Jowhar – In his first visit to the state of Hirshabelle since taking up his position, the new United Nations envoy to Somalia highlighted the importance of positive relations between state and federal authorities for the country’s long-term progress.
“I had very constructive discussions with President Mohamed Abdi Ware and members of his government – we agreed that good relations between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Federal Members States are crucial to strengthen the state-building process in the country,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan.
In addition to meeting with the Federal Member State’s President Ware and members of his cabinet in Hirshabelle’s capital, Jowhar, the UN envoy also met with the speaker of the regional assembly.
Mr. Swan, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), underscored the scope of the UN family’s engagement in Hirshabelle, covering the development of institutional capacity, provision of humanitarian assistance, facilitation of political reconciliation and mediation, as well as security sector reform and infrastructure development.
“We are looking forward to increasing our cooperation with the government and people of Hirshabelle in order to implement the UNSOM mandate and the activities of the UN family more effectively,” underscored Mr. Swan.
The trip was Mr. Swan’s third visit to a federal member state since his arrival in Somalia on 25 June, following trips to Puntland and Jubaland.
The UN Special Representative was accompanied on the trip by the senior officials from Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Takeshi Moriyama and Edmore Tondhlana, respectively.
