H. E. Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament;
Deputy Prime Minister and Honorouble Ministers
H.E. Ambassador Petersen, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Denmark;
H.E Ambassador Augustine Mahiga, Special Representative of the Secretary
General of the United Nations to Somalia;
H. E. President Rowlings, AU Special Envoy to Somalia
H. E. Ambassador Aboubakar Diarra, Special Representative of the African Union
Chairperson to Somalia;
Distinguished participants;
Ladies and Gentleman;
Mr. Chairman.
It is an honour to be here with you today. Let me take this opportunity to thank the
People and the Government of Denmark for hosting this important 20th Meeting of
the International Contact Group and the warm welcome accorded to me and my
delegation here in Copenhagen. I also want to thank Ambassador Mahiga and his
office UNPOS for organizing this important conference.
This is the first time I have had the opportunity to address the International Contact
Group on Somalia since my appointment as Prime Minister in June.
I am here before you today on the heels of addressing the UN Security Council on
Somalia on 14 September, holding meetings with US State Department officials and
other world leaders, addressing the UN General Assembly and the two Mini-
Summits on Somalia on 23rd and 24th September.
The International Contact Group on Somalia follows developments in Somalia more
closely, meets more regularly, and had 19 meetings prior to this and supports our
efforts most strongly. In these two days, we will delve into greater detail on the
progress that has been made since the last International Contact Group meeting in
Kampala, which I was present as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning
and International Cooperation, as well as the plans for the months ahead and the
challenges facing us.
But before I get into the details, I would like to step back for a few moments and
briefly discuss the greater vision of what we would all like for Somalia to be in the
medium and long term. We have a vision for Somalia, where peace and security
reigns in all the regions’, where violence has been banished. A society where the
rule of law has replaced rule-by-the-gun, and where a people who have suffered for
20 years, are transformed into citizens with a sense of control over their destiny.
A Somalia where seasonal drought does not lead to catastrophic famine because of
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the timely intervention of food security planners and humanitarian actors, working
together under a national disaster prevention policy.
We are here to rebuild a Somali state with federal and regional institutions that are
solidly constructed and focused on strengthening norms and delivering services to
the Somali citizens. We must create the conditions that allow the Somali people to
restart our economy and put us back on the global economic playing field.
If we compare this future Somalia to a house that we are constructing, then today,
this year, we are engaged in laying the foundations. During my one-year term, I have
the opportunity and responsibility to ensure the foundations are solid, well-laid and
correspond to the future dwelling we all want to live in.
Mr. Chairman,
The Roadmap is the foundation plan and while we are putting our top priority in
implementing all tasks, we also need to continue delivering basic services and
humanitarian assistance to those people desperate for help.
The humanitarian situation in Somalia remains dire. The UN has declared famine in
a sixth region which means that up to half the population is now facing the prospect
of starvation. Many of these continue to come to the capital seeking refuge and over
half a million have already arrived.
On behalf of the entire Somali nation, I wish to express my gratitude for the pledges
of assistance that have been received from governments and humanitarian agencies
around the world.
The government has taken many steps to deal with this situation and to oversee the
delivery of humanitarian assistance. A high level cabinet committee has been
created and, as per its recommendations, the government has established several
camps to house and feed them. A Disaster Management Agency, comprising
members of civil society has also been established and we are working with UN
agencies such as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme to synchronize
our efforts to deal with the famine.
I have also appointed a Humanitarian Focal Point in my office to permit greater
coordination and information sharing between Somali and international development
partners and humanitarian agencies.
Mr. Chairman,
Let me now turn to the political and security priority tasks of the Roadmap.
The first benchmark is Security – I will not spend a lot of time here as we have a
whole session dedicated to discussing our National Security and Stabilisation Plan
later in the day.
