Somalia Partnership Forum Joint Communiqué

Preamble 

1.           Representatives from 58 countries and 6 international organisations gathered in Brussels on the 16th and 17th of July 2018 to participate in the 2nd Somalia Partnership Forum (SPF), following the successful inaugural SPF in Mogadishu on the 5th of December 2017.

2.           The meeting was opened by H.E. Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, co-convened by H.E Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and H.E. Margot Wallström, Minister for Foreign Affairs from Sweden, and co- chaired by H.E. Smail Chergui, African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, H.E. Rosemary di Carlo, United Nations Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, H.E. Hafez Ghanem, Vice President for Africa at the World Bank, and Lindy Cameron, Director General, Country Programmes, Department for International Development from the United Kingdom.

3.           We recognise that the meeting takes place in a context of recent positive and historic developments in the Horn of Africa and enhanced engagement between the leaders of the region, creating new opportunities for reconciliation, stability, regional cooperation and economic integration. This new momentum should be seized by all Somali actors and we call for all in the international community to cooperate towards that end.

4.           Somalia is on an upward trajectory and is making progress in a number of critical areas despite extraordinary challenges. Reconciliation among Somalis, stability and security, economic growth and prosperity without corruption, and equitable representation continue to be the goals for all women, men, and children in Somalia. We commend the progress made towards achieving them since the election of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and acknowledge the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), the Federal Member States (FMS), the Benadir Regional Administration (BRA), the Parliament, religious authorities, the private sector and many Somali citizens as well as civic groups. Somali leadership and unity of purpose will be key to achieving these goals, along with sustained, timely, and coherent international support, all within the spirit of mutual accountability.

5.           However, progress in Somalia cannot be taken for granted. Institutional capacities need to be strengthened, as well as the required accountability mechanisms that underpin long-term progress. We recognise that risks that could undermine progress remain. Ongoing insurgency, violent extremism, climate change, unregulated competition for power and resources, lack of justice and corruption can pose a threat to all Somalis. We will spare no effort to uncover and prevent those who seek to interrupt the progress of Somalia towards reconciliation, peace, and prosperity.

6.           We welcome the landmark political agreement between the FGS and FMS which paves the way for the drafting, consultation and passage of the election law in 2018. This will be a major step towards the realisation of a historic one- person-one-vote election in 2020 for the first time since 1969. We emphasise that Somalia needs a completed and endorsed constitution that provides a durable political framework for the country.

7.           We also welcome the decisions at the National Security Council meetings on resource sharing, security force integration, and the Transition Plan. We further welcome the endorsement of this plan by the AU Peace and Security Council and the commitment to its implementation, as expressed in its Communique of 27 June 2018.

8.           We pay tribute to AMISOM and the Troop and Police Contributing Countries. We are grateful for their commitment that has been essential to Somalia’s progress. The presence of AMISOM remains critical to enable Somalia to develop its capabilities to gradually assume responsibility for security as well as Somalia’s political and stabilisation process.

9.           We deplore and regret the loss of innocent lives as a result of the continued attacks by extremist groups as well as regional and local armed conflict. We are united in our determination to fight terrorism, not only with professional security forces but through a comprehensive approach to security. This includes tackling the underlying causes of terrorism through strengthening the rule of law and the administration of justice, upholding human rights, strengthening governance, providing social and economic alternatives for the marginalised youth, and promoting reconciliation.

10.       The FGS has made impressive progress towards achieving debt relief which will offer Somalia the opportunity to have access to international concessional financing and increased financial resources. Agreements in revenue sharing will both consolidate the federal project and enhance the revenues transparently available for Somalia and its citizens. The generation and distribution of revenue must meet the highest standards of accountability.

11.       We welcome the actions taken to prevent an onset of famine in 2017 and encourage partners to address Somalia’s current humanitarian needs, as set out in the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan. We further welcome the proactive work undertaken in building a long-term Resilience and Recovery Framework (RRF) and encourage broad engagement within this Framework, under the leadership of the FGS, with strong FMS and BRA participation.

