Report by International Observers on the 2016 Voter Registration Process in Somaliland

The Somaliland voter registration process began on 16 January 2016, concluding on 26 September 2016, and was conducted by the Somaliland National Electoral Commission (NEC) in all six regions of the country. International development agency Progressio, the Development Planning Unit (DPU) at University College London (UCL), and members of Somaliland Focus (UK), observed the process at different points during this period. Our international election observer (IEO) mission followed previous observations by these three organisations of Somaliland’s House of Representatives election in 2005, presidential election in 2010 and local council elections in 2012. The purpose of the 2016 mission was to inform Somalilanders and key international actors about the quality and legitimacy of the voter registration process. The credibility of the presidential elections due to take place in 2017 will depend to a great degree on the legitimacy of the biometric registry. Somaliland is the first African country to undertake biometric registration based on iris- recognition software, a process expected to safeguard against multiple registrations and voter fraud. This had been a major issue during Somaliland’s first voter registration process in 2008–10, during which different clans motivated their members to register multiple times in order to augment their numbers and political influence. There are therefore high expectations that the current register will provide a credible voters’ list. Given common and often deliberate irregularities with voter registers in other African states, and the challenges experienced during Somaliland’s previous process, having a credible register for forthcoming elections will be a major step forward for the two-decade-long process of state-building and democratisation in Somaliland – part of its quest for international recognition. Voters we interviewed also clearly made this connection, stating that voter registration is the basis for a credible election, which is in turn important for Somaliland to achieve international recognition. Overall, we assessed that the NEC conducted a highly successful registration process, which was largely peaceful, well organised and effectively managed. The work of NEC staff was characterised by goodwill and a determination to complete the registration in a professional and independent manner. Nonetheless, challenges remain. It is still unclear how the publication of the final voters’ list will proceed, and how the NEC will undertake regular updating of the voter register. The major future risks, though, appear to be political rather than technical. To date, the NEC has been keenly aware of the sensitivities attached to registration data, particularly when disaggregated to district level, and has been cautious regarding the dissemination of this information. In our view, the most significant challenge ahead relates to the eventual release of that data. The process must be handled with care, but it is also important that registration figures to the district level are released reasonably promptly so that the discussion of electoral matters – such as the siting of polling stations and parliamentary seat allocation – can take place in an informed context

Sensitivity of Lake Sturgeon population dynamics and genetics to demographic parameters [Powerpoint Slide]

Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens restoration is a priority throughout the Great Lakes basin, where sturgeon have been reduced to less than 1% of historic levels due to habitat degradation, overharvest, and fragmentation of spawning populations. The population parameters most important to long-term lake sturgeon persistence are unknown

Political Settlement in Somaliland: a gendered perspective

Research suggests that inclusive political settlements tend to be more stable. For Somaliland in the northern Horn of Africa, stability is underpinned by a patriarchal clan-based system that is non-gender-inclusive. The question therefore arises as to how the transition to greater inclusivity might be achieved without destabilising Somaliland’s political settlement in the process. The most recent 2012 Gender Inequality Index for Somalia rates the whole of the old Somali Republic at 0.776 (1 indicating maximum gender inequality), the fourth-lowest position in the index (UNDP Gender Unit, 2012). In practice, this means that the Somali territories are characterised by high levels of maternal mortality, gender-based violence, illiteracy, child marriage, rape, female genital mutilation and inadequate health services for women and girls. While this data does not relate to Somaliland alone, it provides a likely indication of the severity of the imbalance between women and men in the country. The data that is available for Somaliland shows similar gender disparities. Girls are less likely to be enrolled in primary school, for example, with 95,578 recorded in Somaliland in 2012/13 against an enrolment of 119,453 for boys. That disparity increases significantly at secondary level, with 12,306 female enrolments in the same year against 26,932 for males (MoLSA, 2014). Despite the pains of transition, there is good reason to consider a more inclusive political settlement as a means of reinvigorating the Somaliland polity. Our research and other evidence in the secondary literature show that people in Somaliland are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the ‘politicisation’ of clan and the rise of ‘clannism’. These developments in the political settlement are themselves potentially destabilising, but this time of change offers room for gender-focused activism that uses greater inclusivity for women and men (as well as minority groups) to help promote peaceful transition in Somaliland. In this report, we argue not only that the Somaliland political settlement is currently relatively stable but non-inclusive in gender terms, but that there are compelling reasons on both normative and instrumental grounds to urgently improve this situation. We present the results of a 21-month research project, including new primary data about attitudes towards improving women’s political participation and reducing gender-based violence. We conclude the report with a number of suggested initiatives, the contours of which are worth emphasising from the start. Firstly, it is important that international involvement is not seen to dominate gender initiatives to the degree that these interventions add to the growing perception that ‘women’s issues’ are a concern of liberal foreigners and are therefore ‘un-Somali’. Secondly, it is important that donor programmes seeking to address the gender-inclusivity of Somaliland’s political settlement take a long-term view, and are grounded in principles supported within Islamic ethical structures. The Somaliland government and political parties also have a significant role to play in opening spaces for both men and women to participate actively in political activities at all levels. Thirdly, therefore, we recommend a return to closed lists in elections, and a focus on finding ways to deliver on the constitutional guarantee of equal rights for all citizens. While it has supported Somaliland’s peace effectively in many ways, clan-based justice is manifestly unjust in many cases of sexual violence. Fourthly, we therefore suggest that it is important that mechanisms be found to draw customary elders into a legal system that provides more effectively for the victims in such cases. Somaliland’s success in establishing a viable political settlement in the face of considerable odds is impressive, but the transition from customary structures to those of representative nation-state politics exposes gender imbalances that could threaten to undermine that success. The research outlined in this report supports efforts to engender an inclusive and robust political settlement for the future

