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Mr. President
We thank you, Honourable Mark Simmonds, for presiding over the Council's debate. And we welcome Her Excellency Ms Fawzia Yusuf Haji Adam to the Council.
We thank Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson for presenting the report of the Secretary General on Somalia and for his concise and action-oriented briefing to the Council.
Pakistan welcomes continuing transition towards peace and stability in Somalia.
The Secretary-General's determination that Somalia is on the “right path” to achieve stability and progress is reassuring. The ‘Four-year Strategic Plan’ adopted by the Parliament and the Government’s ‘Six Pillar Policy’ to revitalize national institutions demonstrate the leadership's strong commitment to rebuilding Somalia, which was wracked by decades of strife and civil war.
Efforts by the Federal Government of Somalia to establish credible state institutions and to reach out to the various sub-regions will consolidate democracy and federalism in the country. We applaud close personal engagement of President Hasan Sheikh Mohammad to pursue national reconciliation; and hope that his efforts will pave the way for finalization of constitution and holding of national elections in 2016. The United Nations' good offices in this effort will be most helpful.
Mr. President,
Despite obvious progress, Somalia still faces daunting challenges. Power sharing between federations units, distribution of revenue and resources, establishment of local administrative institutions, provision of basic services, and return of refugees and IDPs need strenuous efforts and adequate resources.
The most serious of all challenges is security and stability of Somalia, which is threatened by a defiant and recalcitrant Al-Shabab and other militant outfits.
Somalia cannot overcome these problems on its own. It needs sustainable international support.
Such support was evident at the London Conference last month, where concrete pledges were made to assist Somalia in strengthening its armed forces and police, rebuilding the justice sector and improving public financial management.
We appreciate the efforts of the United Kingdom in organizing the conference. We agree with you, Mr. President, that
Somalia should not be allowed to slide back under any circumstances.
Mr. President,
Rebuilding Somalia is closely linked to security. The African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has brought vast areas of the country under the government’s control. We commend the AMISOM Troop-contributing countries (TCCs) for their resilience in fighting asymmetric threats posed by terrorists and extremists.
It is gratifying to note that AMISOM has made crucial gains in all sectors of its operations. To maintain its high level of success, AMISOM needs continued international assistance in the form of predictable logistical support, as well as enablers and force multipliers to undertake its operations.
We welcome the establishment of UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). It is important that UNSOM establishes a significant presence in the country and undertakes its mandate-related tasks with the full ownership of the Somali government. We congratulate SRSG Nicholas Kay on his appointment.
UNSOM should also assist Somalia and the international community in eradicating the menace of maritime piracy. We appreciate the proposal made by the Secretariat to include a multi-disciplinary task force on maritime issues in UNSOM. Recent reduction in piracy-related incidents off the Somali coast is encouraging. We, however, should not lower our guard.
Mr. President,
Pakistan will continue to support Somalia bilaterally and as a member of the Security Council, the OIC Contact Group on Somalia and the UN Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. As always, our Somali brethren will find Pakistan a steadfast partner.
I thank you.