
Federal Republic of Somalia
Statement by the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia
On Special Summit of IGAD Heads of States and Governments on Protection and Durable Solutions of Somali Refugees
Nairobi, 25 March 2017
Excellences and distinguished delegates:
Presidents, Prime Ministers and Vice Presidents of the IGAD Member States;
I would like to take this opportunity to thank H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya for hosting this special Summit on Durable Solutions for Somali Refugees.
I would also like to thank the head of the UN High Commission for Refugees, H.E. Filippo Grandi and Ambassador Alex Rondos of the European Union for co-organizing this important event.
Most importantly, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the people and governments of IGAD member states and Yemen, who collectively host more than one million Somali refugees in their countries. Your generosity to my people at the time of their greatest need is immensely appreciated. On behalf of my people, we are eternally grateful to you.
Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentleman:
I take this opportunity to commend you for the commitment you have demonstrated by attending this important summit, which renews attention to the plight of Somali refugees and IDPs, considered to be one of the most protracted problems in the world.
This summit is the culmination of a series of meetings and side events intended to bring to the attention of the world, the magnitude and complexity of the Somali refugees and IDPs. I refer here to a few of those meetings:
The High Level Global Initiative on Somali Refugees in Geneva in 2013, followed by the one in Addis Ababa in August 2014 which resulted in the Addis Ababa Commitment by the countries in the region hosting Somali refugees.
These commitments were also highlighted at the High Level Partnership Forum held in Mogadishu between 29-30 July 2015, the High Level side event on Somalia held at the margins of the General Assembly in New York on 28 September 2015, the General Assembly meeting and September’s Commitment to Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) and its side event on Somali refugees, and lastly, the IGAD meeting held in Mogadishu on the 13th September 2016 and its resolution to hold this Special Summit.
Statement by the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia
On Special Summit of IGAD Heads of States and Governments on Protection and Durable Solutions of Somali Refugees
Nairobi, 25 March 2017
Excellences and distinguished delegates:
Presidents, Prime Ministers and Vice Presidents of the IGAD Member States;
I would like to take this opportunity to thank H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya for hosting this special Summit on Durable Solutions for Somali Refugees.
I would also like to thank the head of the UN High Commission for Refugees, H.E. Filippo Grandi and Ambassador Alex Rondos of the European Union for co-organizing this important event.
Most importantly, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the people and governments of IGAD member states and Yemen, who collectively host more than one million Somali refugees in their countries. Your generosity to my people at the time of their greatest need is immensely appreciated. On behalf of my people, we are eternally grateful to you.
Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentleman:
I take this opportunity to commend you for the commitment you have demonstrated by attending this important summit, which renews attention to the plight of Somali refugees and IDPs, considered to be one of the most protracted problems in the world.
This summit is the culmination of a series of meetings and side events intended to bring to the attention of the world, the magnitude and complexity of the Somali refugees and IDPs. I refer here to a few of those meetings:
The High Level Global Initiative on Somali Refugees in Geneva in 2013, followed by the one in Addis Ababa in August 2014 which resulted in the Addis Ababa Commitment by the countries in the region hosting Somali refugees.
These commitments were also highlighted at the High Level Partnership Forum held in Mogadishu between 29-30 July 2015, the High Level side event on Somalia held at the margins of the General Assembly in New York on 28 September 2015, the General Assembly meeting and September’s Commitment to Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) and its side event on Somali refugees, and lastly, the IGAD meeting held in Mogadishu on the 13th September 2016 and its resolution to hold this Special Summit.
These commitments and those entered into within the Tripartite Agreement of November 2013, and its six months extension, all are based on two crucial principles which are: To find sustainable and durable solutions to the problem of Somali displacement, and to preserve the institution of asylum.
Let me say at the outset that, it is my hope that we will be able to re-dedicate ourselves to the achievement of both these aspects for the benefit of the Somali displaced people.
Today, about two and half million Somali refugees and IDPs live in camps in and out of the country. Tragically, some have lived in these camps for 3 generations, all because the environment wasn’t conducive enough in Somalia for them to return. That said, many have voluntarily returned over the past few years, as conditions in their regions have improved gradually.
However, the current drought and the looming famine pose yet another challenge to voluntary return. We must not leave a stone unturned to avert another famine in Somalia.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:
The Federal Government of Somalia has made Durable Solutions for Refugees and IDPs a centerpiece of its resilience strategy. The basis of our strategy is the inherent believe that refugees and IDPs are deeply tired of being displaced and living on handouts in squalid camps. Moreover, it’s based on the principle that the overwhelming majority of them would rather live in dignity and self-reliance. Based on that, our strategy aims to unshackle them from the vicious cycle of displacement, and investing in their innate ability to reclaim their dignity. For far too long, we have been investing in the management of refugees and IDPs. Time has come for us to invest in their God-given ability to manage themselves.
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