Somali civil society meet with UN Security Council
13 June 2008In June, at the request of the UN Political Office for Somalia, Saferworld facilitated a meeting between a delegation of Somali civil society and the UN Security Council (UNSC) in Djibouti.
The meeting on June 3 provided a crucial opportunity to give a first-hand account of the escalating humanitarian crisis in Somalia and to propose ways forward in the peace process.
The Somalis particularly impressed upon the UNSC the need for the international community to provide sustained and coherent support for an inclusive and non-military solution to Somalia’s conflict.
The civil society delegation prepared a statement in advance which was read to the UNSC, followed by a discussion. The UNSC were grateful for the opportunity to interact with Somali civil society and expressed support for their continued engagement in the process.
The meeting built upon previous efforts by Saferworld and partners to enable Somali non-state actors to engage in dialogue with international policy-makers. Earlier this year, Saferworld and partners organised a meeting in Entebbe of over 150 leaders of Somali civil society to foster a more collective voice among Somali civil society, and help build consensus on how to bring peace to Somalia.
The 17-strong delegation that travelled to Djibouti was drawn from the leading civil society and non-state actor networks and structures in Somalia, most of whom participated in the Entebbe meeting.
During their time in Djibouti, the civil society delegation took the opportunity also to meet with the Transitional Federal Government, the opposition Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia, the European Commission and Djibouti Civil Society, emphasising in all meetings the dire humanitarian and security situation for Somalis living in Mogadishu and South-Central Somalia.
We thank UNPOS who invited Somali civil society to meet with the UN Security Council, and the European Commission and Norwegian Government who enabled the delegation to be present in Djibouti.
Saferworld will seek to consolidate and sustain this engagement by Somali civil society with decision-makers at both the national and international levels.
