It is an honour for me to be
here today, as this it is my first time addressing this
esteemed and respected body, the General Assembly,
as President of Somalia. First, let me congratulate the
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth
session.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank
the United Nations for its unwavering support to
Somalia. On 10 September 2012, when I was elected
President of Somalia, it was the first time that we
had had a permanent Government following 22 years
without a functioning State. Somalia could not have
completed the transition last year without the assistance
of the United Nations and all the countries that stood
with us during those difficult times.
One of the main purposes of the United Nations is
to maintain international peace and security. Therefore,
it is imperative that we stand together to ensure that
the world is peaceful and stable. Somalia and other
countries are still suffering and need the support
of friends, allies and all members of this body, who
must come together to find ways to overcome all the
challenges that exist in this universe.
It is time to reflect on our collective progress and
the challenges and opportunities before us in our efforts
to ensure that the world is free from conflict. I have no
doubt that if we collectively work hard and understand
the issue, become self-critical with our strategies and
provide all the necessary support and assistance to
all countries that are struggling to bring peace and
stability, we will prevail in achieving our main purpose
in that universe. That struggle must be redoubled.
We strongly condemn the cruel and terrible attack
in Nairobi’s Westgate Mall and send our condolences to
the Kenyan people and the Government. The Westgate
shopping mall attack in Nairobi demonstrates to the
world a number of important points.
First, the battle against Al-Qaieda and its offshoots,
such as Al-Shabaab in the Horn of Africa, is far from
over. Al-Shabaab is indeed a national threat, but its
consequences have negative impacts on the region and
the entire world, not just for Somalia alone.
Secondly, the fight against Al-Shabaab must be
fought on many fronts — military, economic, political
and ideological. Military, security and intelligence
forces are crucial elements in the battle, but they are
only one part of the solution.
Thirdly, Al-Shabaab is down but it has not died.
We now need the tools to finish the job, and we call on
our friends to remain resolute and to help us end the
situation. Our brave Somali forces, the African Union
Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Ethiopian forces
need help in fighting our enemies inside Somalia, yet
that is simply not enough. AMISOM must be reinforced
and expanded. The small investment required for those
enhancements is insignificant compared with the great
expense that will be needed later if the international
community does not help finish the job right now.
Furthermore, we must not overreact but remain focused
on weakening and uprooting the terrorist bases,
militarily and ideologically. In doing so, we must not
underestimate them, nor should we overestimate them
and fall for their childish, irresponsible and useless
propaganda.
Those brutal terrorist organizations, wherever they
may be — in Nairobi, Mogadishu or elsewhere in the
world — have no mercy for humankind. But I reassure
the Assembly that we will fight and defeat Al-Shabaab
in the deserts and in the towns, on digital and on social
media. We will fight them on the airwaves and in the
newspapers. We challenge them in schools, colleges
and universities, and we will overcome them. We have
defeated them militarily on the battlefield, and we must
now defeat their poisonous ideology with innovative
strategies, cutting-edge technologies, comprehensive
education and vigorous communication. That is the
commitment that we will fulfil, and I call on our partners
to remain strong and stand shoulder to shoulder with
Kenya and with Somalia. Only if we remain resolute
and together will we prevail.
In just one year, the cornerstones of a new Somalia
have been successfully and peacefully laid down. We
have made milestone achievements in security, public
finance management, reconciliation, political outreach
and laying the foundations of good governance
with appropriate legislation in place. The federal
Government of Somalia has now established the basis
of a new public finance management system, which
we believe will enable our donors to agree to funding
arrangements with the confidence that funds will reach
their intended recipients.
That is at the heart of the New Deal compact we
signed in Brussels earlier this month. The compact
represents a paradigm shift in how the international
community engages with Somalia, and I welcome
that transformation wholeheartedly. The New Deal
will help Somalia preserve its unity and sovereignty
and lay a strong foundation, 22 years on, for building
reliable, transparent and accountable functioning State
institutions that are respectful of the fundamental rights
and freedoms and equality of its citizens.
To succeed, the New Deal must be more than words
and frameworks. It must deliver on the ground. There are
huge expectations that the compact will revolutionize
the service-delivery efforts of the Government. We
need to transform the lives of our people, connect
with our citizens and enhance their well-being. In the
meantime, we have started a campaign to revitalize
service delivery in districts and regions throughout
Somalia, to provide health care, and to enable access
to clean water. We have launched, for the first time, an
initiative called “Go to School”. Under its auspices, we
are planning to enrol 100,000 students in the schools
in the current academic year, and 1 million students
will eventually be in school within the coming three
years. That is not without challenges, but we commit
ourselves and we will prevail.
On the other hand, I would like to present to the
Assembly the political progress that we are making in
Somalia. We believe that a political solution is the first
step in building a stable governance framework in our
country. We have begun to lay the foundations for the
return of effective, stable and representative governance
in Somalia, the cornerstone of lasting peace.
To that end, Somalia should possess a full-
fledged constitution reflecting a broad national
consensus on how we wish to govern ourselves. We
must complete the establishment of our federal system
and advance the process of democratization through
the development of a multiparty electoral system.
