Security Council meeting 6197

The President

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Somalia, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the consideration of the item, without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure.

There being no objection, it is so decided.

The President

In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, and Mr. Craig Boyd, Director of the United Nations Support Office for the African Union Mission in Somalia.

It is so decided.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations.

Members of the Council have before them document S/2009/503, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on Somalia pursuant to Security Council resolution 1872 (2009).

At this meeting, the Council will hear briefings by Mr. Lynn Pascoe and Mr. Craig Boyd. I now give the floor to Mr. Pascoe.

Mr. Pascoe (Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs)

Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to introduce the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia (S/2009/503).

As we all know, after almost two decades of armed confrontation, violence and upheavals, stability will not come overnight to Somalia. However, we have, in the Djibouti Agreement, a structure that provides a path to follow, as the Government, supported by the international community, moves towards restoring peace and security.

In the report under consideration, the Secretary-General emphasizes that the key priority of the international community should remain to support the Government in the areas of security, political dialogue, piracy, development and humanitarian assistance. I will now briefly touch on progress in those areas.

First, on security, our focus has been to enable the Government to strengthen its security measures and structures. The past few months have not been easy. No one could have expected that they would be. The Government has overcome repeated attacks by foreign-funded, heavily armed groups. Police and troops loyal to the Government are being trained, thanks to the international community's commitment and support. There is slow but notable progress towards stability. The determined commitment of the African Union and its Mission in Somalia to remain fully focused on the country has been crucial. It is all the more impressive given the suicide bombing last month at the Mission's headquarters in Mogadishu.

A top priority at the present time is to support the Government's efforts to maintain security. There must be financial support for the Government through the Joint Security Committee. Training initiatives by Member States are, of course, welcome, but they must be well coordinated. I therefore request that all donors work thorough the Joint Security Committee and with the United Nations in order to ensure that the efforts of all contribute to our shared goals. In that regard, we should recognize the significant strides now being made by the Government itself towards managing its resources.

Speed is the most critical element with regard to the international community's assistance in the area of security. Money received today in Somalia will have a far greater impact on stability than that which arrives in three months' time. Extremely generous pledges were made at the summit in Brussels in April. They need to be fulfilled immediately. Under-Secretary-General Malcorra and I will host a meeting tomorrow with key donors to assess the situation regarding the fulfilment of pledges that were made in Brussels.

In order to speed up the process, I would like to suggest that, in addition to contributing to the trust funds, some development partners could start implementing direct bilateral economic and financial cooperation with Somalia. We expect some countries to begin to implement such bilateral cooperation in the near future. The contract signed by the Somali Government with an internationally recognized auditing firm should be fully used to increase the transparency and confidence in the use of such funding.

There is also an urgent need to mobilize and deliver additional resources to the African Union and its Mission in Somalia. The Department of Field Support is doing an excellent job in providing equipment and other logistical support through the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA). The representative of that Department will give the Council more details on that following my briefing.

On the political level, the Government continues its openness to dialogue in Somalia with all parties ready to commit themselves to peace. The United Nations and members of the international community support that approach and have encouraged internal political dialogue. Meanwhile, Somaliland has again demonstrated its long tradition of resolving peacefully its internal political disputes.

To enable us to support the Government's efforts at political dialogue, we are increasing the number of visits to Mogadishu by senior staff of the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS). We must also continue to work towards a significant presence on the ground. Establishing a secure facility for the international community's representatives in Mogadishu remains one of our top priorities. Moving part of our operations from Nairobi to Mogadishu will greatly add to our effectiveness and credibility, as we join representatives of the African Union, the League of Arab States, Libya and Yemen, who are already in Mogadishu.

We also continue to work closely with, and provide assistance to, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, which is the African organization for the region and can wield considerable influence on local and regional actors, thus performing an essential role in increasing stability in Somalia.

The humanitarian situation in Somalia worsened dramatically in the reporting period due to intensified fighting in Mogadishu, growing insecurity in much of southern and central Somalia, and a deepening drought. In August 2009, the latest United Nations food security assessment calculated that some 3.7 million people, or 50 per cent of the population of Somalia, are in need of livelihood and humanitarian support, up from 3.2 million in January 2009.

The World Food Programme (WFP) urgently requires $217 million to cover the shortfalls of 216,000 metric tons of food from September 2009 through March 2010. WFP is running out of food to feed its 3.3 million planned beneficiaries, with limited shortfalls having begun in September. Water, sanitation and health activities also remain seriously underfunded at only 19 per cent.

In addition to humanitarian assistance, there is a need for development assistance to begin the reconstruction of Somalia. The efforts of the international community should be focused on building institutions that can deliver goods and services to the Somali people and begin the process of weaning Somalia off reliance on humanitarian assistance. With improved security and political dialogue, the entrepreneurship of many Somalis will be fully exploited for the success of the country.

On piracy, we would like to praise once again the critical role played by the international maritime presence off Somalia's coast. We thank the Government of Japan for facilitating the fourth meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, which was held in New York on 10 September. During that meeting, it was again recognized that the core of the problem is the lack of security on land.

