Asha Haji Elmi (, ) (born 1962) is a Somali politician and peace activist. As of August 2012, she is a former member of the

Federal Parliament of Somalia The Federal Parliament of Somalia (; often ''Baarlamaanka Federaalka Soomaaliya''; ) is the national parliament of Somalia. Formed in August 2012, it is based in the capital Mogadishu and is bicameral, consisting of an Upper House (Senate) and a ...

Background

Elmi was born in 1962 in

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

. She hails from the Saleebaan sub-clan of the

Habar Gidir The Habar Gidir (Somali: Habar Gidir, Arabic: هبر جدر) is a major subclan of the Hawiye. The clan has produced some prominent Somali figures, including the first Prime Minister of Somalia Abdullahi Issa Mohamud, and Somalia's fifth Preside ...

.THE OFFICIAL LIST OF THE NEW MEMBERS OF SOMALI PARLIAMENT IN 2012-2016
For her post-secondary education, Elmi earned a degree in economics from the

Somali National University Somali National University (SNU) (, , ) is a national university in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Its campus grounds were located four kilometers from the Mogadishu International Airport (Aden Adde International Airport). It was establishe ...

. She also holds a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

from the US International University. Elmi is married to

Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid Abdi Farah Shirdon (; ; born 1958) is a Somali businessman, economist and politician. He served as the prime minister of Somalia between October 2012 and December 2013. Shirdon is credited with having overseen significant development in social s ...

, a prominent entrepreneur and the former

Prime Minister of Somalia The prime minister of Somalia () is the head of government of Somalia. There have been 22 official prime ministers since the office was created in 1956. The first prime minister was Abdullahi Issa, who served prior to independence in the Trus ...

Career

Peace activism

In the 2000s, Elmi formed the Sixth Clan women's movement to advance female participation in Somali politics. She was later selected to the

Transitional Federal Parliament The Transitional Federal Parliament of the Somali Republic (TFP) (; often ''Baarlamaanka Federaalka Soomaaliya'') was the national parliament of Somalia from 2004 until 2012. In a 2008 report called 'So Much to Fear' Human Rights Watch accused th ...

(TFP) on August 29, 2004, and served until 2009. Elmi is also the founder of Save Somali Women and Children (SSWC), created in 1992 during the height of the

Somali Civil War The Somali Civil War (; ) is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, the Somali Armed ...

. Additionally, Asha has been acknowledged internationally for her activism against

female circumcision Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. FGM prevalence varies ...

(FGC) in Somalia and in other areas. She frequently travels to college campuses and universities around the world giving speeches about local political conditions and the effects of FGC.

Federal Parliament

In August 2012, Elmi was selected as a legislator in the

Awards

Elmi has received numerous awards for her peace work. In 2008, she became a recipient of the

Right Livelihood Award The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob vo ...

"for continuing to lead at great personal risk the female participation in the peace and reconciliation process in her war-ravaged country". In September 2009, she was also among five nominees that were presented the Clinton Global Citizen Award.

References

External links

WAPPP Fellow, profile at Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

2009 Clinton Global Citizen Award Honorees Announced by President Clinton

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elmi, Asha Haji 1962 births Living people Members of People's House (Somalia) Somalian feminists Somalian women's rights activists Somali National University alumni 21st-century Somalian women politicians 21st-century Somalian politicians