Prime Minister’s Statement at Chatham House February 24, 2012

[General Duke]

I would like to thank Chatham House for convening this important gathering. I would also like to extend my appreciation on behalf of Somalia and its citizens to the UK for hosting the London Conference on Somalia.

 

Let me start with yesterday’s conference which was attended by 55 global influential leaders and all Somali leaders from across Somali regions.

 

So often in the past, conferences on Somalia have happened, commitments made and good intentions have not been seen through. As Einstein once said, ‘insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result’. My government, with international partners, must deliver a different positive result, for the sake of a more stable Somalia, for the sake of a more stable world.

 

The conference covered the Somali political process, security and justice, stability and recovery, terrorism, piracy, international coordination and humanitarian issues. What encouraged me most about the conference was the unprecedented will of both of the international community and the Somali representatives towards change, towards a new approach to engagement in Somalia.

 

Why this new approach? There are a few reasons: our recent military successes and liberation of populations from Al-Shabab control in Mogadishu, Beledweyn, Dhobley and Baidoa; our recent partial emergence from a humanitarian situation which has affected 4 million Somali citizens; the imminent end of the transitional process in August 2012; a recognition that the international community has a fragmented approach to Somalia, and lastly, it could be that the world has fully accepted the cost of inaction, recognizing that Somalia’s problems are not limited to Somalia, but affect the whole region and the global community.

 

So what were the outcomes of the conference?

 

I believe the conference facilitated a shift in the profiling of Somalia from ‘failed state’ ‘terrorism hub’, ‘piracy centre’ and ‘famine country’ to a country attempting to ‘turn the corner’ to ‘tackle Al Quaeda’, to ‘make progress on transitional governance’, to build foundations for a prosperous future for Somali citizens.

 

As a result of the conference in the near future, I expect there be a noticeable change in enhanced international coordination for key sectors, improved financial management of Somalia’s public assets, increased AU troop presence and enhanced support of the road map.

 

I also expect to see sanctions on spoilers to the transitional process.

 

Longer term, I expect there will be more sustainable funding for peacekeeping troops, more principled funding for local stability initiatives, more coordinated and substantive funding towards Somali’s productive sectors, piracy, security, justice, and counter-terrorism and more countries deploying diplomats and staff into Somalia.

 

The conference has created substantial expectations for Somali stakeholders and I want to emphasize that there is no ‘quick fix’ or magic pill. The next stage is a long journey for Somalia, but I do believe we have embarked on this journey, and my government is committed towards putting in place the foundations for deepening peace; for stability; and development.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen - Somalia’s problems are long standing, complicated and globally shared. Solving them requires a serious, honest, coordinated and consensus-based partnership between the Transitional Institutions, the African Union, the United Nations and the broader International Community.

 

I believe this enhanced international support to Somalia can be achieved through following a few key principles:-

 

The international community must get behind our efforts, our vision, our leaders, rather than imposing solutions, after all, Somalia is a sovereign nation and ultimately its destiny rests in the hands of its’ own people.

The international community need to commit and make good on their support for the Roadmap.

We need coherent sustainable and long term support to develop Somalia’s national security and justice sector.

We need to wean ourselves from being an aid dependent nation and instead work towards growth and development with genuine international commitments to long term funding for food security, for productive sectors, for infrastructure, for economic growth and stability.

The international community need to shift Somalia’s development funds from being spent in Nairobi to being invested in Somalia.

Both national and international actors need to also shift the status quo of financial predation on Somalia’s resources.

Somali and international actors need to come together and provide rapid investments for peace and socioeconomic dividends to those communities freed from Al-Shabab occupation. Such investments will mean better coordination between the military, diplomatic and development arms of government.

And finally, we need an international commitment that moves beyond ‘containment’ in order to address the underlying structural conditions that are causing our problems including addressing the needs of young people because they are the most vulnerable to being recruited by warlords, by pirates, by religious extremists. We must offer these young people an alternative narrative and an economic livelihood.

