Your Excellencies,

Somalia and Somalians have suffered far too much for far too
long, while at times too often we in the world community have
either turned a blind eye altogether, or fallen by the wayside from
exasperation as indigenous political will seemed to wax and then
wane.

In recent times, however, it would seem that as the Transition
approaches its end that the momentum might perhaps finally be
shifting in Somalia’s favor.  What’s required now
is a sustained quality to our engagement in Somalia and a sustained
obligation of resources.  And so it is that we are all
grateful to Prime Minister Erdogan and Secretary-General Ban ki
Moon for their invitation to assemble here today urgently in
support of Somalia.

I should like to make three points briefly -- points that I have
reduced to the acronym "PPP" -- the "Three P's": presence;
partnership; and perseverance.

I. PRESENCE

The first "P" is presence. We can no longer sit on the
sidelines, even in Nairobi -- and we are grateful to Kenya for
letting us house our programme here -- if we are to have a
meaningful impact on the situation in Somali.  With the end of
the transition on 20 August, an exponentially expanding
international presence in Mogadishu and throughout Somalia becomes
even more urgent. This is our opportunity to accelerate the
momentum permanently in Somalia’s favour.

IOM has been present in Somalia since the 1980’s, but
forced to abandon Mogadishu in 1991.  IOM continued,
nevertheless, to operate in Somaliland and Puntland.

In February, I travelled to Mogadishu to accompany, introduce
and install a resident Chief of Mission, Mr. Ali Abdi, who has come
from Mogadishu to take part in this important meeting.  IOM is
now working in a range of areas with a project portfolio of $ 45
million and expanding.  Besides Mogadishu, Nairobi and
Mombasa, IOM has offices in Hargeisa, Bosasso and Garowe.  We
have 55 staff in Somalia (16 international staff and 39 national
staff) engaged in humanitarian assistance, community stabilization,
youth engagement, diaspora support, capacity building for
transitional authorities, et al. 

IOM’s overarching objective is to end the current chronic
and massive forced displacement of population caused by conflict,
food insecurity, and lack of basic services.  All our efforts
are, of course, miniscule in relation to the needs of the Somali
people and the country.  This is one of the reasons,
therefore, that IOM actively seeks partnerships with the United
Nations, and others who are committed to supporting Somalia.

II. PARTNERSHIPS  

Partnerships are at the centre of IOM’s planning and
programming.  Consequently, our projects are based on a
three-pronged approach partnership framework:

1. Partnerships with people and communities;
2. With the Somali Government; and
3. With the United Nations and International Community in
   general.  

In this regard, I wish to recognize, in particular the unfailing
support of SRSG Mahiga and UNPOS with whom IOM enjoys very fruitful
collaboration and support.  We have many other partners: UN
agencies; bilateral partners; and regional partners such as the AU
and IGAD. 

III. PERSEVERENCE

IOM is committed to Somalia for the long-term.  Somalia
needs the sustained commitment of all its friends.

1. Somali youth need jobs – as an alternative to joining
   Al-Shabab;
2. Disengaged fighters need a process whereby they can re-enter
   civilian life.
3. The Somali people need basic services (water, electricity,
   health services);
4. The country needs infrastructure and greater capacity;

Perseverance and long-term commitment are the bedrock on which
these goals will be accomplished. For our part, IOM has been in
Somalia for 30 years; we plan to remain as long as we are
needed.  In sum:  we all need to be present on the ground
in Somalia. We need to be pragmatic, nimble and fast afoot to
deliver.  We need to work in partnership; and most
importantly, we need to persevere in our efforts.