It gives me great pleasure to stand before the General Assembly on this historic rostrum to participate in the Assembly’s seventy-eighth session. I would like to express our heartfelt congratulations to the President of the General Assembly, as well as the State of Trinidad and Tobago, on his election. I assure him of Somalia’s full readiness to work with him as he undertakes his responsibilities. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to his predecessor. Mr. Csaba Korosi. for his successful leadership of the previous session.
Given the theme of this year’s session “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”. I would like to recall a Somali proverb: “to be without knowledge is to be without light”. Somalia is a country that has been blessed by God with resilient people who have great and countless abilities. We clearly see the great contradictions between the promise on the ground and the harsh realities and challenges that we face. Therefore. I stand before the Assembly today to bear witness to the dire consequences of inaction.
I realize what inaction means for ordinary innocent people in terms of failing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As we stand at the halfway point of the implementation of the SDGs. we must be able to scale up and accelerate our actions. The time for complacency has passed. Future generations are looking to us as leaders. States and institutions, to enhance efforts to find innovative solutions to our problems and crises and to create effective partnerships that will transform promises into policies and commitments and tangible measures. We must fully honour our moral responsibility not to leave anyone behind. That is the best way to ensure that everyone lives in peace, prosperity, progress and sustainable development.
The coronavirus disease pandemic exposed the fragility of our interconnected world, but it also showed the power of solidarity and cooperation during difficult times. That painful experience has demonstrated gaps in mobilizing resources and in preparedness and pandemic prevention mechanisms, which requires an
urgent response to international emergencies. We must therefore adopt an approach that includes the whole of society. In that regard, we call for the establishment of platforms to coordinate policies at the global and regional levels and to collect resources and expertise, with a view to enhancing measures to protect against pandemics and maintain readiness. Those platforms must adopt an approach that realizes equality and the SDGs as essential principles for enhancing our collective ability to detect, respond to and recover from shocks while promoting global solidarity.
The differences and inequalities in the ability to mobilize resources during the pandemic demonstrate the need to restructure the global financial order, which has become more urgent than ever before. We live in one interconnected world, whose peoples have the same aspirations and challenges. Therefore, we must urgently adopt a financial system that is capable of changing those tangible and painful realities. The time has come to leave behind obsolete structures, remedy historic ills and build a financial order that is in line with the values of joint prosperity and collective progress.
We can plant the seeds of stability and progress only in a land that is nourished by the principles of consultation and inclusiveness. Today our world faces unprecedented challenges as we witness a dangerously increase in violence. We see that new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, pose new and terrifying threats to all of us. The noticeable increase in armed conflicts and military coups, especially on the African continent, is a source of deep concern, because those conflicts have a devastating impact on the lives of civilians and lead to a significantly increase in displacement and poverty. Those are all issues from which Somalia is still struggling to recover. In the light of the most recent international incidents, which recall our painful past, we call for an immediate and comprehensive cessation of violence and destruction. We call for adherence to democratic principles and the protection of constitutional systems that guarantee civil liberties.
In an era of increasing hatred and violence. Somalia remains guided by the principles of noble Islam. We remain firm advocates for the principles of tolerance among the different faiths and enhancing mutual understanding. We clearly and unequivocally condemn the racial discrimination and oppression that targets Muslim communities in many areas of the world. We firmly believe that we cannot achieve global harmony except through diversity and the eradication of bigotry.
The question of Palestine, which remains intractable, continues to be a source of shame to us all. We reaffirm that Somalia will continue to defend the inalienable rights and self-determination of the brotherly Palestinian people. We also reiterate our call for a just two-State solution that respects the 1967 borders. Our solidarity with Palestine is a true testament of our steadfast commitment to justice and protection of human rights.
Somalia welcomes the New Agenda for Peace proposed by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, because it reminds us that conflicts arise from problems of inequality. We completely agree with the need to make every effort to remedy the root causes of conflicts through comprehensive development, dialogue and the protection of human rights.
