S/PV.8537 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/2019/444, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 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.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2472 (2019). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.

We thank the United Kingdom, in its capacity as the penholder, for its transparency, tireless efforts and commitment to facilitating resolution 2472 (2019), which we just adopted. The renewal of the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is a significant undertaking by the Security Council in support of the Federal Government and the people of Somalia. We recognize the fundamental role of AMISOM in efforts to restore security and stability in Somalia. It would have otherwise been impossible to achieve. AMISOM’s role is also invaluable as Somalia prepares for 2020- 2021 elections. South Africa aligns itself with the African Union (AU) Commission and the AU Peace and Security Council’s principled call on the AU, the United Nations and key partners in Somalia to provide the required resources to support AMISOM in a sustained and predictable manner. That is important, as AMISOM’s tasks and responsibilities require it to align its logistical and equipment capabilities and capacities with the realities and changes on the ground. Stability and enhanced security in Somalia will improve the security of the shipping lanes in the Horn of Africa, thereby ensuring free trade flows around the world to benefit all of us. We should therefore appreciate the contribution of AU troop-contributing countries in that regard. Hence the necessity for the Security Council to agree on funding such a vital peacekeeping operation, which benefits us all, around the world. We remain concerned about the prevailing precarious humanitarian situation in Somalia. We call on the international community to redouble its efforts to improve the humanitarian situation and to protect all those who are vulnerable.

As your presidency draws to a close, Mr. President, we would like to commend you for your efforts to ensure that our work is carried out in the best conditions. We thank you for your excellent work. My delegation welcomes the adoption of resolution 2472 (2019), which renews the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for one year. We particularly welcome the fact that the Security Council adopted it unanimously. We thank the United Kingdom, in its capacity as penholder and facilitator for the negotiations. We also thank the other delegations for their active contributions and their sense of compromise, without which this welcome and vital consensus would not have been possible. Côte d’Ivoire believes that the presence of AMISOM in Somalia is essential during the ongoing transition process, given the current security context. My country therefore welcomes that the resolution recognizes the Mission’s fundamental role and important contributions to the creation of security conditions conducive to the building of the State of Somalia. It is our Council’s duty to encourage AMISOM and help it fully carry out its mission in order to consolidate the current gains, which, although precarious, are still encouraging. That is why we particularly welcome that the resolution takes into account certain concerns we previously expressed regarding the need to match the realities on the ground with the human and material resources needed for the effective operation of AMISOM. We therefore call on the members of the Council and all parties in Somalia to work towards the full implementation of this resolution, with a view to restoring lasting peace and stability to Somalia.

As today is the last day of May, I once again congratulate Indonesia and its entire delegation for the excellent work carried out during its hyperactive presidency, with extensive debates on numerous themes. I also take this opportunity to wish Kuwait a successful presidency for the month of June and to convey our total readiness to collaborate as much as possible in order to ensure its resounding success. We thank the United Kingdom for its dedication and hard work. As penholder, it used all the necessary means to facilitate the negotiations on resolution 2472 (2019). We also thank each of the other delegations for the level of flexibility they demonstrated in order to reach the consensus achieved. Allow me, however, to point out our impression of the current situation on the ground. We understand that, despite the political will shown by the Somali Government and the many efforts made by the international community, the Somali security forces still need support before they can take charge of the situation in the country. Accordingly, the three African members of the Council introduced into the text a provision conditioning future reductions on a joint United Nations-African Union assessment of the security context and ongoing threats in the country prior to any further action in that direction. The flexibility shown in the negotiations on introducing this provision led us to vote in favour of the draft resolution that has become resolution 2472 (2019). Bearing in mind the difficult trajectory that Somalia has experienced since the beginning of the 1990s, we can presume that the efforts of the international community are making great strides in advancing the country’s process of State-building, but despite the political achievements there is still much to be done on the security situation, which is notably threatened by the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab and other extremist groups, which also affects other countries of the region and impedes peacebuilding and sociopolitical development in Somalia. For our delegation, the contribution of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to this delicate process remains very important. It is therefore important in this new phase that the international community and the Somali Government ensure that the Somali security forces are sufficiently trained and equipped to properly and responsibly ensure the safety of the country’s citizens, bearing in mind that general elections are approaching and that any premature handover could undo all the efforts expended in Somalia. To this end, the Security Council and the international community must strive to resolutely support AMISOM and the Somali Government so that the efforts they deploy have the desired effects both for Somalia, in particular, and for the entire region of the Horn of Africa in general.