12.   We reaffirm the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Somalia, and underscore the   importance of working to prevent destabilizing effects of regional crises and disputes from spilling over into Somalia. We welcome the positive engagement amongst regional States, and call on all nations to ensure their support for Somalia fosters unity and reconciliation among its communities.

Inclusive Politics 

13.       We welcome the commitment of Somalia, led by H.E. President Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed, to hold a multi-party universal election in 2020. We commend the FGS for putting inclusive politics at the core of its reform agenda towards Federalisation and Constitutional Review as expressed through the Political Roadmap for Inclusive Politics. We call on the executive and legislative branches to meet their commitment to deliver legislation that will pave the way for holding a historic one-person-one-vote that will realise the wishes of the Somali public. We express our commitment to its implementation in an enduring spirit of unity.

14.       We congratulate the President and Somalia’s leaders both at the Federal and FMS level for charting a path to realise Somalia’s constitutionally guaranteed one-person one-vote elections, as stipulated in the Somali Provisional Constitution. This meaningful process must be encouraged and supported to ensure clarification of all outstanding issues, the passage of the electoral law by Parliament by December 2018, continued registration of political parties, finalisation of related constitutional amendments, amendment to the political parties law, protecting inclusivity, particularly in terms of ensuring equal participation and representation of women in decision-making, as well as IDPs, youth, minorities and disadvantaged groups.

15.       We support the FGS and Parliament’s efforts to work closely together in ensuring the successful implementation of the political transformation based on political parties, including through alignment of relevant articles in the FMS constitutions with the Federal Constitution.

16.       We urge all partners and the FGS to ensure that resources for the electoral processes, at Federal and FMS levels, are mobilised in a timely manner and are commensurate with the agreement of key political benchmarks necessary to ensure an inclusive, free, fair and credible process in 2020. We call on the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) to present a clear plan for elections, including voter registration.

17.       We also call on all FMS to hold their elections in line with agreed constitutional term limits.

18.       We are encouraged by the creation of the Federalisation Negotiation Technical Committee (FNTC) tasked to drive forward negotiations on the fundamental pillars for long-term stability including election model, resource sharing and allocation of powers, to support political agreements at the leadership level. These political agreements will need to be reflected in the constitutional text and in the legal framework.

19.       We welcome the Somali National Constitutional Convention held in Mogadishu on 13-15 May 2018, which sets the tone and pace for the constitutionally mandated institutions to refocus and prioritise both the substantive interventions and also the timelines necessary for the completion of the Constitutional Review Process (CRP).

20.       We recognise that the next six months will be crucial for the finalisation of the CRP. We support the FGS’s commitment to accelerate the political decision- making necessary to settle all remaining questions, including formalising the status of the FMS and National Security Council, resource and power sharing between the FGS and FMS, fiscal federalism, the allocation of responsibilities in the security and justice sectors, strengthening the Rule of Law, the system of political representation, and implementation of an agreed, transparent, and credible justice model. We also call for the establishment of a mechanism to resolve constitutional issues, the establishment of the Constitutional Court and operationalisation of the Judicial Service Commission.

21.       We commend the progress achieved so far in promoting national reconciliation and look forward to the completion of the National Reconciliation Framework by the end of 2018, in parallel with a dialogue process to address priority conflicts. We underscore the need for dialogue, peacebuilding and reconcilitation in the whole of Somalia and for dedicated, specific and targeted provisions in the constitution to also enable and facilitate the advancement of women as well as children, youth, minorities, and disadvantaged groups in the areas of access to justice, education, health, security, and economic recovery.

22.       Noting the importance of stabilising the political space, and to ensure the transparent and accountable use of public resources, we support Somalia in its continued efforts to curbing corruption, promoting transparency, and building an enabling environment for accountable, transparent, and effective institutions and processes at all levels. We encourage the legislative and executive branches to accelerate the efforts in taking visible and consistent measures to protect and expand the integrity and accountability of the management of public finances and resources as well as to advance the legal and institutional framework to curb corruption, including accelerating the adoption of the Law on the Anti-Corruption Commission. We call on all partners and the FGS to support these efforts and ensure the necessary resources.

