Mogadishu, 15 June 2026 – As part of its National Staff Capacity Strengthening Programme, the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) has trained 22 staff members in Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) to strengthen leadership, people management and workplace engagement skills.
The three-day training brought together personnel from a wide range of UNSOS functions, including human resources, transport, engineering and facility management, supply chain management, procurement, common services, aviation safety, medical services, and other mission support areas.
The course focused on key areas of strategic people management, including performance management, creating psychologically safe workplaces, giving and receiving feedback, managing change and transition, building resilience, and promoting staff wellbeing.
Facilitators from the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) in Italy delivered the training through interactive discussions, group exercises and individual presentations, enabling participants to exchange experiences and explore practical approaches to workplace challenges, including managing stress and supporting staff wellbeing.
“National staff were prioritised because the course sits within the National Staff Capacity Strengthening Programme, whose purpose is to support the professional growth of national staff, strengthen their readiness for leadership responsibilities, and enhance their longer-term career prospects, especially in the context of transition and nationalisation efforts” said Leila Manly-Spain, UNSOS Training Officer.
For participants such as Garad Ahmed from the UNSOS Human Resources Management Section, the training provided practical tools to help staff navigate organizational change.
“The training has equipped me to understand strategies for change and managing resistance. This knowledge will help me to support employees through the transition, address concerns proactively and foster greater acceptance, commitment to organisational changes in the future,” said Garad.
For Hawa Ali Warsame from the UNSOS Medical Section, the training reinforced the importance of people-centred leadership, and the role managers play in setting direction, managing performance, and supporting staff through change.
“This training has shifted my understanding of leadership from task-focused execution to a more people-centered and strategic approach. I now see that successful project delivery depends not only on systems and processes but also on how well people are managed and supported,” said Hawa.
