2006, she served as Somaliland’s Foreign Minister. In 2012, Ms. Ismail opened the Edna Adan University which trains nurses, midwives, laboratory technicians, pharmacists and public health students. Ms. Ismail has received numerous awards, including several honorary degrees, and is an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University, School of Nursing in Wales. In 2010, Ms. Ismail was knighted ‘Chevalier dans l’ordre Nationale de la Legion d’Honneur’ by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and was also awarded the President’s Gold Medal from the University of Pretoria, South Africa for her humanitarian efforts. Ms. Ismail was inducted into the Medical Mission Hall of Fame in 2007.
Ms. Ismail is receiving an honorary Doctor of Sciences.
