Somalia, 2013

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.