US State Department
Press Release
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Thank you, Mr.
President, Minister Simmonds, for hosting this session and
thank you, Deputy Secretary-General Eliasson, for your
briefing.
I wish to welcome the presence of the deputy
prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of Somalia as
well. At the outset, we would like to take this opportunity
to express appreciation to former SRSG Mahiga and the UN
Political Office to Somalia for their contributions to
Somalia’s progress.
The United States welcomes the
establishment of the UN Mission to Somalia (UNSOM) based in
Mogadishu and looks forward to its expanded presence in key
locations throughout the country. With a fully integrated
UN Country Team, UNSOM will provide the Somali Government
“one door to knock on” for UN support. We also welcome
Nicholas Kay as the new SRSG for UNSOM and support his early
outreach to the African Union as the UNSOM-AU partnership is
critical to fostering peace and stability in Somalia.
In
addition, we especially want to thank the brave soldiers of
the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Ethiopian
Defense Forces, and the Somali National Security Forces.
Their sacrifices have made possible a brighter future for
the people of Somalia.
But much work remains. Despite many
tactical successes, al-Shabaab is not yet defeated. And
there are others who wish to drag Somalia back into chaos.
Recent terrorist attacks show that Mogadishu and many rural
parts of Somalia are still vulnerable. We look to the
Somali National Security Forces and AMISOM to continue their
efforts to expand and maintain control over the country so
that the Somali Government can improve governance and the
rule of law. In addition, we urge Member States to fulfill
their obligations related to the targeted sanctions, the
modified arms embargo, and the charcoal ban to stop proceeds
from providing revenue to al-Shabaab.
We strongly support
President Hassan Sheikh’s National Security Strategy and
look forward to its implementation. At the May 7 London II
Conference on Somalia, the United States announced almost
$40 million in new assistance to support development and
justice sector reform in Somalia. We applaud those who also
made pledges and stress that fulfilling our pledges is
essential for continued progress.
Long-term stability in
Somalia depends on many factors – an effective,
responsible security sector; good governance and the rule of
law; and economic development. On the security front,
AMISOM’s training of the Somali National Security Forces
and joint combat operations are critically important. The
relocation of the European Union Training Mission to Somalia
from Uganda to Mogadishu is another positive
development.
We encourage UN entities and donors to
continue to support economic development, including efforts
to address land disputes, which is a key conflict driver.
We recognize UNDP’s work to establish a microfinance
mechanism in Somalia and encourage greater attention to
youth unemployment.
The United States remains gravely
concerned by continuing human rights violations in Somalia,
including alarming reports of sexual violence and
exploitation. We appreciate the work that SRSG Bangura has
contributed toward the UN-Federal Republic of Somalia joint
communiqué of May 7, which contains significant commitments
by Somalia to address sexual violence. The substantial
decline of reported cases of grave violations against
children in the first quarter of 2013 is encouraging, but
the 552 cases that have been reported remain alarming. We
urge increased attention to this overall problem and look to
the Somali Government to follow through on its declared
intent to work with the international community to fight
this scourge and hold perpetrators accountable.
We are
also concerned about Somaliland’s decision on May 14 to
ban UN flights over Somaliland airspace. This could harm the
humanitarian situation there and affect the provision of
food, shelter, water and sanitation, and other support by
humanitarian organizations. OCHA estimates that
approximately 413,000 people in Somaliland need humanitarian
aid, including 39,000 children who suffer from malnutrition.
More than 85,000 people remain displaced due to recurrent
drought and conflict.
Mr. President, Somalia must
continue moving along the path to national elections and a
referendum on the national constitution by 2016. The
United States continues to support Somali-led governance and
calls for further dialogue with local political and
community leaders, including women, on unresolved regional
issues. The situation in Jubaland is particularly
concerning. We look to Somalia’s neighbors for support in
easing the tension and finding lasting solutions. We applaud
those regional actors who have played a positive role in
supporting Somalia’s unity and sovereignty, especially in
the early days of President Hassan Sheikh’s
administration.
We join those here today who are committed
to Somalia’s success and will continue to make every
effort to support the Government and people of Somalia as
they strive for peace and prosperity in their
country.
Thank
you.