23.       We express deep concern about the conflict in Tukaraq in the Sool region. We call on both the Somaliland and Puntland administrations to immediately cease hostilities, separate forces to return to the status quo ante, engage in political dialogue and allow humanitarian access.

24.       We urge the FGS and Somaliland administration to resume dialogue as early as possible to seek a peaceful solution to their differences. We call on Somalia’s leaders at both the federal and state levels to demonstrate a spirit of compromise.

Security 

25.       We commend the FGS leadership in formulating the Transition Plan in close cooperation with the FMS, AMISOM, Troop and Police Contributing Countries (TPCC) and other international partners. We welcome the comprehensive nature of the plan which incorporates operational, institutional capacity building and supporting activities in order to achieve a sustainable transition.

26.       We support the strategic direction set out in the Transition Plan, which defines transition as the emergence of effective Somali security institutions, including areas where AMISOM has not had a presence, as well as the progressive handover of responsibility from AMISOM towards increased Somali ownership for its citizens’ security. We welcome that this strategic approach not only includes military and policing activities, but is underpinned by the Rule of Law and is equally focused on reconciliation, stabilisation, strengthening governance, justice, respect for human rights, protection of civilians, with particular attention to the rights of women as well as the protection of children, and prevention and countering of violent extremism. We reaffirm our commitment to a comprehensive approach to security.

27.       We welcome the commitment of all stakeholders to complete the detailed planning for Phase 1 of the Transition Plan, led by the FGS, together with the FMS, in partnership with AMISOM, TPCCs and other key international partners covering the operational, institutional capacity building and supporting activities by December 2018. We welcome the decision by the National Security Council to strengthen and operationalise the Regional Security Councils to ensure the inclusion of political and community engagement strategies that reflect local conditions.

28.       We welcome the endorsement of the Transition Plan by the African Union and the commitment by the African Union, AMISOM and the TPCCs to support implementation of the Transition Plan. We welcome AMISOM’s commitment to reconfiguration across its military and police components and an enhanced presence of its civilian component up to the current mandated ceiling, to support implementation of the Transition Plan, across AMISOM’s area of operation, and look forward to the comprehensive review of AMISOM. We also look forward to the renewal of AMISOM and UNSOS’s mandate by the Security Council.

29.       We are encouraged by the FGS’s commitment to security sector reform and to develop accountable, acceptable, affordable and able security institutions including the establishment of human rights oversight and accountability mechanisms.

30.       We welcome the decision of the National Security Council to request the National Integration Commission to produce an action plan for integration of regional forces in line with the National Security Architecture within the next two months. We urge the FGS and FMS to promptly reach agreement on this plan, including on right-sizing the Somali National Army, and begin implementation without delay ensuring accountability and compliance of the process with human rights and international humanitarian law standards.

31.       We recognise that successful implementation of the National Security Architecture and Transition Plan will require political will and strong support of all parties. Through regular meetings of the National Security Council and the Regional Security Councils, the FGS, FMS and BRA commit to take the political decisions necessary to implement the National Security Architecture, including FGS security resource sharing with the FMS, and the delineation of roles and responsibilities of the federal and regional security services. In the next six months, the FGS and FMS commit to enable the Regional Security Councils, under the auspices of the National Security Office, to become operational, and to play a key role in the planning and implementation of Phase 1 of the Transition Plan, along with the Regional Security Offices.

32.       We recognise the deployment of the Mogadishu Stabilisation Force and its role in order to contribute to a steady improvement to security in Mogadishu. We commend their rapid response to security incidents in the city. We welcome their approach to work in partnership with key stakeholders, engaging with communities and implementing a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, and encourage its alignment with the National Security Architecture and the Transition Plan.

33.       We underscore the importance of the responsible allocation and coordination of FGS and international partner resources to support the security sector. The FGS commits to strengthen public financial management, and align security sector spending and resources with the agreed security priorities. The FGS thanks international partners for their support to the security sector. We agree to hold a follow up conference on security resourcing in parallel with the next Somalia Partnership Forum as agreed during the London Somalia Conference of 11th May 2017.

