UNSOM holds awards ceremony for uniformed officers serving in Somalia
Uniformed personnel serving the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) were today awarded medals and certificates for their distinguished service.
A total of 18 uniformed personnel drawn from the military, police and corrections components of the Mission were awarded the Special Services Medal by Peter de Clercq, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (DSRSG), at a function held in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The personnel serve in the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group (ROLSIG) of UNSOM.
The ceremony, the first of its kind, was attended by the Officer-in-Charge of the Director of ROLSIG, Mitch Dufresne, top UNSOM officials, the UNSOM Police Commissioner Christoph Buik, police officers attached to the police component of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and senior Somali Police Force (SPF) officials, among others.
“Most of these officers have served for over a year. They have displayed dedication and honesty of purpose in the tasks assigned to them and continue to forge ahead to ensure that the Mission’s mandate is honored,” said Mr. de Clercq.
The DSRSG lauded the officers, particularly those whose tour of duty has come to an end, noting that they had served selflessly to ensure that peace returns to Somalia and to transform the country into a viable state.
For her part, Ms. Dufresne said they have contributed enormously towards ensuring the Mission delivers on its mandate.
“We are very pleased to have these government-provided personnel from a number of different countries supporting the mandate of the Security Council here in Somalia,” she said. “Without them, we couldn’t deliver on the mandate.”
Mia Tuominen, a UN Police Advisor from Finland, expressed her joy over receiving the award. “In this one year we have already achieved some results with our Somali counterparts, and therefore this award today means a lot to me. I am very proud to work for the UN, and I am also proud to represent my country since we are the first Finnish officers here in Somalia,” she said.