Union for Peace and Development Party , abbreviated UPD in English and XMNH in the Somali language, is a socially conservativepolitical party in Somalia. It was developed from the tradition of nationalism, Islamism, and conservative democracy. The UPD party is one of the largest Somali political parties and some leading members of the party were former members of the government of former Somali presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. As of October 2018, Mohamud was the leader of the party. In 2018, while the UPD was being formed, it was awarded a registration certificate, and the party was officially unveiled on 4 October 2018. It is the largest aggregation of Somali politicians, academics and businesspersons. The first official gathering will take place in mid April 2019 where it is supposed to elect a new leader of the party, executive members and central body of the party.
Vision
According to the party: "The Union for Peace and Development hereafter abbreviated as UPD is a political party formed and led by a team of professional, visionary and forward looking men and women. The founding of UPD is informed and motivated by the overarching need to provide leadership geared to building a stable and progressive Somalia where every citizen, young and old can live and make a living. It is our understanding that the evolving dynamics in the management of state affairs require competent, professional and loyal leaders who are committed to giving their most and best to nation building. As we establish the building blocks of our party which unveiled, we are thoroughly seized of the need to choose the right men and women to steer the party and prepare ground to take the leadership of this country during the 2020 elections. We have learnt from the mistakes and misgivings of previous leaderships including the current one and are of the view that only individuals who have the country at heart can deliver the aspirations and expectations of many a Somali citizen. Based on these experiences, UPD is composed of individuals across the societal spectrum drawing expertise from the youth, women, politicians and experts in various fields. These individuals jointly form the synergy to deliver in line with our manifesto and expectations of Somalis at large. UPD is founded on the principles of democracy, understanding and compromise. Dispute resolution has remained a distant shot in Somalia making it difficult to end vicious conflicts which have claimed thousands of lives. Our party is charting a new path which we believe can immensely contribute to building a peaceful society. Our decision to agree without reservations to change our party name following concerns we received attest to the quality of leadership our party is composed of. Initially, we had named our party as Union for Peace and Democracy. However, a citizen of this country objected to our choice on grounds that there already existed a party with similar names. In effect therefore, we changed our party name to Union for Peace and Development. In March 2019, the national party convention bringing together party delegates and interim leadership will come together to elect substantive office holders for all positions as set out in the party structure. The electoral process shall be transparent, accountable and verifiable to ensure we not only have the right people for the job but also set the standard for political party leadership in the country. We firmly believe that transparency must start at the party level. We can only think and speak of credible elections at the national level when we are able to exercise the same at political party level. Critical in our party leadership will be the role of women and youth. Our party leadership system is structured to give young people and women the right to bring in their talent, experience and expertise in managing the party and in effect inspire further affirmative actions as we prepare to take over leadership of this country. Going forward, UPD will reach out to Somalis across the country and in diaspora to explain what we stand and to register those who wish to voluntarily join."