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However, let me say that we are still in the process of consolidating security in
Mogadishu following the withdrawal by Al-Shabaab. This withdrawal was the result
of an exceptional partnership between a much improved Somali National Army and
our AMISOM brothers. We won this battle and we won it because we have changed
and improved in so many ways. This withdrawal presents both opportunities and
challenges for the TFG as we strive to consolidate security in the city, provide public
services to the population, and tackle the enormous humanitarian emergency
enveloping our country. We in Somalia recognize, as the UN Secretary –General’s
report states, that failure to do this will fatally undermine the legitimacy and popular
support that the government currently enjoys.
We must not lose sight of the fact that Al-Shabaab have not disappeared, they are
currently regrouping, rearming and restocking for future offensives. Already our
security and intelligence agencies have foiled a number of such attacks. At the same
time, it will be imperative to ensure that the Somali state is able to keep clanism and
warlordism at bay.
Stabilizing security inside the capital has been a determined focus of my government
over the past 6 weeks and the plan for Mogadishu is starting to work. We cannot,
however, afford to be complacent. In order to consolidate and build on the security
gains it is essential to enlarge the AMISOM force, that has sacrificed so much and
worked so hard, in the very near future with the required air and maritime forces
components that it badly needs. The strategic resources the insurgents currently
control in South-Central Somalia include the Kismayo port and the Kismayo and
Baidoa airports, all of which are facilitating their ability to access supplies.
The extremists continue to obstruct the distribution and delivery of critical life-saving
assistance to the famine areas of the country.
Another development we must address is the reported movement of Al-Shabaab
bases to the north of the country, to Puntland in the North-east and Somaliland in the
North-west.
We have now completed the draft National Security Stabilization Plan (NSSP) with
the help of UNPOS. The next stage is to conduct consultation with key stakeholders
with a view to finalizing the draft. After that we will present the draft to the Council of
Ministers for their approval, which we will then ask the parliament to endorse it.
Mr. Chairman,
On the reconciliation front, as many of you are aware, Puntland State, Galmudug
and Ahlu Sunna Waljamaa participated in the recent Consultative Conference in
Mogadishu.
In the run up to the Conference, President Sheikh Sharif and I visited Puntland. I
have also visited Galmudug and these visits have created a strong foundation for
good working relations between the Federal Government and Regional
Administrations. We have signed an agreement with the President of Puntland,
which will help us further develop the relationship.
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At this juncture, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the
United Nations and all the multilateral organizations – UN, AU, Arab League, IGAD
and OIC among them – for their consistent and unwavering support for Somalia’s
unity, integrity and sovereignty. Somalia has had enough problems without disunity
and secession. It is time to heal the scars of the civil war and rebuild the nation.
I look forward to announcing the National Reconciliation Plan in the near future, with
a dual-approach of top-down and bottom-up peace building. My government is fully
committed to the protection and promotion of all human rights. For the first time we
have fulfilled our international obligations by submitting our Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) Report on the status of human rights of my country. Moreover, the UN
Human Rights Council have adopted both our UPR report and the response to the
155 recommendations we received.
Mr. Chairman,
Moving on to benchmark relating to the Constitution, let me outline the progress we
have made. We have established the Committee of Experts to oversee the drafting
of a new constitution. They will soon embark on consultations with all relevant
stakeholders, including civil society, religious leaders and human rights
organizations, to resolve any contentious issues.
We are in the process of finalizing consultation and consensus building amongst key
stakeholders with a view to completing the establishment of a joint committee that
will start on the critical work of preparing for the adoption of the Draft Constitution,
and advising on the establishment of a new Federal Parliament.
We are also liaising with the Parliamentary leadership to ensure that the Transitional
Federal Charter is amended to give a legal framework for the constitutional process.
As my government works hard to progress the roadmap, we hope to see a united
and committed international support to the Transitional Federal Institutions. A
Resource Mobilisation Plan, agreed with our international partners, will generate the
momentum to drive forward the implementation of the Roadmap.
