S/PV.6718 Security Council

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2036 (2012). I shall now give the floor to members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting. Sir Mark Lyall Grant (United Kingdom): The United Kingdom sponsored resolution 2036 (2012) because the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) needs the right support to help it work with the Somali security forces to secure a more stable and peaceful Somalia. The resolution gives AMISOM the troops and resources necessary to enable it to effectively capitalize on the gains already made and to increase the military pressure on Al-Shabaab. I am grateful for colleagues’ support during the negotiations on the resolution. It marks an important step in advance of the London conference on Somalia tomorrow, which will look at the wider international approach to Somalia. The Council’s decision today was informed by a joint United Nations-African Union planning on AMISOM in a technical assessment mission, the development of an African Union-AMISOM strategic concept and the Secretary-General’s special report (S/2012/74) on AMISOM. The AMISOM strategic concept and the Secretary-General’s report gave the Council a clear view on what AMISOM needed to make progress in Somalia. AMISOM needed troop levels to increase to 17,731, and it needed more sustainable and predictable funding. The resolution adopted today gives AMISOM those tools, increasing troop numbers to the required level and increasing funding for the AMISOM operation from the United Nations logistical package. The resolution also gives AMISOM a clearer mandate to operate, promoting effective regional coordination and cooperation and stressing the importance of the development of effective Somali security forces. That is important to ensure that military action in Somalia is undertaken carefully and contributes to the wider political strategy for Somalia. An expanded and better resourced AMISOM will help increase areas of stability in Somalia. It will help the political process in Somalia by enabling Somalis outside the capital to take part in the political and constitutional process, making that process more representative and legitimate. Expanding AMISOM to areas beyond Mogadishu will increase the pressure on Al-Shabaab and further decrease the space available to it. Capacity-building needs to be at the heart of the relationship between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) and its subregional organizations. That will help those organizations to deliver the responsibilities they have assumed for peace and security on the continent and to build on the progress made in developing the African peace and security architecture. We encourage the cooperation and coordination between the AU and the United Nations on AMISOM to continue and to develop in the future. The United Kingdom recognizes the important role that regional organizations can play in the pursuit of peace and security in Africa and elsewhere. AMISOM’s success demonstrates that. The resolution adopted today provides AMISOM with the support it needs and deserves.

The United States is pleased to have voted in favour of resolution 2036 (2012). The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) need to work together in fighting Al-Shabaab. This resolution supports that goal. The expansion of the AMISOM troop contingent and the accompanying growth of the logistical support package administered by the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM could make a decisive difference in weakening terrorism and bringing peace. In the short term, we hope that the strengthened United Nations commitment will help to make tomorrow’s London conference on Somalia a success. The United States will continue its strong bilateral support for AMISOM troop-contributing countries, which to date has totalled over $338 million. We urge other Member States to also provide assistance. We call on new donors to play a part in the effort to support the TFG’s national security forces, which urgently require assistance. We look forward to a strong, continuing conversation in the Council and between the Security Council and the African Union (AU) on AMISOM’s progress, needs and challenges. We will continue to monitor how best to support AMISOM in the months to come. We regret that the Council did not include support for maritime assets for AMISOM at this stage. We consider maritime assets to be valuable in achieving AMISOM’s overall security objectives, and we hope that the Council will revisit that discussion in the coming months. With today’s resolution, the Security Council is demonstrating its backing for an African-led regional security initiative. We commend the Governments of Burundi and Uganda for their commitment, and we welcome Djibouti’s initial deployment. We urge all countries contributing troops to AMISOM to adhere to prescribed command-and-control arrangements. We also welcome today’s decision to incorporate Kenyan military efforts into AMISOM’s strategic objectives and mandate. We urge other African Union partners to contribute troops as soon as possible to help AMISOM reach a strength of 17,731 uniformed personnel and to capitalize on AMISOM’s historic successes against Al-Shabaab. Of course, the situation in Somalia cannot be resolved by military force alone. The Transitional Federal Government must seize the opportunity provided by AMISOM and the Somali national security forces. It must complete the tasks laid out in the Kampala Accord, the road map to end the transition in Somalia and the Garowe Principles. There must be no extension of the TFG’s mandate beyond 20 August. The time for political progress is now. At the request of the TFG, the Security Council has taken important steps today to further degrade Al-Shabaab by cutting off one of its primary revenue streams — charcoal exports. The charcoal ban will also reduce a serious environmental threat that impacts food security in Somalia. We urge all Member States to take rapid, effective steps to meet their responsibilities to comply with that obligation and to immediately implement the ban on charcoal. In concluding, let me emphasize the United States ongoing commitment to Somalia, to the AU and to AMISOM. We will continue to work with the international community to help end the threat of terrorism to and the suffering of the Somali people.

