S/PV.7056 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Somalia to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2013/653, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Australia, France, Luxembourg, Rwanda, Togo, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. I wish to draw the attention of the members of the Council to document S/2013/606, which contains a letter dated 14 October 2013 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2124 (2013). I shall now give the floor to the member of the Council who wishes to make a statement following the adoption of the resolution.

The Russian Federation voted in favour of resolution 2124 (2013), which was prepared by the delegation of the United Kingdom. We did so in support of the efforts of the African Union to promote a settlement in Somalia on the basis of the key role that the African Union Mission in Somalia plays in resolving the situation in that country. However, we cannot fail to point out that some of our concerns were not appropriately borne in mind by the drafters of the resolution during the work on the text. In particular, we are seriously concerned about paragraph 21, which refers to the requirement on the Somali Government to provide full access to humanitarian organizations in the country. That requirement runs counter to what the General Assembly has established concerning the principles on the provision of emergency humanitarian assistance. That is odd, given that the Federal Government of Somalia is simply not in a position to control a significant part of the country’s territory. It is clear that international humanitarian organizations are leaving Somalia or do not go to work there — not because they are hindered from doing so, which could be attributed to the Somali Government, but because of the underlying security situation. In trying to establish humanitarian principles, the Council is delving into an area outside its remit, namely, the standards-setting work of the General Assembly. In that regard, we would like to underscore that we do not consider the wording of paragraph 21 as setting a precedent.

I now give the floor to the representative of Somalia.

I thank you, Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity to participate in this debate on Somalia and to briefly address the members of the Security Council. First and foremost, allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of November, as well as, through you, to congratulate your predecessor for the month of October. I had the privilege and honour to address this body on 16 October 2012 (see S/PV.6848). Among the points I rasied then were the achievements thus far with regard to the six pillars of Somalia’s future policy. Those pillars, which I think we have already heard about several times, have mostly been implemented in the past year when it comes to their most important parts. On 30 October 2013, our Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Her Excellency Ms. Fowsiyo Yusuf Haji Adan, addressed this body and sincerely stated that the Council had been supporting Somalia for a long time, which is true (see S/PV.7054). Our partners have also helped sustain Somalia for a very long time. We hope there is no fatigue in that regard, for  — we also hope  — there is now light at the end of the tunnel. The Council’s commitment and sustained partnership in support of the critical priorities in Somalia is today at a turning point. Resolution 2124 (2013) clearly states that the Security Council and the international community are still seized of Somalia’s problems and issues, including its peace and stability. We fully appreciate the fact that the Council has taken note of the work and assistance of the valiant brothers and sisters in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to rid Somalia from the scourge of Al-Shabaab. We also appreciate the assistance provided to Somalia thus far in the area of training, among others, to be able to completely free itself of the residual Al-Shabaab elements in the country. That leads me to the point that, while we fully appreciate that AMISOM has received full support and an increase in troop strength, as well as logistical and other enabling support, we also hope that the Somali army contingent fighting together with AMISOM to defeat the last Al-Shabaab strongholds will also be supported by United Nations funds in a more consistent and timely manner. While the United Nations trust fund that has been proposed here is acceptable, a problem arises when it comes to the matter of when it will come about. AMISOM has been granted a period of 18 to 24 months to complete its tasks and mandate. Will that be with the assistance of the trust fund? Will it also be possible, in a timely manner, to assist the Somali contingent fighting with AMISOM to be able to liberate the rest of the country so that the goal of preparing for and holding elections and approving federal components and achieving reconciliaiton can be realized before 2015-2016? On behalf of my country, our Permanent Mission here in New York and the people of Somalia, I once again thank the Council. I hope that all the means possible will be brought to bear in ensuring that funding for the trust fund and its implementation will materialize as soon and as urgently as possible. Otherwise, it will be a disaster for Somalia once again.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council will remain seized of the matter.