Mogadishu – The Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Judy Cheng-Hopkins, arrived yesterday in Mogadishu to begin a five-day visit to Somalia. Ms. Cheng-Hopkins will discuss with the Federal Government as well as with Somali people in the next few days priorities for support through the Peacebuilding Fund. Today she met with the Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Federalism, Minister of Finance and the Speaker of Parliament.

Upon her arrival ASG Cheng-Hopkins said: “The Peacebuilding Fund will respond and assist the Federal Government in a timely, flexible and pragmatic way to sustain momentum of its state- and peace-building efforts under the Somalia New Deal Compact.”

On 19th of March, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, announced the allocation of $3 million from the Fund to support the stabilisation efforts in the newly recovered areas in south central Somalia. The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and Federalism is currently finalising the first project to release these funds.

“We should invest in the people of Somalia as much as in the state” said ASG Cheng-Hopkins. “The Fund is designed to help especially women, children, youth, disadvantaged groups, minorities and those who bore the brunt of the protracted conflict.”

The UN Secretary-General declared Somalia eligible to access the Peacebuilding Fund in December 2013. The Fund was set up in 2006 following a request from the General Assembly and the Security Council to support peacebuilding efforts in countries emerging from conflict or political crisis.