| The Road To Recognition
Recognition!! What exactly recognition means? What benefit comes with it? Can anation and its people exist, survive and at the same time develop without beingrecognized? How to achieve recognition? The questions are many and complex. But,let’s focus on those we mentioned above. What ex actly recognition means? Well, the answer to this question lies in the def inition of the word RECOGNITION: (to accept or approve something). Pra ctically, a recognized nation is a full member of the United Nations. That nationhas a seat in the General Assembly of the U.N and can appoint a diplomat torepresent it in this assembly. It has also the right to join any international orcontinental organization like the AU, the Organization of the Islamic Countries, theNon-aligned nations and so on. What benefit comes with it? Being recognized has a huge benefit. It means that youcan have diplomatic relations, trade relations, defense treaties and other importantbilateral and multilateral agreements with the other free nations of the world. Arecognized country can send ambassadors to other nations to protect the foreign andtrade interests it has in the overseas. A passport is another vital document that arecognized country’s people use to travel abroad without obstacle. Depending on thestature and position that a country has in the circles of the internationalcommunity (militarily, economically, and strategically) directly affects theinfluence it has on the other continents and countries. Can a nation and its people survive without recognition? This question is verycrucial in many ways, and the answer is YES and NO!! Yes, people can survive without recognition, because recognition is not a lifenecessity like oxygen or water. For example, Somaliland (a republic in the Horn ofAfrica) has not been recognized by a single nation on earth for almost two decades.It doesn’t get any foreign investment or direct aid from the international donorinstitutions like the World Bank and the IMF. Somaliland has no trade
agreements ordiplomatic relations with anybody, yet life goes on.
No, to some extent it is difficult to live in a country where no-one
elserecognizes. It means you can’t travel freely and you can’t trade
easily. Lack offoreign investment also means shortage of employment,
poor public infrastructure andeconomic hardship. How to achieve
recognition? This is a tricky and thought provoking question.
Thereis no specific road to take in order to attain recognition. In
my view, there aretwo ways that Somaliland can try: PUBLICYCING and
LOBBYING. For example, Somalilandcan advertise its natural beauty
and tourist hotspots like Daalo and Gacan Libaaxmountains on the
international TV channels such as CNN and ALJAZEERA. The second
wayis to lobby the Somaliland cause in both the regional and global
bodies namely IGAD,the AU, the EU, and the ARAB LEAGUE by sending
delegates to the headquarters ofthese organizations. In conclusion,
THE SKY IS OUR LIMIT.
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