Mogadishu, Somalia — Somalia's House of the People Speaker, Abdukadir Mohamed Nur Jama, has urged a parliamentary committee to accelerate its work on pending legislation, with a particular focus on laws protecting the rights of women, families and children.

Jama met with the House Committee on Human Rights, Women and Humanitarian Affairs to discuss speeding up its activities and completing draft bills awaiting review before they can be submitted to the lower house of parliament.

He instructed the committee to give priority to legislation concerning women's rights, family affairs and child protection, according to a statement from parliament.

The speaker said he was committed to strengthening parliament's legislative and oversight roles, particularly in safeguarding the rights of Somali citizens.

He also stressed the importance of respecting the rights and dignity of every citizen to ensure equal access to justice.

The meeting comes as Somalia continues efforts to strengthen its legislative framework and institutions responsible for protecting citizens' rights. No details were provided on the specific bills under consideration or a timeline for their submission to parliament.