Efficacy of a Web-Based, Crowdsourced Peer-To-Peer Cognitive Reappraisal Platform for Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Self-guided, Web-based interventions for depression show promising results but suffer from high attrition and low user engagement. Online peer support networks can be highly engaging, but they show mixed results and lack evidence-based content. Objective: Our aim was to introduce and evaluate a novel Web-based, peer-to-peer cognitive reappraisal platform designed to promote evidence-based techniques, with the hypotheses that (1) repeated use of the platform increases reappraisal and reduces depression and (2) that the social, crowdsourced interactions enhance engagement. Methods: Participants aged 18-35 were recruited online and were randomly assigned to the treatment group, “Panoply” (n=84), or an active control group, online expressive writing (n=82). Both are fully automated Web-based platforms. Participants were asked to use their assigned platform for a minimum of 25 minutes per week for 3 weeks. Both platforms involved posting descriptions of stressful thoughts and situations. Participants on the Panoply platform additionally received crowdsourced reappraisal support immediately after submitting a post (median response time=9 minutes). Panoply participants could also practice reappraising stressful situations submitted by other users. Online questionnaires administered at baseline and 3 weeks assessed depression symptoms, reappraisal, and perseverative thinking. Engagement was assessed through self-report measures, session data, and activity levels. Results: The Panoply platform produced significant improvements from pre to post for depression (P=.001), reappraisal (P<.001), and perseverative thinking (P<.001). The expressive writing platform yielded significant pre to post improvements for depression (P=.02) and perseverative thinking (P<.001), but not reappraisal (P=.45). The two groups did not diverge significantly at post-test on measures of depression or perseverative thinking, though Panoply users had significantly higher reappraisal scores (P=.02) than expressive writing. We also found significant group by treatment interactions. Individuals with elevated depression symptoms showed greater comparative benefit from Panoply for depression (P=.02) and perseverative thinking (P=.008). Individuals with baseline reappraisal deficits showed greater comparative benefit from Panoply for depression (P=.002) and perseverative thinking (P=.002). Changes in reappraisal mediated the effects of Panoply, but not the expressive writing platform, for both outcomes of depression (ab=-1.04, SE 0.58, 95% CI -2.67 to -.12) and perseverative thinking (ab=-1.02, SE 0.61, 95% CI -2.88 to -.20). Dropout rates were similar for the two platforms; however, Panoply yielded significantly more usage activity (P<.001) and significantly greater user experience scores (P<.001). Conclusions: Panoply engaged its users and was especially helpful for depressed individuals and for those who might ordinarily underutilize reappraisal techniques. Further investigation is needed to examine the long-term effects of such a platform and whether the benefits generalize to a more diverse population of users.MIT Media Lab Consortiu

