S/PV.9490 Security Council

I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Council, to His Excellency Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China, for his service as President of the Council for the month of November 2023. I am sure I speak for all members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Zhang Jun and his team for the great diplomatic skill with which they conducted the Council’s business last month. Adoption of the agenda

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/2023/937, 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 first give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements before the voting.

Let me begin by congratulating China on its presidency for the month of November, and in particular by welcoming you, Mr. President, to the Security Council and wishing you all the best for the month of December. You have our full support. The United Kingdom is pleased to present today two draft resolutions (S/2023/937 and S/2023/938) that together impose strong sanctions, including an arms embargo, on Al-Shabaab and lift the legacy arms embargo on Somalia. The United Kingdom worked closely with Somalia in preparing the two texts and is grateful for its constructive engagement throughout. The United Kingdom is also grateful to Council members for their cooperation throughout the negotiation process, and especially to African members of the Council and regional stakeholders, with whom we consulted closely throughout. We recognize the texts represent compromises for many delegations, and we are grateful for their support.

I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 14 votes in favour, none against and 1 abstention. The draft resolution has been adopted as resolution 2713 (2023). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting.

Let me begin by congratulating you, Mr. President, as you assume the presidency of the Security Council for the month of December. I would first like to recall that France unequivocally supports the lifting of the embargo on weapons and military equipment destined for the Somali authorities. We commend the determination and efforts of the Somali Government as well as its bilateral partners in combating Al-Shabaab. Moreover, France welcome the adoption a few moments ago of resolution 2713 (2023), which renews the sanctions regime and the arms embargo against Al-Shabaab. Nevertheless, France abstained in the voting on the resolution because we deeply regret that the reference to the territorial dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea that was included in recent years in the resolutions pertaining to the Al-Shabaab sanctions regime was not included this year. The refence to that dispute in previous resolutions, including the resolution on sanctions on Al-Shabaab, made it possible to maintain the Council’s attention and that of the international community and ensured that the situation did not deteriorate. We must not give the impression that the Council has lost interest in a situation that continues to pose a threat to peace and security. Indeed, the Council must fully play its preventive role in the face of that threat, including taking into account the whole host of risks impacting the region, including unresolved territorial disputes, as it follows the situation in Somalia. Given the lack of a reference to the dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea in the resolution adopted today, France remains open to exploring all options to maintain the Council’s attention on the issue, including via a new Council text or the holding of a dedicated meeting. We encourage all Member States to continue to focus attention on such differences. France reiterates its full support for the region’s stability and the resolution of territorial disputes through peaceful means.

We would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on assuming the presidency of the Security Council, as well as to thank the delegation of China for its very skilful leadership of the Council’s business last month. The Russian Federation supported the resolution against the Al-Shabaab terrorist group (resolution   2713   (2023)), which was put forward by the United Kingdom. We expect that the measures that have been taken will provide substantial assistance to Mogadishu in overcoming many years’ long difficulties in combating that group.

Since this is the first time I take the floor under your presidency, Sir, let me congratulate you and your team for assuming the Security Council presidency and offer my delegation’s full support as you carry out your duties. I wish to thank Council members for their engagement on this resolution (resolution 2713 (2023)), and the United Kingdom in particular for its efforts as the penholder. The United States welcomes the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts and the renewal of the arms embargo, the travel ban and the assets freeze measures. The United States voted in favour of this resolution as those measures and the Panel’s role in monitoring their implementation remain crucial to promoting peace and stability in Somalia and in the broader region. Moreover, this renewal ensures that Panel oversight and reporting will continue to inform the Al-Shabaab Sanctions Committee and the Council. For those reasons, we look forward to the swift appointment of the experts, so they can begin their important work. The United States also voted in favour of this text because those measures will help limit the influence of groups like Al-Shabaab and address the drivers of conflict in Somalia. We welcome the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia’s commendable progress on weapons and stockpile management. We encourage it to continue that important work. We urge all Member States to implement existing sanctions measures to help curb Al-Shabaab’s ability to access funds, weapons and other support they need to carry out attacks and to support Somalia’s security and police institutions with the resources they need to combat terrorism and secure their citizens. We further urge our fellow Council members to support designations, including of Al-Shabaab operatives. Those designations demonstrate that the international community will support accountability and end impunity for those who undermine peace and security in Somalia. The United States is disappointed by the omission of the Djibouti and Eritrea language. We note that there has been no noticeable progress on the outstanding issues between the two countries. We remain committed to working constructively with all parties to support the normalization of relations between the two countries. We are committed to the Somali people and will continue to work closely with the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia, fellow Council members and all stakeholders to facilitate peace for the country and the region.