34.       International partners and the FGS agree to continue to provide financial and material support in line with the conditions in the Mutual Accountability Framework and to align resources to support implementation of the Transition Plan, starting with its priorities and based on identified funding gaps. The FGS and international partners agree to strengthen coordination through the CAS Strands using existing mechanisms and the establishment of a Financial Tracking mechanism under the auspices of the National Security Office and Ministry of Finance. We call for all support to be aligned to the priorities in the Transition Plan and National Security Architecture.

35.       We are grateful for the financial and operational support by international partners to the FGS and AMISOM and call on all partners to provide critical resources for the implementation of the Transition Plan in order to accompany the gradual transfer of security tasks from AMISOM to Somali security institutions. We call for the provision of additional contributions for Somali security forces. We also call, in the spirit of burden sharing, for sustainable funding and additional contributions for AMISOM through existing mechanisms and bilateral donations as a matter of urgency.

36.       We welcome the Ministry of Internal Security’s completion of the Operational Readiness Assessment (ORA) of the Somali police forces, the establishment of leadership coordination bodies at Police Commissioner and Ministerial level and the launch of a Joint Police Programme to deliver international support to Federal and State police in a coordinated manner. The FGS and FMS commit to reach agreement on the remaining issues in the Justice and Corrections Model and begin its implementation, the FGS to fully implement the Federal Police Plan, and the FMS to begin implementation of the State Police Plans in the next six months.

37.       We pay tribute to the Somali security forces in their fight against Al Shabaab and recognise the contribution of regional forces in this regard. We welcome the decision of the National Security Council to provide support to the State Police, including the Darwish, with the necessary supplies, stipends, training and capacity building for those who take part, along with the SNA, in operations to fight against the terrorists. We look forward to the completion of the ORA of regional forces with the support of AMISOM, to assist in the process of integration in compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law standards.

38.       We underscore the importance of an inclusive security sector that also responds to the security needs of women and girls, and of ensuring women’s active participation in the implementation of the National Security Architecture and the Transition Plan. We urge all security institutions to implement a strategy and action plan to mainstream gender and the Women, Peace and Security agenda across the security sector.

39.       We welcome the completion of the Ministry of Defense’s organisational structure, as well as a code of conduct for the Somali National Army (SNA). We commend the implementation of the SNA’s payroll reform, including electronic salary payment in Mogadishu and recognise the importance of payroll reform to realise more professional, transparent and accountable Somali Security Forces. We underscore the importance of completing payroll reform for all SNA units, prioritizing those engaged in transition operations, the passing of the Pensions and Gratuities Bill to assist in right-sizing the SNA and the need for a phased, realistic model for reforming the force composition of SNA forces to be completed in line with the Defense Strategy and agreed Ministry of Defense milestones, including support towards critical infrastructure to enhance command and control of the forces.

40.       We emphasise the importance of protecting Somalia’s waters for Somalia’s security and economic development, and look forward to a decision by the National Security Council on the role and responsibilities of Somalia’s maritime security forces in line with the Transition Plan and the National Security Architecture.

41.       We welcome the significant gains made in implementing the FGS’s Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) strategy in line with the Transition Plan and National Security Architecture. We also welcome the effective participation of all stakeholders, including FMS and BRA, civil society, and youth groups and recognise this positive development is due to a process which is Somali-led and Somali-owned. We call on the FGS to become a party to relevant counter-terrorism resolutions and protocols.

42.       We welcome the efforts of the FGS to engage with leaders of armed groups and disengaged fighters who openly choose the path of peace and commitment to long-term reconciliation to eradicate the drivers of radicalisation. We urge the FGS to continue its support, interim care, rehabilitation, release and community reintegration of defectors. In this regard, we urge that particular attention is paid to children and young people associated with armed conflict who should be treated primarily as victims and be provided with the support and care to be able to reintegrate into society.

43.       We underscore the importance of addressing the root causes of conflict including through implementation of the Transition Plan, the National Reconciliation Framework, and the National Stabilisation Strategy led by the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation, and its counterparts in the Federal Member States to promote human security.