In this regard, it is critical that we strengthen the central Government and the regional authorities and help to provide economic opportunities for fishing communities and other rural populations. Assisting Somalia to establish and train a coast guard and rebuild its navy will, of course, be essential over the long run. The recent agreement between the Transitional Federal Government and the Puntland authorities is a step in the right direction and deserves our assistance. We continue to support efforts to prosecute suspected pirates by regional countries.

The United Nations is in the process of establishing a trust fund for anti-piracy activities, the terms of reference of which were approved by the Contact Group. I urge all Member States, organizations and the private sector to contribute to the trust fund. In the meantime, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Maritime Organization, the Office of Legal Affairs and UNPOS continue to work closely with the international community and the Somali Government in the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia. In addition to capacity-building, our work includes developing guidance circulars for Governments and ship owners, ship operators and masters; providing an intergovernmental forum for discussions and negotiations on issues relating to the safety and security of international navigation; and reporting on incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships.

After years of conflict, peace will not come to Somalia overnight. Stability must be promoted, national and external spoilers must be neutralized. Targeted sanctions can be one effective way to deal with the spoilers. Our approach must be flexible to support the process and to be able to include people on and remove them from the list as appropriate, so that the list can fulfil its political role.

Once again, I want to thank the Council for turning its attention to the critical topic of Somalia. It is crucial that we help this country succeed, and the Council's role is of course essential to that success.

The President

I thank Mr. Pascoe for his briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Boyd.

Mr. Boyd (United Nations Support Office for the African Union Mission in Somalia)

I have the honour to brief the Council on behalf of Under-Secretary-General Susana Malcorra, who is regrettably unable to participate, due to illness. Please accept her sincerest apologies.

Resolution 1863 (2009), adopted in January, endorsed the Secretary-General's proposed strategy for Somalia, including the provision of a United Nations support package for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the strengthening of Somalia's security sector. The need for the continuation of this approach and the provision of logistics support was further reinforced by this Council in its resolution 1872 (2009). This support continues to be provided in an integrated manner, which combines voluntary contributions to United Nations trust funds, ongoing direct bilateral support to AMISOM and the Government of Somalia, and the implementation of the United Nations support package to AMISOM that is funded through assessed contributions.

Building on the success of the Somalia donors conference held in Brussels in April, steps are being taken to finalize all of the confirmed pledges, which in total amount to approximately $200 million. As previously reported, a critical gap remains between the confirmed pledges and the actual donor disbursements. Therefore, a follow-up meeting to the donors conference will be organized for tomorrow, 9 October, to finalize contributions against the pledges made in Brussels in April.

Regarding the Trust Fund for AMISOM, we are pleased to advise that contributions now stand at almost $25 million, up from the $15 million dollars reported to the Council in July. This represents 80 per cent of total pledges, and discussions are under way to finalize the remainder of the pending contributions.

Furthermore, the African Union and AMISOM have in recent days finalized the strategic governance mechanism that is necessary to ensure the adequate management and assignment of the available funds to designated priorities. Consequently, we anticipate that expenditure from the Trust Fund will commence shortly. AMISOM has determined that the initial priorities will focus on reimbursement for contingent-owned equipment that is of a non-lethal nature, implementation of a public information and radio broadcasting capability in Mogadishu, and the payment of medical services costs that were incurred prior to the delivery of the United Nations logistics support package. We wish to thank the donors for their valuable contributions and also to state that we would greatly welcome any additional pledges that would ensure the sustainability of this support.

The current military strength of AMISOM in Mogadishu stands at about 5,200 troops, or 65 per cent of the full mandated force of 8,000 soldiers. Burundi and Uganda have each deployed three battalions, and both countries have also offered to provide an additional -- or fourth -- battalion. These increases, together with the offer of Djibouti to contribute a special forces unit of 4,000, will bring AMISOM very close to its full mandated strength.

I would like to take this opportunity to brief the Council on the key achievements and the progress in the provision of the United Nations support package.

The General Assembly approved funding of $139 million in June 2009 and the Department of Field Support, through the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA), has now initiated the delivery of the support package.

In late August, AMISOM troops in Mogadishu commenced consuming United Nations-provided fresh food. The contractor provides the food in Mombasa, Kenya, and UNSOA then arranges for the regular shipment of the consignments to Mogadishu, where it is stored in a centralized refrigerated facility before being issued to the contingent kitchens on a once- or twice-daily basis. A fuel contract has been awarded and the Somalia-based vendor will commence delivery shortly.

Procurement action for aero-medical evacuation services is almost complete and the contract will be awarded by the end of October. United Nations contracts are already in place with various hospitals in Nairobi. Construction services contracts for mission headquarters, a level II medical facility and the erection of prefabricated structures for offices, accommodations and ablutions and sanitation systems should be approved shortly.

Members of the Council will recall that the interim life-support supplies for AMISOM were originally supplied by a Member State and its vendor. Much of that effort was focused on providing the services I have just mentioned -- food, fuel and medical services. As the United Nations support arrangements come into effect, we are progressively phasing down the support being received from the Member State and its vendor.

