H.E.
Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, H.E. Nkosazana
Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Iyad
Ameen Madani, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation, H.E. Nabil El Araby, Secretary General of the League of
Arab States
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;
I
am delighted to be with you today for this high-level meeting on
Somalia. Today we meet to talk about peace and priorities for 2016 and
beyond. Both items constitute a tall agenda! Lyndon Johnson said, ‘Peace
is a journey of a thousand miles, and it must be taken one step at a
time. Journeys consisting of one step after another require commitment,
resilience and determination. We understand these kind of journeys very
well in Somalia.
Almost
three years ago, when we first met in London, we spoke of lofty goals;
of course, we were full of ambition and courage. Today it is fair to
say, we are all a little more battered and bruised, but we are battle
weary and hardened and we have not lost the light of ambition, but we
are anchored in reality.
Three
years ago, when we first imagined Vision 2016 – the policy that
captures Somalia’s political transformation goals – we set in motion a
plan that was aggressively ambitious - rewriting a federal constitution
to create a federal republic, with no fully-fledged governance
infrastructure in place, and a lack of a legal framework to provide the
basics of federalism, compounded with little human capacity, whilst
fighting a terrorist group on its own soil! Today Somalis are about to
begin consulting amongst ourselves to go through an electoral process
that will provide a golden opportunity for Somalis to elect their own
leaders for the first time in 47 years since the last election in 1969.
This extraordinary achievement was realized in FOUR years in an
extremely fragile and hostile situation.
For
more than two decades, peace was a rare commodity in Somalia. Consider a
man or woman – let’s call these Abdi and Fatima- who today are 25 or 26
years old in Somalia. Consider that Abdi and Fatima have never
experienced relative stability in their entire life, let alone
full-blown peace. Consider that Abdi and Fatima never went to school or
any form of skills training, hence cannot find jobs. Most probably both
are parents and are struggling to look after their children and are
worrying and wondering what the future holds. For them, peace is not
merely the absence of war. Hence, it must mean different things for them
- an investment that makes life liveable: an investment that makes
Somalia a better place to live.
Security
is critical – obviously. We have seen enormous security improvements in
the past two years, with 80% of Somalia liberated from al-Shabaab. We
are very thankful for the African Union’s role in providing AMISOM
forces in Somalia, and acknowledge the troop contributing countries:
Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Uganda. We
acknowledge the terrible tragedies resulted from securing Somalia. We
grieve with our African brothers and sisters who have paid the ultimate
price, and respect their courage in the face of evil. We also
acknowledge the United Nations, the United Kingdom, the United States,
the European Union and its member states and the Arab League and its
member states who supported AMISOM and the Somalia National Army (SNA)
to fufil their mandate.
There
have been temporary set-backs in some places recently. Rather than
indicating that al-Shabaab is on the rise, this speaks rather to a need
for better coordination between our security forces and stabilisation
programs. It speaks to the need to ensure that we can hold what we
liberate, and the resourcing of the Somali National Army is vital in
this regard. It also speaks to the need to remain invested in
stabilisation initiatives.We must move quickly to support the recently
established regional governments which will be the foundation for a
fully-fledged federal republic of Somalia. We need to support these
nascent administrations to clearly identify local priorities and ensure
they are equipped and resourced enough to provide services to the local
people emerging from prolonged conflict. This is marked as the end of
ungoverned territories in Somalia, hence the end of the breeding ground
for extremists and terrorists.
The federal government of Somalia is taking bold steps in towards
building a more integrated accountable and transparent security sector. A
sector that is subject to rigorous civilian oversight, operates
transparently in recruitment, purchases, salaries and operations. A
sector built on sound and enacted human rights principles as its driving
force within the reform agenda we recently announced.
The
process of troop integration, led by the National Integration
Commission, is enormously encouraging. The purpose of course, is to
create one national army, with one national identity and character, that
is inclusive, and operates in the interest of all Somalis. To date the
first 1,550 troops have been integrated in Jubba– meeting the Guulwade
Plan objective. Notably, this is the first time there has been a Somali
National Army presence in Jubba or in Kismayo since the fall of the Said
Barre regime in 1991. In the next 12 months, the National Integration
Commission will finalise integration in Jubba and work with Puntland,
Galmudug, Southwest administrations to integrate more troops into the
Somali National Army. I am enormously encouraged by the progress made,
which I think indicates an admirable national consensus of intention
across Somalia.
We
must ensure that we do not rid Somalia of one evil, only to replace it
with another. We must remain vigilant in regard to the potential for al
Qaeda to boost al-Shabaab using the huge influx of refugees from Yemen
as a decoy without depriving the rights of our sisters and brothers in
Yemen who had to run away from difficult times in Somalia. We must be
increasingly alert to the ever-growing ambitions of ISIL, Da’esh. A
regionally coordinated approach is essential so that successful efforts
in Somalia do not merely move al-Shabaab on and out, but eradicate them.
Importantly, it will be essential for Somalia to tackle the causes of
radicalization, be they local, national or regional in origin.
We
must ensure that the fragile humanitarian situation in Somalia does not
also contribute to our insecurity. Almost three million Somalis are
dependent on humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic daily
needs. This is not acceptable anymore compared to the developments in
development, security and political progress in Somalia.
