Remarks by DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga at the closing session of the National Consultative Forum

20 Oct 2015

Remarks by DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga at the closing session of the National Consultative Forum

Mogadishu, 20 October 2015 – HE President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud,Hon Speaker, Deputy Prime Minister, Presidents of the Federal Member States and Interim Regional Administration, Members of Parliament, Ministers Representatives of civil society, Fellow Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the entire United Nations family, I wish to congratulate the National Consultative Forum for the successful completion of deliberations at the first plenary session.

Congratulations to all delegates on this achievement and on your efforts and discussions.

We commend the national and regional leaderships, the Task Force and the Technical Support Team for their work. You can be proud of what you have achieved over the past day and a half.

This first plenary session of the National Consultative Forum has achieved its objectives: you have discussed the consultative process and its methodology and debated the possible approaches to the electoral process in 2016.

International partners observed the discussion in the various working groups. We have seen how vibrant and lively the discussions were, how well they went, how passionate you are to ensure the best possible electoral process next year. All the views expressed have been noted and recorded and will be reflected further.

Your major achievement today is the validation of the facilitation guide; the open exchange of views on identified options; and the adoption of a communiqué. In doing so, you have set the stage for the regional consultations and you are informing the wider public of the process that is unfolding now. That in itself is an important step.

The next step ahead now will be the public consultations in the regions. These will be broader and even more inclusive. They will yield many additional views and perspectives, which will feed into the decision by this Forum on the electoral process to be implemented next year.

International partners are committed to continue to support you along the road and until the process is successfully concluded.

Thank you.