Portugal has always been supportive of the African Union’s efforts in Somalia. Within the European Union, we have consistently supported the financing requests for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) through the African Peace Facility. As members of the Council, we have constructively engaged to address the African Union’s concerns and AMISOM’s needs. It is in this same constructive spirit that we have once more voted in favour of strengthening the African Union Mission in Somalia. We feel nevertheless that it is important to bear in mind, as the Secretary-General acknowledges in his latest report on Somalia (S/2012/74), the current environment of global financial constraint, to which the United Nations peacekeeping budget is not immune. Hence, it is imperative to seek additional funding for AMISOM and to broaden its international donor base. The forthcoming London conference should be instrumental in that regard. Moreover, the additional efforts that we are all willing to make at the security and military levels — and in that regard allow me to commend the hard work and sacrifices of AMISOM’s regional partners and of the Somali security forces — should be accompanied by a serious commitment on the part of the Somali political leaders to the political process. Portugal takes note of the recent agreement of the second set of Garowe Principles on federalism, system of Government and ending the transition by operationalizing the first set of Garowe Principles, and we take this opportunity to urge the Transitional Federal Institutions and all road map signatories to redouble their efforts. Turning those decisions into reality is another significant step that the Somalis themselves need to take towards a stable and viable State that will pave the way for a better future for the Somali people.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is today the mainstay of the efforts of the international community to stabilize the security situation in Somalia. We strongly commend the countries contributing troops to AMISOM for their commitment to the Mission and for the sacrifices their men have made. Despite its limited resources, AMISOM has made significant achievements in the implementation of its mandate over the past year. The Mission therefore deserves more support from the international community. In that connection, we welcome AMISOM’s new strategic concept, developed jointly by the African Union and the United Nations. We think that the full implementation of that concept has the potential to accelerate the stabilization of the security situation in Somalia. That, in turn, will facilitate political stabilization and also improve the socio- economic and humanitarian situations. We voted in favour of resolution 2036 (2012) today because it strengthens AMISOM and provides it with more predictable and sustainable resources, including force enablers and multipliers. We are disappointed, however, that the resolution does not include naval assets for contingent-owned equipment reimbursement. We are of the view that the proposed maritime component of AMISOM, limited as it is, is integral to the new strategic concept and thus to the success of the Mission. The pacification of the Somali coastline is essential not only to depriving Al-Shabaab of port revenues and export earnings, but also to dealing with the ever-increasing menace of piracy and hostage-taking. We therefore expect that the Council will address this shortcoming when it next considers AMISOM’s mandate.

South Africa welcomes the adoption of resolution 2036 (2012) on enhancing the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The resolution comes at a critical stage when the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia continues to make significant progress in the implementation of the road map, as witnessed at the Garowe conferences. The security situation in Somalia has also witnessed a marked improvement, with AMISOM patrolling almost 90 per cent of Mogadishu. Despite all the positive developments, we are not oblivious to the many challenges still besetting the country at the political, security and humanitarian levels. The resolution just adopted offers a significant improvement in the logistical support package provided to AMISOM and increases the troop level from 12,000 to 17,731. As the recent report of the Secretary-General states, the revised African Union- United Nations joint strategic concept of the for AMISOM “represents the most pragmatic way forward, in view of the prevailing circumstances on the ground, even though confronted with risks and challenges” (S/2012/74, para. 43). We are therefore concerned that not all of the proposals of the Secretary-General and the African Union have been taken into account. Full support for the strategic concept is necessary to the effective implementation of AMISOM’s operations. We also regret that the hurried manner in which the text of the resolution was negotiated has compelled us to adopt a resolution that does not take into account all of our concerns. For example, the resolution makes no mention of the essential maritime component, and does not explicitly mention the intention of rehatting AMISOM once conditions allow. We hope that these issues will be addressed through bilateral and multilateral support, including uncaveated contributions of support to the AMISOM Trust Fund and in future resolutions. We look forward to the London conference to be held tomorrow, which we hope will garner a unified international response to the political, security and humanitarian challenges confronting Somalia. This should be an opportunity to consolidate existing measures and efforts to resolve the Somali crisis. We encourage greater strategic coherence between the United Nations and the African Union, in line with resolution 2033 (2012). Finally, South Africa believes that the only sustainable resolution of the Somali crisis is through an all-inclusive Somali-led dialogue and consultation process in line with the Djibouti Agreement.

