Press Statement on High-Level meeting on Somalia

25 Sep 2014

Press Statement on High-Level meeting on Somalia

New York - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon co-chaired a High-Level Meeting on Somalia today, with the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Chair of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, on the margins of the General Assembly. The meeting was attended by Heads of Delegations and Representatives of Member States, Observer Missions and the World Bank.

During the meeting, President Mohamud updated participants on implementation of his Government’s Vision 2016 for democratic transformation in Somalia, which envisages the formation of federal states, the completion of a constitutional review and the conduct of national elections in Somalia by 2016. President Mohamud said, “Today, we have a country that is beginning to unify behind a clear and shared vision for a united and federal Somalia that is at peace with itself, its neighbours and the world.”

The Secretary-General said: “The peace process in Somalia is gathering momentum. I salute President Mohamud and the Federal Government for carrying out an ambitious process under challenging circumstances. But there is no time to lose if Somalia and its partners are to stay on track with our goals for 2016.” The Secretary-General called on Somalia’s political actors to remain united in their efforts, and urged international partners to support. He highlighted the benchmarks to be achieved in the coming months, including the establishment of interim administrations across Somalia and the formation of a National Independent Electoral Commission and a Boundaries and Federation Commission.

The Secretary-General paid tribute to the ongoing African Union and Somali military efforts to secure access to more of Somalia, and to the vital work on security sector reform and the rule of law. He called nr the Federal Government to place human rights at the centre of its state-building policies and programmes, and ensure the full participation of women. Noting the humanitarian emergency in Somalia, he urged partners to step up humanitarian assistance and to support development efforts under the Somali Compact; without this, he stressed, “all other gains could be jeopardised”.

In her remarks, Dr. Dlamini-Zuma welcomed the recent gains made by the Somali security forces, supported by AMISOM. She stressed the importance of providing tangible peace dividends to these newly liberated towns and regions, including through the establishment of local administration and local security institutions, and the provision of humanitarian relief, and encouraged the Somali stakeholders to pursue all efforts at the national and local levels to achieve reconciliation.

Somalia’s partners will come together at the High-Level Partnership Forum in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 19-20 November 2014 to review progress in the framework of the Somali Compact.