Economic Recovery 

44.  We acknowledge the FGS’s efforts to reestablishing macroeconomic stability through the strengthening of economic policy, rebuilding financial institutions and improving governance. These are all key factors to obtain debt relief through the Heavily Indebted Poor Country process.

45.       We welcome Somalia’s achievements in meeting the requirements of the latest IMF Staff Monitored Programme (SMP) as well as its commitment to deliver the progressively more demanding requirements of a third SMP, continuing a pathway to normalisation of relations with International Financial Institutions and debt relief.

46.       We welcome the commitment by the FGS and FMS to further enhance mutual accountability linked to fiscal transfer by the central government to the FMS, for development purposes. In particular, we commend the work undertaken by the Federalisation National Technical Committee and look forward to the development of rules and principles for guiding intergovernmental fiscal relationships.

47.       We also commend the International Community’s commitment to support Somalia’s continued progress on economic reform and recovery, including through multilateral and bilateral on-budget programming. In particular, we welcome the commitment to ensure that all major funding instruments and bilateral programmes for economic reform, capacity building and development are collectively coherent, reinforce an inclusive federal model, and are in line with the National Development Plan, the New Partnership for Somalia and the Mutual Accountability Framework.

48.       We welcome the FGS’s agreement to a fiscal framework calling for a budget reflecting changes in revenue measures and expenditures. This includes a halt in the accumulation of arrears, as well as the introduction of corporate and sales tax.

49.       We welcome the FGS’s commitment to public sector reform, and in that spirit, the passing of the Civil Service Law by the Cabinet and the launch of the FGS’s Human Resource Audit. We also welcome the presentation of the Public Finance Management (PFM) Law to Parliament, the Commitment Control designed and implemented under the Somali Financial Management Information System (SFMIS) and to work undertaken to ensure that commitment control function is mandatory in order to reduce mismanagement.

50.       We commend the FGS and FMS for recently reaching historical Petroleum and Mining Revenue Sharing Agreements and an interim Fisheries Revenue Sharing Agreement. We encourage the full implementation of these agreements, including the passing of necessary legislation. These undertakings will enable Somalia’s economy to generate significant revenue, particularly domestic revenue, and we encourage the FGS and FMS to engage in transparent, accountable, and sustainable management of Somalia’s natural resources for the benefit of all Somalis

51.       We welcome the FGS’s focus on anchoring economic policies and reforms, which include the improvement of budget planning and execution, currency reform, and an effective monetary policy in the context of the Finance Minister’s Forum. We encourage the FGS and FMS to further leverage this forum to bring unity and harmonisation to the economic agenda.

52.       We support the Central Bank of Somalia’s currency reform initiative, which is a high priority for the FGS. We agree that a successful launch of the new national currency will constitute tangible reform progress on the monetary side, uniform the payment system in the country, and reinforce national unity. We take note of the need to finance the printing of the Somali Shilling under Phase 1 and invite all partners to support this.

53.       We commend the FGS commitment to providing a transparent, rules-based business enabling environment that supports a competitive private sector, as part of Somalia’s overall solution to peacebuilding, stability and prosperity. We commend the renewed commitment by the FGS and private sector to build on the successes to date of the public-private dialogue, in particular to develop shared visions for key sectors (energy, financial and telecommunications) and expanding international markets. We commend the signing into law of the National Communications Act and the creation of the National Communications Agency.

54.       The FGS, donors and the private sector recognise the role that Development Finance Institutions (DFI) could play in supporting Somalia’s reconstruction and recovery, and commit to working within established procedures and to secure DFI financing, with a clear understanding of the timeline, opportunities and risks. We look forward to the strengthening of Somali partnerships with DFIs in advance of the next SPF.

55.       We recognise that concerted action is required to promote sustainable social and economic development by creating meaningful and inclusive employment opportunities for men and women, particularly young people and minority groups of Somalia. In that regard we welcome the decision to develop a new National Development Plan as a strategic document to foster that objective. We stress the urgency of securing sustained investments in social services such as health, nutrition and education, and water resource management and distribution, all vital components in stimulating social and economic development and building resilience, as well as in food security and the related productive sectors. prioritisation for evidence-based infrastructure planning

56.       Somalia’s security and sustainable development will rely on the engine of progress, which is people and specifically, young people. Education for children and youth is the essential investment to ensure a literate population with the necessary vocational and technical skills to realise Somalia’s National Development Plan and, in this regard, we commit to holding a special event on education.