Let me emphasize how important this Resource plan is. The adoption of the
Roadmap is a significant achievement for the Somali Peace Process and marks the
first of many steps on the path to the eventual conclusion of the transition process in
a responsible and productive manner. There is a tremendous amount of work to be
done this year. For example, the Roadmap calls for the formation of seven national
committees or commissions, the research and writing of six reports, and numerous
stakeholders consultation meetings around the whole country, PLUS the formulation
and approval of a National Fiscal Budget – ALL to be accomplished by the end of
this year.
My government is committed to meeting these deadlines, however, we cannot do it
alone. We urgently need a Resource plan that includes financial and expertise
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support. I hope for the next two days we will explore costing and resource
mobilization in order to finalise and receive appropriate resources to this end.
We are starting from scratch simultaneously in many areas, from having to draft and
implement legislation creating new entities, to reaching out to start new
conversations with stakeholders, to having to physically rebuild damaged offices, to
install the appropriate infrastructure and technology, to train staff. We need your
help.
As much as I am aware of the urgent resource needs, I am equally aware of the
“credibility gap” that is perceived by the international community when extending
resources to Somalia. I can even say I understand the approach of deciding to
release funds to Somali institutions only when results have been delivered.
Transparency is a key element to providing effective and legitimate governance.
That is why we have embarked on the process of identifying nominees to the Interim
Independent Anti-Corruption Commission as well as formulating a National Fiscal
Budget for the year 2011/2012.
My government is committed to transparency and accountability. The other
principles we believe are essential to the successful implementation of the
Roadmap, and to which my government is equally committed, are fostering
inclusivity and building Somali ownership.
It is essential that the process of implementing the priority tasks in the Roadmap
serves as a blueprint for the reconciliation of the Somali people. As we collaborate
on the tasks, so shall we collaborate on rebuilding the rest of our country.
I welcome the formation of a Technical Committee, which will work from Mogadishu,
to support the implementation of the Roadmap. I look forward to ensuring future
engagement with international partners takes place in Somalia, as far as possible, to
help us meet the array of Roadmap targets.
It will be essential to follow-up the Mogadishu agreement with a meeting, also in
Somalia, that reaches out to a wider group of stakeholders, incorporates the views of
more Somalis from around the country and maintains momentum towards
implementing the Roadmap.
Mr. Chairman,
We have a tremendous opportunity in this next year to lay the foundations for a solid
political infrastructure for Somalia.
As my government commits to delivering the priority tasks laid out in the Roadmap
so I ask for the international support necessary to deliver the humanitarian relief and
security that are vital components of stabilizing Somalia.
I ask also for your support in pulling together the resources and expertise to
complete the implementation of the Roadmap in the remaining 11 months.
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The consultative meeting on ending the transition which took place on September 4-
6, 2011 in Mogadishu was a milestone for re-building the legitimacy of Somali
governing institutions and fostering trust among the people of Somalia. The meeting
led to serious and genuine political discussions between the TFIs, the regional
administrations and political actors inside the country. In addition, it renewed the
efforts of the United Nations, African Union, as well as regional and international
partners to support Somalia transition to democracy.
TFG is committed, within its capacity, to complete the transitional tasks. This
commitment is based on the belief that Somalia and international partners are ready
to open a new chapter, based on realistic expectations and collaborative working
relationship. Therefore, the TFI leadership appeals to Somali political, civic and
traditional leaders as well as the Somali public to take advantage of the opportunities
for peace and a better future facing the country.
I am personally committed to ushering in an era of good governance, transparent
public finance management and rebuilding of a professional public service. I would
like to express our willingness to listen to and consider the observations, concerns
as well as the recommendations of the International Contact Group in all areas.
Let me conclude by saying: we have been working on Somalia together these last 20
years – and in this time, we have learned together, we have grown together. We
have seen successes and failures, and where we have failed, we have tried again.
This time is no different – we look to you for support, encouragement and advice, as
we know you look to us to realize our common vision. Today, I can tell you with
confidence – I believe this is a special moment. We have all the ingredients available
in a way that has not existed before. Let us not waste this opportunity.
Thank you.

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