We
have already provided refuge to thousands of refugees from Yemen, and I
thank the Somali people for their hospitality and generosity to our
brothers and sisters in need. I remind our partners here today that they
have a significant duty to discharge in helping the Federal Government
to care for these people – both Somalis and Yemenis. Secure and
committed funding is essential – not just for short-term humanitarian
needs, but also to provide for a longer-term approach that addresses the
underlying causes of protracted crisis and encourages resilience.
Key
to ensuring that terrorist groups do not succeed in ever calling
Somalia home again will be offering hope to people through the benefits
that come with economic recovery. Jobs, employment, and the opportunity
for private sector development is essential.
As
you are all aware, infrastructure plays a catalytic role in the
socio-economic development of a country. Improving Somali’s
infrastructure requirements is critical for our economy, and also for
the political and reconciliation process of Somalia. Infrastructure
development stimulates private sector investment, boosting productivity,
creating sustainable growth, expanding employment opportunities,
reducing poverty. It also plays a crucial role in linking the centre
with the regions.
Last
year Somalia went through its first "health check” undertaken by the
International Monetary Fund, or the IMF, for more than 25 years. We are
very proud that the IMF pointed out the "country has made significant
progress.”
The IMF also noted the improvement in Somalia’s economic condition,
which is reported to have "improved significantly”, achieving growth of
3.7% in 2014. As the IMF report notes, "If the security improvements
continue, the entrepreneurial private sector will continue to be the
most dynamic contributor to economic growth.”
We
have worked very hard to improve our financial and economic position.
Our focus is on establishing a good governance track record, progressing
key macroeconomic and fiscal structural reforms, and improving our
accountability towards our citizens and creditors.
The
Central Bank has worked hard to improve core transaction processes so
that money is able to flow through to Ministries in support of their
activities and staff.
Considerable progress has been made in strengthening our budget
execution controls, with the Somali Financial Management Information
System now live. We have set up the mechanisms that allow us to start
oversight systems such as the Financial Governance Committee so that we
can be confident that funds, contracts and procurement processes are
being set up in a way that ensures transparency of process and results.
Underpinning
all of this progress in security, stability, economic recovery is the
importance of the concept of nationhood, of a Somalia that is
representative and inclusive of all her citizens. This is essential if
we are not only to invest in peace but make peace stick on the ground.
Building
confidence in the state’s reach and remit is essential, and enabling
the state to visibly fulfil its role in delivering services and
programmes is part of this.
State leadership is an intrinsic part of Vision 2016 and while it is
true that we may have been slower than we would have liked to set up the
tools and processes that support the achievement of these goals- in
particular in regard to the constitution- I am pleased that drafting of
the revised constitution is imminent. Over the next year, I look forward
to an organised national discussion, led by the Independent
Constitution Review and Implementation Commission on how the
constitution could more accurately reflect the current and anticipated
functions of the state in relation to its citizens.
Federalism is crucial to our national stability and our national
identity. During the past three years we have supported the formation of
3 interim regional administrations according to our constitution.
The
effort is ongoing, with current discussions ongoing to realise the
creation of the last interim regional administration for the Hiran and
Middle Shabele regions. This is the last block - completing the
federalised map of Somalia.
There are many issues we will continue to work on during the coming
year, including establishing boundaries, the statutory duties of
regional states, resource sharing and the states’ relationship with the
federal government. The work of the Boundaries and Federation Commission
will be essential in this respect.
It
will be critical that the Commissions established are adequately
resourced so they are able to fulfil their mandate. We must work quickly
to establish the remaining constitutionally mandated bodies, especially
the Human Rights Commission and the Constitutional Court of Somalia.
Of
course, the lynch pin of our vision for 2016 is the transfer of
political power next year- peacefully. The future of Somalia will only
be secured through inclusivity, and equality of access to democracy and
democratic principles.
Last week, the National Leadership Forum met in Mogadishu and approved
the National Consultation Forum, and the process by which Somalia will
determine the 2016 electoral process. What we discuss as a nation over
the next three months must be in the interest of delivering us to a
common destination: enhanced legitimacy through peaceful, democratic
means.
We
are committed to a broad and inclusive process that makes certain
whatever outcome is decided is representative of Somali society today,
and promotes the participation of women and minority groups. It must be
transparent: people must have confidence in the legitimacy of the
outcome, and the outcome must be able to be implemented nationwide with
the resources we have available.
Importantly,
the outcome must promote national unity. There will be room for
discussion, but not dis-engagement. There will be room for perspectives,
but not for politicking. There will be room for negotiation, but not
for negativity.
The Somali people deserve success, not spoilers.
The
seed of peace has taken root in Somalia and I have no doubt it will
blossom into a tree whose branches shelter us all. There is a Somali
proverb that says ‘The best bed that a man can sleep on is peace.’ I
thank everyone who has come today for their commitment in helping us
work towards making this a reality for every Somali. I thank you on
behalf of Somalia for supporting the Federal Government and the people
of Somalia in their pursuit of Somali-led and owned peace, stability,
security, human rights, and development.
Thank you
The Speech of his Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud The High Level Meeting on Somalia
The Speech of his Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud The High Level Meeting on Somalia Monday 28 September "Investing in Peace: priorities for 2016 and beyond"