57.       We commend all the efforts of the FGS, FMS and the international community to create opportunities for young Somalis to obtain education and gainful employment. We recognise the importance of the National Youth Policy and the continued commitments of both the FGS, FMS and BRA to empower Somali youth socially, economically and politically. We commit to investing in youth with the objective of bringing concrete benefits to our young populations and future generations. We agree to empower young people, both girls and boys, to participate in political, economic and social life on equal terms so as to fulfil their potential as agents of change.

58.       We look forward to the presentation of Vision 2040 as a long-term strategic view toward recovery, reconstruction, and resilience and we welcome the transformative commitment to break the cycle of humanitarian crises through the government-led Drought Impact Needs Assessment and the RRF. We also welcome the establishment of the National Economic Council which will provide coherent and consistent policy advise on economic development.

Resilience, Recovery, and Humanitarian Assistance 

59.       We note that all Somalis face the risk of future droughts, floods, disease, and conflict and that resilience has been lessened due to their repeated and overlapping exposure to these shocks.

60.       We recognise the enormous effort by the FGS, FMS, local Somalis, Somali private sector and the international community to stave off famine in Somalia in 2017. We also recognise that despite improvements in the humanitarian situation, there are still 5.4 million people in Somalia in need of humanitarian assistance, including 2.5 million who need immediate assistance to meet their basic daily food needs. There are also now 2.6 million people internally displaced and in need of various forms of assistance and protection, many of whom are at risk of further displacement due to forced evictions. Rural populations across Somalia, who suffered the brunt of drought damage and losses, also require urgent assistance to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

61.       We express our commitment to safeguard International Humanitarian Law, Humanitarian Principles, Refugee Law, Human Rights Law and the protection of civilians, in particular women and children, throughout the territory and by all armed groups under their control and to the protection of women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict.

62.       We also commit to supporting and empowering the work of NGOs to deliver services aligned with sectoral priorities and policies, under the supervision of the FGS, through greater transparency and sharing of information, development of complementary humanitarian, resilience and development plans. We commit exploring new ways of working with all Somali local actors, including Somali private sector, local and community-based NGOs and local authorities.

63.       We commend the commitment by the FGS, FMS and BRA to clarify and strengthen national coordination structures for disaster management, resilience and recovery, including by the creation of a National Disaster Management Agency and empowering existing structures within the aid coordination architecture. In this regard, we welcome the development of the National Disaster Management policy and call for its speedy implementation.

64.       We acknowledge the challenges in finding durable solutions for the more than 2.6 million internally displaced persons in Somalia, and the 1 million refugees outside Somalia, and commend the FGS, FMS and BRA for addressing displacement through a comprehensive resilience-building and development approach as stipulated in the National Development Plan and the RRF, as well as commend the FGS for its commitments made in the Nairobi Declaration and Plan of Action relating to delivering durable solutions for Somali refugees while maintaining protection, promoting self-reliance and creating an enabling environment for safe sustainable and voluntary return and reintegration.

65.       We appreciate the actions taken by Somalia and its partners to strengthen the coordination mechanisms on durable solutions to displacement and to align and coordinate with relevant plans and initiatives, includingthe the National Action Plan, and to accelerate the rollout of these plans specifically in key areas of return and displacement.

66.       We welcome the commitments of the FGS to the policy and legislative agenda on displacement and durable solutions and its plans to ensure that National Eviction Guidelines, National Policy on Refugee-Returnees and IDPs, a Housing, Land, and Property interim and time specific protocol and a Refugee Act are adopted within the next twelve months.

67.       We commend the FGS’s commitment to ratify the 2009 African Union Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention), the 1954 Convention relating to the Statues of Stateless Persons, and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

68.       We also recognise that it is crucial to continue to address acute humanitarian needs and ensure protection of civilians within the framework of the Humanitarian Response Plan which remains the primary vehicle for delivering humanitarian support in Somalia. We also commit to improve complementarity between humanitarian and development investments that promote recovery, durable solutions and resilience and align to the National Development Plan and the RRF.

