New York - My co-chairs: Excellencies Dr Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and Mr. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations. Ladies and Gentlemen. I am delighted to open today’s high-level meeting on Somalia, and share with you progress made in delivering Vision 2016 - the state-building agenda of the Federal Government of Somalia.

Two years ago, the Federal Government of Somali faced multiple, complex challenges. Today, September 2014, I am confident that with the support of the Somali people and the engagement of the international community, Somalia has undergone a remarkable transformation.

Today, I am confident we have a country that is beginning to unite as nation, behind a vision that will see a federal and united Somalia in 2016: a Somalia that will meet our aspirations for a better future.

The foundation for the future has been laid through our clear military defeat of Al-Shabaab, possible only through the joint effort of the Somali National Army and the African Union Mission to Somalia (- AMISOM). More than 70% of south and central Somalia has now been liberated from Al-Shabaab and restored to the Federal Government.

These gains have been hard-won through a dual strategy of securing the country from Al-Shabaab and state-building. Both strands have been made possible by substantial financial, military and technical international contributions.

Somalia is now the only fragile state in the world successfully defeating a terrorist organisation on its on soil.

But delivering peace and maintaining stability in Somalia will involve more than militarily defeating Al-Shabaab.

Extremism has its roots in ideology, and ideology knows no borders. Somalia is strategically located as a gateway between the Arab world and the African continent. Al-Shabaab must not be defeated only for other even more extreme groups, such as the Islamic State, to find fertile ground.

As the security situation in Somalia improves, and Al-Shabaab becomes a spent force, we cannot afford to rest.

We must strengthen Somalia as a firewall: both security-wise and ideologically. Somalia must be strengthened to prevent the African continent from again being invaded by groups bent on spreading extremist ideology.

In the midst of the ever-present security discussion, we must not forget the importance of political reconciliation and reform for maintaining long-term stability, and creating an enabling environment for development gains.

We Somalis have lived through more than 20 years of war. President Obama spoke this morning of being at the crossroads of war and peace. As Somalis, we know better than many other nations, the truth of this statement.

We also know that solutions must not just be military in nature.

Solutions must be sought through the application of the rule of law, through the pursuit of human rights, through access to justice. People must be allowed to determine their own future, and their own place in that future. Somalia is moving along the road of integration, of inclusivity, of peace. We are leaving behind the disorder and discord sewn by distorted ideology. We reaffirm our choice that reconciliation- the path that we have chosen – will be won through dialogue, through inclusive politics, through creating a shared vision of what Somalia can be.

It is clear that the key to delivering peace and building sustainable security is the formation of a unified and federal Somalia. Vision 2016 was developed to encapsulate this goal.
Vision 2016 outlines the framework for federalism through reconciliation, adoption of a revised constitution and the path to democratic elections.

It is a tall order. This cannot be overstated.

By 2016, the Federal Government has undertaken to revise our Provisional Federal Constitution and adopt it through public referendum. We have undertaken to deliver a federal Somalia, made up of member states. We have undertaken to deliver credible, national elections.

It is clear that whatever criticism is levelled at us, we have not failed on the side of ambition, and we must not fail to deliver on our ambition. And we are delivering.

Led by the Federal Government, together with existing and emerging regional stakeholders, we have made significant progress in the formation of interim regional administrations in south-west and central regions of Somalia through dialogue and consultation. Today, Puntland is already a Federal Member State. The Interim Jubba Administration, which aspires to become a Federal Member State, was established in August 2013.

The Provisional Constitution requires the establishment of 9 independent national commissions. Out of the 9 independent national commissions, four are directly related to the Vision 2016 strategy and the government aims to have the first 3 of these established by the end of 2014.

The Constitution Review and Implementation Commission was completed in May 2014. The review, approval and adoption of the Provisional Federal Constitution is critical to an inclusive political settlement that will pave the way for sustainable security and development in Somalia.

In order to create a federal state, it will be essential to ensure the full participation by sub-federal administrations in the political transformation of Somalia. The Boundaries and Federation Commission will be established and will set the mechanisms for supporting this process.
The National Independent Electoral Commission will be endorsed by Parliament by the end of 2014. Preparing for elections will be a great challenge.

We welcome the intention of the United Nations, in consultation with AMISOM, to conduct an electoral assessment before the end of 2014, to aid the Commission in its work and to commence planning for the elections.

The Federal Government is committed to inclusivity and is taking concrete steps to engage all Somalis in the political process of nation-building - including women and minority groups - observing the principles of Somali-Somali dialogue. Our success requires the support of our international partners, but most of all it demands the ownership and commitment of the Somali people.