Ladies and gentleman, we stand at a crossroads today. Somalis are asking what the future holds and whether their leaders will deliver on the promises of the Transitional Federal Charter, the Djibouti agreement, the Kampala accord, the Roadmap, and most recently the Garowe 1 and 2 Principles. They are weary of the state of permanent transition of the past 20 years.

 

As you know, my government has been focused for the past 6 months on implementing the Roadmap to end the transition.

 

Let me start provide a brief update on the 4 components of the roadmap.

 

With regards to political outreach and reconciliation, we are bringing together those that put aside their guns and we are proactively working with liberated local communities to support peace committees and local administrations and work with key partners to provide a peace dividend of tangible economic and social deliverables.

 

On constitution and reform of parliament, we recently held two very important constitutional conference in Garowe in December and earlier this month. With input from our civil society representatives, the political leaders of the TFG and the regional administrations of Somalia made clear commitments to our path out of the transition.

 

We have agreed on a bicameral Federal Parliament, with a vastly reduced Lower House comprising 225 members and an Upper House of not more than 54 members. We have agreed on the selection criteria for the national constituent assembly, including 30% representation of women, as well as defining the scope for a more accountable and representative parliament and upper house. We will hold intensive public consultations over the next few months to finalize and harmonize the constitution. We will start the process of selecting our future lawmakers, ensuring a leaner, more efficient parliament. We will convene the national constituent assembly in May and provisionally adopt our new constitution.

 

Good governance is the third pillar of the Roadmap. My government is committed to providing accountable and transparent governance and to putting in place systems that build trust, integrity and form positive compacts between the citizens and public institutions. Towards that goal, we have overseen the streamlining of the revenue collection system and have prepared and approved our 2012 budget; we have revived Somalia’s Bureau for Investigation of Corruption and, most recently, we have been working on the design of a Somali-International Joint Financial Management Board that will ensure the channelling of both public financial management and international aid efficiently and effectively towards social and economic dividends to Somali citizens.

 

Lastly, on security, the situation in Somalia has improved considerably since we took office. Today 100% of Mogadishu is TFG-controlled, and across the country, Al-Shabaab are on the run and losing the support of Somali populations.

 

Mogadishu, Beledweyn, and Dhobley and Baidoa among other areas have been liberated. Securing all of Somalia is one of our key priorities, and we welcome the Security Council Resolution to expand AMISOM troop numbers and mandate. We will liberate all of South-Central Somalia and more importantly, we will make sure these newly liberated get a chance to build local governance structures that reflect their communities and that seek peace and stability. We will not allow a vacuum that could lead to further conflict.

[General Duke]

This is our work for the next 6 months.

 

I am hopeful that the future of Somalia will be one with a legitimate government, with its legitimacy, trust and confidence being earned and coming from the Somali people, and be for the Somali people and where the relationship between the center and the periphery is balanced.

 

We have begun a path which enhances accountability by the government and the international community to Somali citizens for the management of Somalia’s public resources and international aid, for the ending of the transition, for putting in place strong foundations for the next political dispensation.

 

On the side of Somali and international stakeholders, there must be a shared vision for a secure, stable and prosperous Somalia. A Somalia at peace with itself, its neighbours’, its place in the world arena, where its citizens can go about their daily lives in safety and provide for their families with confidence and dignity. We collectively must extricate ourselves from the vicious cycle where conflict breeds the poverty that leads to more conflict. In its place wemust entrench a virtuous cycle of stability and prosperity.

 

I believe there is a commitment by both international and Somali actors to work together, across political, ideological and security divides. A commitment towards inclusive and accountable system of government that represents all of its people and in which all Somalis can feel they have a stake. A commitment towards a reconciled tolerant Somali society where conflicts are resolved peacefully, built on respect for traditional Somali culture, religious values and ways of life.

 

Thank you.

[Somalia]

Abdiweli could be the next President. His tone has changed, more decisive and leader like.

[General Duke]

Somalia;797310 wrote:

Abdiweli could be the next President. His tone has changed, more decisive and leader like.

I agree with you. Abdiweli latest statements and interviews hints at a greater calling. He has done a marvelous job thus far, insha Allah wish him all the best..