I do not intend to make a full explanation of vote, but I just wanted to thank colleagues around the table for the constructive approach they took in this negotiation, and to our African partners, in particular. I would also like to thank my expert, Nerys Cross-Smith, for bringing this to a good conclusion. I wanted to say that this is the first resolution we have tried following the Greentree retreat where we took an existing volume of pages and shortened it and hopefully put it into clearer language. So certainly from the United Kingdom side, we commit to the Council to doing that with all our future resolutions, including where we are renewing mandates. We invite colleagues to do likewise. Lastly, I would like to congratulate the President. I missed the reception last night for which I apologize, but I thank him for a very important month. We very much look forward to working with and supporting Kuwait.

I shall now speak briefly in my national capacity. I support the United Kingdom in submitting short resolutions. I think that this kind of thing is expected by colleagues in the Chamber. I join others in congratulating the United Kingdom on the resolution. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. The representative of South Africa has asked for the floor to make a further statement.

I want to apologize because I forgot to congratulate you, Mr. President, on what a marvellous job you have done, including filling my wardrobe with extra batik shirts. Sir, you and your team, as my colleagues from the United Kingdom and Equatorial Guinea were saying, have done an excellent job. I know we have all put pressure on you, and pulled you this way and that, and that is how the Council works. Anyway, I offer you congratulations on a job well done — in an Asian way, with Asian flavour and style. Kuwait is not very far from Asia. I am sure its delegation has been watching you carefully, Sir, to see how Asians manage the files. My brother, I offer you my congratulations. I was reminded by my colleagues from several delegations that I had made a terrible mistake and had better apologize now. So, again, I offer my congratulations and thanks.

Coming from the representative of South Africa, that is an excellent poem. I thank him very much. Once again, I thank my colleagues for their kind words addressed to me and my team. I now give the floor to the representative of Somalia.

