Speaking at an event to mark the first anniversary since the launch of the United Nations…
Speaking at an event to mark the first anniversary since the launch of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, pledged the UN’s continued support for Somalia and called on Somalis to step up progress on peace and state building.
Commenting on the occasion, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said: “In the year since the Federal Government of Somalia asked the United Nations to help coordinate international assistance as the country emerged from decades of conflict, UNSOM has established a presence across the country. Today, the UN family has a larger presence on the ground in Somalia than at any time in the last eighteen years. This is tangible evidence of our strong commitment to continue to work alongside Somalis as they build peace and rebuild their country.”
“Somalia has made important political, economic and security progress in the last year but much more remains to be done, including the development of a federal system, reviewing the provisional Constitution and preparing for elections in 2016” SRSG Kay noted. “The expectations of the Somali people are high and time is limited. I call on all Somalia’s leaders and institutions to unite for the greater good of Somalia. Much work needs to be done between now and 2016. International support for peace and state building in Somalia will continue to be guided by the principles of Somali ownership, leadership and respect for the provisional Constitution” he added.
UNSOM was established by the UN Security Council on 3 June 2013. Based in Somalia, UNSOM is mandated to support the Federal Government of Somalia with its peace and state building agenda, including the federalism process, review of the provisional constitution and elections in 2016.