Impact Of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Online Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Support Community Members: Survey Study

Background: People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research from the first two months of the pandemic suggests that a small proportion of people with OCD experienced worsening in their OCD symptoms since the pandemic began, whereas the rest experienced either no change or an improvement in their symptoms. However, as society-level factors relating to the pandemic have evolved, the effects of the pandemic on people with OCD have likely changed as well, in complex and population-specific ways. Therefore, this study contributes to a growing body of knowledge on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people and demonstrates how differences across studies might emerge when studying specific populations at specific timepoints. Objective: This study aimed to assess how members of online OCD support communities felt the COVID-19 pandemic had affected their OCD symptoms, around 3 months after the pandemic began. Methods: We recruited participants from online OCD support communities for our brief survey. Participants indicated how much they felt their OCD symptoms had changed since the pandemic began and how much they felt that having OCD was making it harder to deal with the pandemic. Results: We collected survey data from June through August 2020 and received a total of 196 responses, some of which were partial responses. Among the nonmissing data, 65.9% (108/164) of the participants were from the United States and 90.5% (152/168) had been subjected to a stay-at-home order. In all, 92.9% (182/196) of the participants said they experienced worsening of their OCD symptoms since the pandemic began, although the extent to which their symptoms worsened differed across dimensions of OCD; notably, symmetry and completeness symptoms were less likely to have worsened than others. Moreover, 95.5% (171/179) of the participants felt that having OCD made it difficult to deal with the pandemic. Conclusions: Our study of online OCD support community members found a much higher rate of OCD symptom worsening than did other studies on people with OCD conducted during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Factors such as quarantine length, location, overlapping society-level challenges, and differing measurement and sampling choices may help to explain this difference across studies

Warbixinta ku saabsan diiwaangelinta codbixiyayaasha ee Somaliland

Ujeeddada hawlgalkani wuxuu ahaa in ay ummada Somaliland iyo hay’adaha caalamiga ahi ogaadaan muhiimadda iyo tayada diiwaangelinta codbixiyayaasha. Doorashada soo foolka leh ee madaxwaynaha sannadka 2017-ka waxa saamayn wayn ku yeelan doonta inay si sharci ah oo xalaal ah u dhacday diiwaangelinta codbixiyuhu. Somaliland waa dalkii ugu horeeyey ee Afrikaan ah ee loo sameeyo diiwaangelinta codbixiyayaasha ee caalamiga ah ee ku salaysan software-ka loo yaqaan Iris-recognition software, habkan waxa la filayaa in uu ka hortago diiwaanglin soo noqnoqta iyo musuqmaasuqa codaynta. Laga soo bilaabo 2008dii ilaa 2010kii in la helo hab lagu diiwaangaliyo cobixiyayaasha Somaliland waxay ahayd geedka go’an lagu hawlanaa hirgalinteeda, muddadii lagu guda jiray hawshan dhaqan galinteeda qabiilooyin kala duwan waxay ku guubaabiyeen xubno ka tirsan reerahooda inay isdiiwaan galiyaan laba ama ka badan si ay saamayn badan ugu yeeshaan siyaasadda dalka. Rajada laga qabo kalsoonida liiska codbixiyayaasha la diiwaangaliyey oo sugani markan waa mid aad u sarraysa, marka la eego khaladaadka caadi ah ee inta badan ula kaca ah ee ka muuqda diiwaangelinta codbixiyayaasha dalalka kale ee Afrikaanka ah, iyo caqabadahii lala kulmay muddadii lagu guda jiray dhaqangalinta diiwaangelinta codbixiyayaasha doorashooyinkii hore ee Somaliland. Helitaanka diiwaangelin lagu kalsoonaan karo waxay doorashooyinka soo socda u noqon doontaa tallaabo hore loogu qaaday geeddi socodka labaatan jirsaday ee lagu dhisaayay qaran dimuqraaddi ah ee Somaliland, taas oo ka mid ah baadigoobka aqoonsi caalami ah. Codbixiyayaasha aannu waraysannay waxay carrabaabeen isa saamaynta, inay diiwaangelinta codbixiyaashu saldhig u tahay doorasho xalaal ah oo lagu kalsoonaan karo, taasoo lama huraan u ah aqoonsi caalami ah oo Somaliland hesho