To build a sustainable governance system requires grass roots participation and ownership of the process, system and structures. Without it, the population over time will not respond or defend the political accommodations made on their behalf – as has been evidenced so many times in the past.

The concept of a modern democratic state was first discussed in Italy in the 16th century. The world has had 4 centuries to refine the formula and work out how to make the modern state work best, for both leaders and citizens.

We are not yet at this point in Somalia. We have just started the discussions about what our state will look like. We are just at the start of moving from a clan-based system, led by tribal elders, with a centralized government structure imposed upon it, to a new entity- that of a federalized state. And we are trying to do this within 4 years- not 4 centuries.

As we try to bring in substantial political reform, we must acknowledge that reforms are cemented by trust.

Alongside delivering new mechanisms of governing, supported by new laws and policies- alongside what I call the ‘hardware’ of political reform - we must build trust. And trust requires time.

To build trust, we must do several things concurrently: we must establish accountability in government systems and processes, rooting out corruption and building transparency. We must deliver essential public services to every corner of Somalia. We must create opportunities for people to engage with the state.

Local Somalis must experience real, demonstrable governance.

We need to ensure that we deliver this through mechanisms that allow for the practice and exploration of governance options in real time. This is why we have chosen to install interim administrations as the first step in demonstrating governance in regional areas.

In the past, regional administrations failed in part, due to the fact that district and regional political arrangements were not grounded in inclusivity, but instead focused on accommodating middle and top-level power elites.

We must change this notion. To do this, we must abide by a simple notion of a ‘bottom-up and top-down’ approach to creating governance structures.

The centre must provide the context in which change can occur. The centre must create an environment safe-guarded by legislation and national frameworks for intervention. The centre must ensure equity and provide for broad participation. In turn, the regions and districts must drive the process of political reform and reconciliation at their own pace.

Thus, the formation of interim administrations includes reconciliation and community dialogue as a pathway to articulating policy and community priorities.

This process must be led by the Federal Government, as we demonstrated last week in Kismayo. It must feature the full participation and ownership of the process by local communities, so that citizens are confident they are determining their own future, and not having it thrust upon them.
Effective governing structures and systems must ensure the full participation of all stakeholders in decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods, prioritise major needs against limited resources and coordinate to avoid conflict and duplication of services.

So, in this bottom up and top down approach, led by the Federal Government, what is the role of the international community?

The international community can support the process of state-building in Somalia by making sure that the Government is visible. Good intentions are wasted without positive effects. It must be clear that the international community is acting in response to an agenda led by the Government.

It is true that, two years ago, when the international community began to truly re-engage with Somalia, that our organizational, human and processing capacity was low in many cases. This led, I believe, to the development community’s justification of mechanisms to bypass government systems.

The development system we want in Somalia needs to strengthen the rights and obligations between citizens and the state, rather than between citizens and donors. This is why we were willing to enter into the New Deal Somali Compact, as it offers a new development paradigm of country-led and country-owned development.

To give one example, we must ensure that as we roll out stabilization initiatives to newly-liberated areas, that the Federal Government is seen to be delivering services. Quick impact projects, local administration set-up, establishing local decision-making bodies shouldn’t be seen to be just ‘donor or NGO projects’.

Although they may be implemented or initiated by NGOs, they should also be clearly identified with a Federal Government structure, such as a Ministry, or an interim administration.

As far as possible, international intervention priorities should be guided by our own strategy documents such as the 6 Pillar Policy framework, Vision 2016, the 5 Peace and State-building Goals and the Council of Ministers’ work plan. This is all in the interest of creating visibility. The international community will one day withdraw from Somalia, and we must ensure that this doesn’t leave behind a real, or even perceived, vacuum.

The second key thing that I think is essential is for the international community to begin demonstrating trust in the Federal Government by using our systems.

The Federal Government has made major progress in public financial management, putting in place greater accountability measures, controls and governance structures.
The Federal Government has worked hard to deliver on expectations. Now we ask the international community to deliver on its obligations.

In particular, we remind our partners that we must work concretely and demonstrably towards providing aid in line with the budget cycle and through the preferred instruments of government.
We are enormously grateful for the support and partnership of the international community. As Somalia continues towards democratisation, this is not time for scepticism. We need to stand together to execute and deliver.

I will conclude by thanking you, the international community, on behalf of all Somalis, for standing with us over the past two years. On behalf of the Federal Government, I acknowledge the progress we have made together.

As we head towards the High Level Partnership Forum in Copenhagen in November, we look forward to the opportunity together to take stock of progress, agree the key priorities for 2015 and ensure concrete results.

THANK YOU.