Accordingly, our Parliament has already passed
legislation establishing an independent Constitutional
Review and Implementation Commission, as required
by the provisional Constitution. We must move quickly
to put in place other critical statutory bodies, including
a boundaries and federation commission and a national
independent electoral commission, the tasks of which
will be to guide our thinking and inform our actions
and decisions in order to complete Somalia’s journey to
unity, stability and democracy.
In March, my Government signed an agreement
with the authorities in Puntland, framing our shared
commitment to implementing a federal system of
governance, as agreed. On 27 August, we signed an
accord that establishes an interim Juba Administration,
which also aspires to become a federal member state
in accordance with the Constitution. The agreement,
achieved after long months of painstaking negotiations,
demonstrates what can be achieved through the
combination of Somali political leadership and the
steadfast support of our close neighbours.
We have begun similar processes elsewhere
in Somalia, establishing interim administrations
in the remaining regions to pursue the twin goals
of peacebuilding and State-building across many
regions in Somalia. Members of Parliament have also
played a key role in all of those processes, working
with their constituencies and serving as a critical
channel of communication between the people of their
constituencies and the federal Government.
With the good offices of the Government of Turkey,
we have continued our dialogue with the authorities in
Somaliland, underscoring our determination to preserve
the unity of the country, not by force and coercion, but
through dialogue, mutual respect and understanding.
Somali unity must be more than a rhetorical device;
it must preserve and promote the dignity, equality
and legitimate aspirations of all Somali citizens. By
adhering to such principles, we are confident that our
dialogue with Somaliland will not only continue, but
will eventually bear fruit.
Those are major milestones, but enormous
challenges still lie ahead. These challenges were
clearly articulated by the participants at the Vision 2016
Conference convened on 2 September in Mogadishu,
where some of the best minds in the country and from
Somali communities living abroad came together
to offer their remarkable experience, insights and
expertise in charting the way forward for the future
of Somalia. At another major gathering just last week
in Mogadishu, respected Somali religious leaders
and elders from across the country announced their
determination to have a future free from the intolerance
and extremism that have taken root in recent years.
We are committed to ensuring that, in the course
of the daily struggle to rebuild our country, we do not
lose sight of the longer-term challenges ahead. We
are announcing the Vision 2016 initiative, which is
a concerted effort under my leadership to complete
the Constitution, organize the federal system and
prepare the ground for elections in 2016. We will need
direction, determination, discipline and human and
financial resources if we are to succeed as we roll out
the concrete objectives and benchmarks set forth in the
initiative.
Finally, people may ask why Somalia matters at this
time, but there is a huge amount at stake right now — the
future of our country, the security of the region and the
wider world, in the light, in particular, of the war against
Al-Qaida in Somalia and the removal of the piracy
stranglehold on the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean,
which are indeed challenges that we share with the
world. The progress that has been made in Somalia on
those critical issues over the past years would not have
been possible without the courageous support of the
member countries of the Intergovernmental Authority
on Development, the African Union through its troop-
contributing countries, and the ultimate sacrifice made
by many brave African soldiers. We pay tribute to them,
and we owe it to their memory to ensure that we do not
take a single step backwards.
I would equally like to thank the European Union
for its leadership in organizing the recent conference in
Brussels. I would also like to thank the Member States
that not only made the commitment to take part in the
meeting, but also showed great generosity in making
pledges to help the development and reconstruction of
Somalia. We hope that others will do as they have done.
We welcome the new United Nations Assistance
Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), with which we are now
working to bring peace and stability to the country.
UNSOM is doing a great job, and we look forward to
addressing all outstanding issues together. UNSOM
has shown a commitment to bringing its offices back to
Somalia. Tragically, the extremists, who are terrified of
progress, were able to kill innocent people in an attack
against the United Nations compound in Mogadishu.
I offer my sincere condolences to the United Nations
and the families of the victims. The United Nations
has reacted mindfully and reiterated its support for
Somalia. I thank the Organization for that courage and
commitment.
War is something we Somalis have experienced too
much of in recent years, and we feel particular sadness
when we look at Syria and see our brothers embarking
on a civil war that will only bring the ruin of the country.
It is much easier to start a war than to end one. After
two years, the conflict in Syria is already entrenched.
Hatred has taken hold of the hearts of too many men
and women, while a new generation of children has to
endure a childhood full of suffering, with no education.
As a Somali who has lived through the world’s
longest, most devastating civil war, I can speak with
bitter experience of the legacies of war. We must not
allow the use of chemical weapons against human beings
in war or otherwise, let alone against children, women
and vulnerable people. The international community
must assume its responsibility and send a powerful
massage to those who are responsible for the continued
conflict in Syria. We must continue to encourage all
sides in Syria and their international allies to realize
that the only way out of the tragedy is dialogue and
negotiation.
Before I conclude, let me reiterate that impunity has
no place in the world, but selective justice and targeted
trials are against the principles of peace, justice and
reconciliation. Regrettably, the trials of African leaders
at the International Criminal Court have become
politically motivated, in contravention of agreed
objectives and principles. As a result, the wounds of
conflict remain unhealed and the national unity and
cohesion of many African countries is jeopardized.
I would like to conclude by thanking the General
Assembly and paying tribute to the dedicated support
of its members. Together we can make Somalia strong
again. We have planted the seeds of a new Somalia.
We wish to see it grow into a tree standing tall in the
African bush, with deep roots binding it securely to its
region and offering shade and protection to its people
as they rebuild their lives.