Somalia: UNSOM Marks First Anniversary In Puntland
Aug 18, 2014
By Somali Current
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, pledged the UN’s continued support for Puntland at a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia’s (UNSOM) in the state capital, Garowe, on 17 August 2014.
Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali “Gaas” welcomed the United Nations presence in Puntland and expressed his gratitude for its continued assistance.
“We would like to take this opportunity to express to the United Nations and to the member countries that have contributed in different ways to the various United Nations missions in Somalia our deep gratitude and sincere appreciation for sustained focus on Somali issues over the past few years especially given the number and severity of global crises that have called for urgent attention,” said President Gaas.
SRSG Kay congratulated Puntland on the important political, economic and security progress it has made in the last year. He added that much more remains to be done, including working together with the Federal Government of Somalia and other emerging states on developing a federal system of governance, reviewing the provisional Constitution, and preparing for elections in 2016.
“I’m also here to help you and Mogadishu to build a bridge between yourselves. Every bridge always needs some maintenance. Always there is a chance to fill a small hole to make something stronger and I’m sure that after my discussions today with your President and your Parliament I see a way that step by step we shall strengthen the bridge,” Mr. Kay said.
The SRSG reiterated that the international support for peace- and state-building in Puntland would continue to be guided by the principles of Somali ownership, leadership and respect for the Provisional Federal Constitution.
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| UN Secretary-General Representative Nicholas Kay with Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali "Gaas". |
By Somali Current
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, pledged the UN’s continued support for Puntland at a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia’s (UNSOM) in the state capital, Garowe, on 17 August 2014.
Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali “Gaas” welcomed the United Nations presence in Puntland and expressed his gratitude for its continued assistance.
“We would like to take this opportunity to express to the United Nations and to the member countries that have contributed in different ways to the various United Nations missions in Somalia our deep gratitude and sincere appreciation for sustained focus on Somali issues over the past few years especially given the number and severity of global crises that have called for urgent attention,” said President Gaas.
SRSG Kay congratulated Puntland on the important political, economic and security progress it has made in the last year. He added that much more remains to be done, including working together with the Federal Government of Somalia and other emerging states on developing a federal system of governance, reviewing the provisional Constitution, and preparing for elections in 2016.
“I’m also here to help you and Mogadishu to build a bridge between yourselves. Every bridge always needs some maintenance. Always there is a chance to fill a small hole to make something stronger and I’m sure that after my discussions today with your President and your Parliament I see a way that step by step we shall strengthen the bridge,” Mr. Kay said.
The SRSG reiterated that the international support for peace- and state-building in Puntland would continue to be guided by the principles of Somali ownership, leadership and respect for the Provisional Federal Constitution.
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