69.    We welcome the FGS’s commitment to address some of the root causes of humanitarian disasters through the new RRF. As the implementation component of the National Development Plan, the RRF will advance efforts to break the cycle of shock and response effectively, to protect and improve the resilience of all Somali families, communities and institutions. We look forward to the finalisation and rapid implementation of this strategic vision and welcome the FGS’s intention to hold a side event on the RRF during the United Nations General Assembly to strengthen partnerships and ensure a comprehensive, coherent and coordinated approach.

Gender and Human Rights 

70.       We recognise the continued commitments of the FGS, FMS and BRA to improve representation, inclusion and participation of women in public and political affairs, including in leadership roles. We urge the Somali leadership to secure constitutional provisions for equal representation, participation and inclusion of women, particularly in leadership and decision-making roles in public and elected offices and the civil service through the constitutional review and other on-going political and legislative processes.

71.       We encourage the FGS to adopt the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and urge the FGS and partners to ensure continued leadership and availability of adequate resources to give full effect to the provisions of CEDAW and in realizing the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

72.       We recognise the achievements in the first phases of the establishment process of the National Independent Human Rights Commission. We commend the all-encompassing transparent, inclusive and impartial selection process, resulting in the nomination of nine candidate Commissioners. We urge the FGS to accelerate and complete the establishment process and the operationalisation of the National Human Rights Commission to strengthen promotion and protection of human rights in Somalia.

73.       We emphasise the significance of ensuring freedom of expression for all and fostering an enabling environment conducive to an independent, vibrant, and professional media.

74.       Furthermore, we recognise the importance of recent inclusive processes undertaken by the Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development in developing the Initial State Party Report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We also commend the FGS for prioritising the drafting of the first- ever Disability Agency Bill, showcasing commitment to improve the opportunities of persons with disabilities in Somalia. We encourage the FGS to renew focus on promoting disability inclusion ahead of the Global Disability Summit and beyond by signing up to the Charter for Change and ensuring that civil society are an active part of this process. We further encourage the FGS to prioritise mental health and psychosocial support for the local population, in particular women and children affected by armed conflict.

75.        We encourage the Somali government to prioritise the enactment of legislation and undertake    reforms that respect, protect and promote womens’ and girls’ full enjoyment of all human rights and to allow for the response, prevention and elimination of all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls. We acknowledge the more recent successes by the FGS in endorsing the Sexual Offence Bill at the cabinet level, a first step towards effective prosecution of sexual crimes and an to impunity in these cases.

Partnerships 

76.       We welcome the recent update of the Mutual Accountability Framework and remain committed to its continual improvement, implementation and monitoring, including through quarterly reviews by the Somalia Development and Reconstruction Facility and twice-yearly at future SPFs. We recognise this document as a central tool to enhance our joint accountability and partnership which must clearly outline identifiable milestones for both the FGS and international partners. We encourage that social services development be given greater attention in future updates of the Mutual Accountability Framework as well as in the next SPF.

77.       We call on all international partners to ensure their support meets the stated objective of being “Somali-owned and Somali-led” and remain committed to operate within and strengthen the existing aid architecture that supports this objective. In particular, we call on all partners to share information on their bilateral programming through the existing aid coordination forums, and to ensure that they meet aid flow reporting requirements.

78.       We reaffirm our commitment to work closely together with the FGS in a transparent, mutually accountable and coordinated manner that strengthens country systems in line with and in support of Somalia’s National Development Plan, to bring enduring peace, security and prosperity.

79.       We acknowledge the important steps being taken to prepare for the next National Development Plan which will seek to define more inclusive and resilient growth for Somalia. We see this as a critical pathway to addressing the needs of all Somali citizens and reducing poverty and vulnerability.

Conclusion 

80.   We thank the European Union and Sweden for hosting the SPF in Brussels.

81.  We agree to take stock of the outcomes of this SPF in three months and commence preparations for the next SPF, to be held in six month’s time.

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