I would like to begin by thanking you, Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity to address the Security Council. As the Indonesian presidency of the Council comes to an end, allow me to warmly congratulate you, Sir, on your excellent leadership in presiding over the Council for the month of May and your country’s continued contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish the brotherly State of Kuwait every success in its upcoming presidency of the Council for the month of June. My delegation welcomes the Security Council’s adoption of resolution 2472 (2019), which renews the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for a period of 12 months, and I give special thanks to the penholder, the United Kingdom, and other Council members for their positive contributions in reaching consensus on the resolution just adopted. At the outset, I pay tribute to the deep commitment of the African Union and the troop- and police-contributing countries of AMISOM. Their willingness to stand by Somalia in its darkest days has played a critical role in the progress we are all witnessing today. Their bravery and sacrifice as they stand side by side with the Somali people is a true testament to the strong bond that unites us. We are grateful for their unwavering commitment and partnership as we move into the next chapter of the transition plan. We are also pleased that the protection of civilians continues to be a top priority in the mandate. It will allow AMISOM to benefit from the necessary means to provide support to our Government, which has the primary responsibility to protect persons and property throughout the national territory. Thanks to the efforts of the members of the Security Council, the Somalia of today is markedly different from the Somalia to whose aid the United Nations and the African Union came over a decade ago. With regard to our objectives on security and justice, we are in the process of concluding the biometrics registration of every member of the Somali National Army. This exercise has taken two years to complete. Together with the outcomes of the operational readiness assessment, it will form the basis of a professional and efficient military force. Alongside payroll and institutional reforms, we are harmonizing support, resupply and sustainment for our forces. We are also generating new troops trained to modern standards and equipped to tackle the vicious threat of Al-Shabaab. In recent weeks, with the support of AMISOM, the Somali National Army began joint operations in Lower Shabelle region, capturing the strategic bridge town of Sabid and Canole from Al-Shabaab’s control as well as the agriculturally rich Bariire. The successful joint operations to liberate Lower Shabelle from Al-Shabaab demonstrate that Somalia remains fully committed in delivering on the implementation of the transition plan and the revised AMISOM concept of operations 2018- 2021. The ongoing operations in Lower Shabelle have widely disrupted Al-Shabaab’s networks and supply lines, and, though it is too early to call, the liberation of those areas has already had a ripple effect on Mogadishu’s security, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. Not only is Al-Shabaab in retreat in Lower Shabelle, but the Somali National Army has begun cleansing Al-Shabaab from along key main supply routes such as the strategic road from Mogadishu to Jowhar, in Middle Shabelle. To prevent Al-Shabaab’s resurgence, we need adequate investment in helping the Federal Government of Somalia rebuild and extend local governance in the areas liberated from Al-Shabaab. We should not see security efforts as an end but as a crucial means of sustaining long-term peace in Somalia. Long-term peace requires security gains that are consolidated by good governance, investment and sustainable development. Therefore, in parallel we have endorsed a justice and corrections model to implement federal and state police plans and have updated our national stabilization strategy to build local governance and promote reconciliation. These reforms are aimed at working towards the objectives set out in the first phase of the transition plan and implementing the national security architecture. Furthermore, with the support of the International Monetary Fund, we have made significant progress towards debt relief under the third staff-monitored programme. Domestic revenue has increased 27 per cent, and this upward trend continues to be driven by sustained efforts to broaden the tax base. Not only have we in Somalia made great progress on our domestic reforms, but our relations with our neighbours and friends have also been strengthened. There is no doubt that as these reforms take root, they will lead to a strong backlash from spoilers, but we are committed to the development and strengthening of our institutions as we gradually assume responsibility for our security. We are cognizant of the fact that AMISOM cannot stay in Somalia forever and that it is necessary to transition its responsibilities to the Somali security forces. We are committed to the transition plan, which will enable AMISOM’s brave men and women to leave the noble legacy of a successful deployment in Somalia. However, Somalia stands at a crucial juncture, as we are approaching one-person-one-vote elections in 2020- 2021. We are focused on ensuring a secure, transparent and credible process that is embraced by our people and marks another important step in consolidating democracy and the rule of law in the country. Therefore, any planned drawdown must be done after thoroughly assessing the conditions on the ground. Furthermore, resolution 2472 (2019), adopted today, stresses the importance of implementing the proposed requirement to reduce AMISOM’s troop ceiling by 1,000 in February 2020 in a more strategic manner. We look forward to continued consultation in that regard. To conclude, I would like to thank the Council for its continued support for and commitment to Somalia. I would like to once again thank the African Union, the United Nations and all troop-contributing countries for their work throughout the mandate that has just ended. We hope that AMISOM’s new mandate will be the culmination of efforts to bring sustainable peace and stability to the Federal Republic of Somalia.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. Before adjourning the meeting, as this is the last scheduled meeting of the Council for the month of May, I would like to express the sincere appreciation of the delegation of Indonesia to the members of the Council not only for their kind words but also for their support and to the secretariat of the Council for all the support it has given us. Indeed, it has been a busy month, one in which we rallied to consensus on several important issues within our purview. We started the first day of our presidency with a consensus press element on Cyprus, and I am glad that we ended this morning on a consensus resolution on Somalia. It clearly shows that when the Council wishes to be united, it can do so. I hope that this will continue. We certainly could not have done it alone or without the support of all colleagues in this Chamber, the Permanent Representatives and the Deputy Permanent Representatives. I would like pay strong tribute to the political coordinators, because they are the ones that ensure smooth sailing for all of us who are sitting here at this U-shaped table. I would also like to express our sincere appreciation to the secretariat, Ms. Hasmik and her team; the conference service officers on that side of the Chamber; the interpreters up high on the mountain over there; the verbatim reporters; the security officers; the secretary to the President — the one who has never been seen but has always been productive — the United Nations media and journalists and, of course, others. I would like also to sincerely thank my own staff from the Indonesian Mission for their hard work. I think that they are very happy to see our presidency end. Although today marks the end of our term as President for this month, rest assured that we will continue to make a contribution for the remaining 580 days of our term. I am counting the days, which shows how very diligent I am. In conclusion, I must say that I am now the happiest person in this Chamber, because I will be handing over the wooden gavel to my brother Mansour, the Permanent Representative of Kuwait, who, I am confident, will do an excellent job as President. As the saying goes, with the strength and wisdom of Thor from Marvel Comics, I hand this wooden gavel to him, with the wisdom and strength to continue the presidency.