In addition to transferring the life-support supplies to United Nations arrangements, we have made some progress in establishing other United Nations-provided services. A strategic communications network has been established that now links the AMISOM Force Headquarters in Mogadishu with AMISOM Mission Headquarters and the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA) in Nairobi. This network provides AMISOM with a relatively secure communications link, which for the first time since the Force was deployed to Mogadishu is no longer reliant on Somali-based commercial providers.

Maritime vessels have been contracted to provide sea freight services between Mombasa and Mogadishu, with four voyages having been successfully completed in the last two months. I wish to acknowledge and extend our appreciation to the international Maritime Task Force, especially Operation Atalanta, for the escort and security assistance offered to those activities. Since mid-August, United Nations-owned equipment worth $7 million has been consigned to Mogadishu on those vessels. Those consignments included communications and radio broadcast equipment, field defence stores, critical medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, airport fire-fighting capacities, prefabricated buildings, generators, armoured vehicles and a range of engineering equipment intended to assist AMISOM in improving its security and living conditions.

Each of these consignments has been conducted in a scheduled manner so as to ensure that valuable equipment is not merely stockpiled in Mogadishu but has a planned and immediate use. In addition, most consignments are normally preceded by training, in Entebbe or Mombasa, to prepare AMISOM troops to operate and maintain the United Nations-owned equipment, as well as to instruct the troops on United Nations accountability and stock-control procedures. To implement those supply arrangements in a timely manner, UNSOA has leased a commercial property in Mombasa to function as a temporary logistics depot, while work is proceeding to prepare the site that the Government of Kenya has kindly granted for United Nations use.

In the immediate aftermath of the 17 September suicide attacks, UNSOA was well placed to respond rapidly to the call for assistance. Through the prompt arrangement of flights, ambulances and hospitalization it was possible to evacuate most of the critically injured to higher-level medical facilities in Nairobi within less than eight hours of the attacks. The remaining seriously injured and the deceased were transported promptly the next morning to Nairobi and their respective home countries. On this tragic subject, I would like to acknowledge and extend our appreciation for the assistance that France provided by assigning an aircraft to assist with the medical evacuation operation. Allow me also to express my sincere condolences to the families of the AMISOM soldiers who lost their lives during these attacks.

Further to the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding with the African Union on 12 July, support implementation agreements are being finalized with AMISOM to formally specify and define the support arrangements and mutual responsibilities for the delivery of the United Nations package. Arrangements with the United Nations Office in Nairobi for the provision of office accommodation are now complete, and UNSOA has recently occupied offices in a new, prefabricated complex within the United Nations compound. By the end of October, the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) will co-locate in buildings adjoining UNSOA. Finally, an agreement with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia has also been developed to allow both UNSOA and UNPOS to conduct their work in the country, and that document is awaiting final approval and signature.

Each of the four maritime vessels that have transported UNSOA consignments to AMISOM has been attacked. Three were subjected to mortar attacks in Mogadishu harbour, and one was the target of an unsuccessful pirate attack. In addition, on 17 September and immediately following the two vehicle-borne suicide attacks, four AMISOM soldiers from Uganda lost their lives during a mortar attack on the UNSOA-established centralized food-handling setup.

The Department of Field Support is fully committed to supporting AMISOM, but Mogadishu is a particularly challenging environment, and continued attacks against AMISOM facilities and United Nations-contracted ships will impact and potentially slow our capacity to deliver the mandated support package. In recent months, limited numbers of UNSOA international staff have visited most of the AMISOM sites for short periods. UNSOA will maximize the use of AMISOM military personnel to assist in delivering essential United Nations support services, until the security situation allows more effective use of United Nations contractors and civilian staff.

In conclusion, I would like to salute AMISOM for the commitment and resilience of its personnel, particularly the troops from Burundi and Uganda. Despite constant and extreme threats, they continue to resolutely perform their mandated tasks. Again, I express my condolences to the families of the deceased, and note that the supreme sacrifice made by those 17 soldiers reminds us of the very real urgency of providing timely and adequate support to the AMISOM forces in Mogadishu.

I would also like to report that, in providing the support to AMISOM as mandated by this Council, UNSOA maintains very close working relationships with the AMISOM Mission and Force Headquarters. The tragic attacks of 17 September demonstrated that UNSOA and AMISOM are now better coordinated and are working increasingly well together. I would also like to express appreciation to the Government of Kenya for the full support and cooperation it has extended to UNSOA. In addition to the support provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the customs authorities and other Government agencies, the Kenyan Government recently made available 10 acres of land adjacent to Mombasa airport for the establishment of a logistics support base. Work is under way to conclude the agreement with the Kenyan Government and begin work at the new site.

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to the Council for its support of UNSOA. Its continued support and understanding, particularly in view of the difficult situation in Somalia, is highly appreciated.

The President

I thank Mr. Boyd for his briefing. I will now give the floor to members of the Council who wish to make statements. I give the floor to the representative of the United Kingdom.

Sir John Sawers (United Kingdom)

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