Somali Cabinet Approves One-Stop Public Service Centre, Endorses Marine Biodiversity Pact

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Somalia’s Council of Ministers on Thursday approved the establishment of a unified public service centre known as Halmeel, aimed at streamlining access to government services and improving service delivery for citizens.
The new centre, which will operate under the Office of the Prime Minister, has been tasked with coordinating, integrating, standardising and modernising public services across the Federal Government so citizens can access multiple services through a single connected system.
According to the government, the Halmeel centre is designed to reduce bureaucratic layers, reform complex administrative processes, and improve data-sharing among government institutions. The initiative is also expected to eliminate the need for citizens to repeatedly submit the same information to different offices.
The weekly cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre.
Ministers also approved Somalia’s accession to an agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, commonly known as the BBNJ Agreement.
During the session, the cabinet received updates on national security, public finances, and the condition of the country’s rivers. A detailed assessment on river conditions was presented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation.
Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre also commended the country’s armed forces after a security report presented to the cabinet indicated that the overall security situation had significantly improved, with a notable decline in insecurity incidents nationwide.