We live in an international system that is both fragmented and unequal. Therefore. I call on my fellow Heads of State and Government to work together to reform multilateral institutions, such as the United Nations, development banks and the Security Council, because those institutions with their current structures are no longer fit for addressing the challenges that we face today. We must all work together to implement a collective agenda that will make those institutions more inclusive, transparent, accountable and fit for their purposes, goals and objectives. The Summit of the Future, convened by the Secretary-General, provides a rare opportunity to address those shared objectives. We call on everyone to ensure that peace, justice and the rule of law prevail, thereby laying the foundations for a world in which conflicts are resolved through diplomacy and peaceful means.
Climate change constitutes an existential challenge to all humankind. It is a challenge that transcends barriers and will not respond to isolated efforts, and can be addressed only through united resolve. Extreme weather events, the increase in temperature and the raging forest fires that are ravaging communities in an unexpected and often unpredictable manner are all real reminders that the consequences of failing to take responsible collective action are no longer a distant concern. In recent years. Somalia has been caught in a vicious cycle of long droughts and devastating floods that have claimed thousands of lives and dispersed millions. It is extremely unjust that Somalia, the country that has contributed the least to global carbon
emissions, has had to bear the brunt of the adverse impacts of climate change. From this rostrum, we call on the international community to support us in addressing that urgent issue and bolstering our resilience in confronting climate change.
There is no country poorer than Somalia, when compared to its situation in the 1960s. Nevertheless, over the past decade. Somalia has achieved remarkable progress towards peace and stability, and we have begun to see tangible socioeconomic growth. The principle of a Somalia living in peace with itself and its neighbours is the cornerstone of our Government’s foreign policy as it works towards peaceful coexistence and effective cooperation with our neighbours and partners to achieve shared prosperity. At the local level, we have adopted a conciliatory approach with a view to reaching political settlements and promoting lasting cohesion within our society. We have used a firm hand in uprooting and eliminating extremism. Our recent campaign against terrorism has achieved a quantum leap against terrorists at the military, financial and ideological levels, with 45 per cent of regions previously occupied by the terrorist group Al-Shabaab being liberated in less than one year.
Thanks to our efforts over the past year and our effective commitment, resolve and cooperation with our partners and local communities, there will not be a single rock left for terrorists to hide under. We therefore call for a similar approach to be taken to eradicating international terrorism and for the effective integration of local communities and the protection of their rights through the enforcement of justice and the rule of law. In that regard. I take the opportunity to commend the courage and sacrifices of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). We also thank troop contributing countries and all our partners and allies for their fraternal support. Somalia is committed to fully implementing the security transition plan and assuming full responsibility for security once the African ATMIS troops have withdrawn from the country by the end of 2024.
In that context. I would like to reiterate Somalia’s call for the full and unconditional lifting of the arms embargo imposed by the Security Council in 1992. which is the longest-running and most expansive embargo of different kinds of arms in the world. Today Somalia has stronger administrative systems in place to regulate the possession, use and storage of firearms. Lifting the embargo will enable us to effectively address terrorism and build a future marked by peace and prosperity for our people.
Somalia looks forward to a fruitful and bright future. To that end. we need to take three critical steps.
First, we need to fulfil the requirements of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. We have successfully reached the decision point under the Initiative. We expect to reach the completion point by the end of this year, paving the way for alleviating the debt burden on Somalia and unleashing its vital resources to achieve autonomous growth.
Secondly, we need to put the era of the Al-Shabaab terrorist movement behind us. As we continue to wage our robust campaign against terrorism, we are optimistic about the limitless opportunities to achieve socioeconomic progress in a country free of security threats.
Thirdly, we need to reach the post-ATMIS period. The withdrawal of foreign troops and the assumption by Somali troops of full responsibility for national security constitute an important step towards restoring our sovereignty, re-establishing our social compact with our people and promoting a peaceful and cohesive society. We stand ready to rejoin the international community as an active and productive partner. We call on the international community to join us in that process and to be a part of our success.
In conclusion. Somalia is a beautiful country, rich in human and natural capital. Our doors are wide open to any cooperative effort to invest in its varied capacities and achieve prosperity for everyone. An investment in Somalia is an investment in the future.