Germany has always been supportive of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and its troop contributors. We commend the Mission, which operates under very difficult circumstances and has sacrificed and achieved a lot. It is the determination and commitment of these African Union forces that have improved the security situation on the ground in the past months. We will continue to provide support to AMISOM in the framework of the United Nations, the European Union and bilaterally. Furthermore, my country actively engages in the European Union training mission for Somali security forces and international efforts to combat piracy off Somalia’s coast. Resolution 2036 (2012) recognizes the support provided to Somalia by bilateral partners and regional organizations. I would like to recall once more the substantial contributions made by the European Union, currently and in the past, and I call on all States members of the United Nations and regional organizations, and especially those that have not contributed so far, to join in these efforts. In adopting resolution 2036 (2012) on the eve of the important London conference, the Council has shown its commitment to and ongoing support for AMISOM and the Somali people. The members of the Council are willing to seize the opportunity on the ground and to enhance their support for the African Union in a considerable manner. As has been said before, all international efforts will fail if the Somalis themselves fail to reconcile, to move towards better governance, and to build new Somali institutions that provide for peaceful and decent lives for the Somali people. Therefore, in resolution 2036 (2012) we urgently call on the Somali actors to comply with the road map and to speed up its implementation. We call for the speedy establishment of Somali security forces and administrative structures, especially in those areas that have been secured by AMISOM. Finally, we recall that action must be taken against the spoilers of the peace process. For Germany, the ultimate goal of all efforts remains a united and functioning Somali State. AMISOM cannot continue indefinitely. The current situation calls for the establishment of security and of a responsible and representative Somali Government that promotes the political process and the delivery of basic services to Somali citizens. All of this requires a solid framework. The adoption of a new, legitimate constitution would be a very important step in this direction. Only such steps, implemented by responsible Somali actors, can lay the basis for a State in which AMISOM would be able to leave after having successfully fulfilled its tasks.

The situation in Somalia is worrisome and demands the international community’s priority attention. This is why we voted in favour of resolution 2036 (2012) today. We hope that it will contribute to the success of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). We pay tribute to its personnel, who are carrying out a difficult and critical task on the ground. The adoption of resolution 2036 (2012) bears witness to the commitment of the international community and should lead Somalis to take up their responsibilities so as to resolve the crisis in their country. That will require the development of a sound political strategy and effective administration in the liberated zones of the country. We hope that the London conference on Somalia will allow for progress in that respect. We must also encourage the development of the Somali security forces. The European Union is making significant contributions to that end and preparing to strengthen its support to the maritime and legal capacities of Somalia and the other countries of the region. Others should contribute to that effort. Finally, the Somali authorities must be fully committed to combating piracy, including on the legal front. I stress the importance of the financial support to AMISOM that is provided by the European Union, which is financing personnel to the tune of some €130 million. Obviously, the European Union, whose members already contribute more than 40 per cent of the budgets of United Nations peacekeeping operations, cannot alone assume the entire financial burden for the implementation of the decision taken today by the Council. That would be taxing the European Union twofold. We therefore call for new donors to commit financially to the funding of AMISOM. In conclusion, I recall the need for strategic consideration of the future of peacekeeping operations in general. Increasing troop levels alone cannot guarantee the success of such missions. We must also ensure that costs are controlled in an Organization where five countries cover more than 60 per cent of the budget of peacekeeping operations. In the context of a global financial crisis, this is a limitation that the Secretariat and all relevant players must take more fully into account. We shall continue to accord great attention to that issue.

The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.