Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia
Readouts | Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General
The Secretary-General met today with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia. He expressed support for the President’s decision to issue a decree to endorse the modalities of the electoral process as agreed by the National Leadership Forum on 12 April and presented by Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke to the Federal Parliament on 30 April. The Secretary-General stressed the expectation of Somalia’s international partners that there be no extension of constitutionally mandated term limits and that the technical implementation of the electoral process commence without further delay. He emphasised the importance of realising the commitment to reserve 30% of seats in both Houses of Parliament for women.
The Secretary-General underlined the United Nations’ readiness to support preparations for the 2016 electoral process and its continued assistance for Somalia’s peacebuilding and state-building process, including building Somalia’s security architecture.
The Secretary-General also expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in the country, including the recent deterioration in Somaliland and Puntland due to El Niño-induced drought.