S/PV.7535 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. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2015/762, which contains a letter dated 7 October 2015 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council. I give the floor to Mr. Khare. Mr. Khare: My briefing this morning will focus on the strategic review of the United Nations Support Office for the African Union Mission in Somalia (UNSOA) and the assessment of the feasibility of non-lethal support to Somali National Army troops in Puntland and the Somali police, as requested in resolution 2232 (2015). UNSOA is working in a significantly non-permissive environment against the backdrop of the scourge of Al-Shaabab and a continuing humanitarian crisis. Fatalities in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) last year exceeded the combined fatalities from malicious acts in all other United Nations peacekeeping operations combined. Over the past 18 months, the United Nations has suffered attack on its personnel or facilities on an average of once every 10 weeks. With a four-week rest-and-recuperation cycle, statistically a staff member can expect an attack before her or his third rest-and-recuperation break. The logistical enabling environment remains weak, affected by insecurity in the major supply routes, where three-quarters of all improvised explosive device attacks against AMISOM occur. It is in this context that the strategic review of UNSOA was undertaken from July to September. The review employed a comprehensive methodology with extensive stakeholder participation. Consultations were held with Member States, the African Union, the Federal Government of Somalia, UNSOA clients and United Nations system-wide entities. The review found that UNSOA had contributed positively to the gains made by AMISOM and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). However, it also found that UNSOA resources had not kept pace with the dramatic expansion of its tasks. UNSOA is now supporting both very high intensity military operations, as well as highly mobile political engagement in Somalia and beyond. The number of clients it supports has grown from one to five. The number of personnel it supports has grown from 8,000 to over 33,000, all in an area of operations that has grown from 100 square kilometres to over 400,000 square kilometres. I am proud of what UNSOA has been able to achieve with its comparatively small and restricted resource base. This, however, has come at the expense of the overall effectiveness of service delivery, including in critical areas related to maintenance services, field defence supplies, tentage, mobility and the construction programme. Moving forward, UNSOA needs to be significantly strengthened. While the Secretariat will be doing its part, critical support will be needed from the Council, the General Assembly, Member States and, of course, our partner the African Union. UNSOA efforts will be refocused and reprioritized around the strategic objectives set by the Council for Somalia and within the areas of AMISOM operations with regard to the Somali National Army. This will entail redefining the UNSOA client base as AMISOM, UNSOM and the Somali National Army when conducting joint operations with AMISOM. Existing medical support infrastructure will also be extended on a limited basis to provide in-theatre medical evacuation support to the Somali National Police in the areas where AMISOM operates. Efforts will also be refocused on surge support to address the critical gaps noted earlier, strengthening the United Nations Human Rights Due Diligence Policy and compliance with the sexual exploitation and abuse policy, coordination and joint decision-making frameworks and environmental stewardship. This will require targeted but significant strengthening of the current capacities of UNSOA. These efforts of the Secretariat will need the support of the Council in strengthening the accountability framework for UNSOA through a single, clear mandate focused on the delivery of support to, but operationally separate from its clients, namely, UNSOM, AMISOM and the Somali National Army. It will require a stronger reporting relationship with the Council, a leadership function headed by an Assistant Secretary-General and, of course, a new name. Clear roles and responsibilities for the delivery of sustainable logistical support have been agreed between AMISOM and UNSOA within the framework of their joint responsibilities. We are encouraged by the African Union’s efforts to generate the enabling units authorized as part of AMISOM and, in parallel, UNSOA will proceed urgently with supporting the African Union in the establishment of mission-enabling units in all sectors of AMISOM operations to support the opening of the main supply routes. I wish to make a final point. I will ensure that the transition of the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region to other service providers will be smooth. Of course, until new service providers are identified, UNSOA will continue to extend such services on a temporary basis, in full consultation with those two entities. With the endorsement of the Council, I would like to present proposals to the General Assembly to strengthen UNSOA. They are likely to represent a significant increase in investment to the tune of approximately $60 million per annum and a one-time cost of approximately $13 millions. That, I believe, will translate into real and tangible gains in terms of the capacity to enable the activities of AMISOM, UNSOM and the Somali National Army. The Council is aware that one of my first visits after assuming charge as Under-Secretary-General for Field Support was to Somalia in April. I shall send my Deputy, Assistant Secretary-General Banbury, to Somalia from 18 to 20 October in order to follow up immediately on the guidance and advice that we will receive from the Council. I will also be addressing all UNSOA in this regard by video-teleconference on 19 October, while Mr. Banbury is there.

I thank Mr. Khare for his briefing. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.