High Level Partnership Forum Concludes, Communique Issued

The first ever Ministerial High-Level Partnership Forum (HLPF) held in Mogadishu that co-chaired by Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and UN special Representative Nicholas Kay was concluded.

Following is the communiqué issued at the end of the forum.

1. The second Ministerial High-Level Partnership Forum was held in Mogadishu 29-30 July 2015, co-chaired by HE Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General in Somalia, Nicholas Kay.
2. 32 delegations gathered to review progress in political and security areas, as well as agree on priorities for the remaining period of 2015 in the framework of the New Deal Somali Compact (Somali Compact). Representatives from ISWA and Galmudug Interim Administration participated in the Forum. We applaud this broad participation and look forward to the participation of all key stakeholders; the absence of some today was a disappointment.
3. We welcome and support the new Galmudug Interim Administration and salute the positive steps taken (constitutional amendments) to resolve its border dispute with Puntland. We urge all parties to join the reconciliation and peace building efforts. We look forward to the successful establishment of Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle Interim Regional Administration and to determine the status of the capital Mogadishu this year.
4. We commit to support all new and emerging administrations to build their much needed governance institutions.
5. We welcome and commend the closer collaboration between the Federal Government and future member states, including through the National Leaders Forum.
6. We welcome the formation of the constitutionally-mandated Commissions: the National Independent Electoral Commission, the Boundaries and Federalism Commission, as well as the Independent Commission for the Review and Implementation of the Constitution. We commend the FGS’ commitment to engage in consultations with the Parliamentary Oversight Committee and ICRIC to come up with the most credible way to approach the revision of essential chapters that need our immediate attention. We endorse the timelines submitted by the Constitutional Affairs Ministry and urge it to accelerate a national civic education campaign. We commit to increase the participation and inclusion of women in these bodies, in line with the Constitution.
7. We stress the importance of the Commissions making fast progress on their work, welcome the support currently being provided and look forward to working together to support their mandates and activities. We look forward to the swift establishment of the remaining constitutional bodies, especially the Judicial Services Commission and the Constitutional Court. We commend the tasks outlined in the Rule of Law Programme and urge timely implementation.
8. We underline the need to ensure progress in the constitutional review process in order to establish a permanent Constitution for a federal and united Somalia. We commend Somali leaders and constitutional institutions both at the federal and state levels for their determination to deliver an electoral process in 2016 in Somalia and look forward to a detailed plan within 2015. This process shall show transparency through a broadly consultative and inclusive process, accepted by all Somali stakeholders, at all levels. We reaffirm the support of international partners to this process, in line with UN Security Council 2232.
9. We call on all Somali leaders, Federal Parliament, member states, civil society, and other stakeholders, to work together in the interests of Somalia’s democratization, within the framework of Vision 2016.
10. We endorse the agreed Guiding Principles and the three-point agreement between the Federal Government and the Federal Parliament, to achieve a national consensus on the electoral process. We expect detailed way ahead for the consultative process shall be agreed upon in the near term, and no later than the 15 August 2015. We urge all Somali stakeholders to seize the momentum and actively engage to achieve this national consensus.
11. We renew our call to all Somalis to join into the implementation of Vision 2016. We affirm that Somalia and its international partners will have no tolerance for those who hinder or delay the process of peace building and state building.
12. In line with the commitments made at the 2014 London security event, and reiterated at the HLPF meeting in Copenhagen in November 2014, we welcome and endorse the costed, detailed and prioritized time tables for the implementation of the Guulwade Plan. Both Somali and international partners commit themselves to mobilizing resources for the implementation of the plan.
13. We recognize the need to build a professional and accountable SNA and police service, able to address the needs of Somali people. We welcome the initial draft of the Heegan Plan and look forward to its finalization by October 2015 and its prompt implementation immediately thereafter.
14. We commend the ongoing integration of regional forces and recognize the support of the AU and IGAD in this process. We urge the completion of this process across Somalia, taking cognizance of discipline and professionalism of the Somali National Forces and recalling the importance of ensuring its fiscal sustainability. We note the importance and responsibility of the Somali Government to pay salaries, and the commitment of international partners to provide stipends. We urge the consistent and timely disbursement of funds in this regard. We recognize the urgency of the distribution of equipment and logistics support.
15. We condemn the terrorist attacks by Al Shabaab in the strongest terms possible and convey our regrets for the lives lost and our deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones.
16. We commend and honor the SNA and AMISOM efforts in the fight against Al Shabaab. We reaffirm the need to focus the joint SNA/AMISOM operations toward enemy elimination, ultimately contributing to their defeat, while ensuring that operations are conducted in compliance with international humanitarian law and human rights, in particular in regards to protection of civilians. We urge the imperative of creating the necessary conditions for stabilization of the areas recovered from Al Shabaab, recognizing the role of different actors, including the civil society and the police, and in line with the national stabilization strategy.
17. We urge the rapid completion of the National Security Sector architecture and medium-term security plan and definition of the roles and responsibilities of the national security sector institutions to ensure coordination among the Somali security sector, and to be presented at our next meeting .
18. We commend the progress made to containing the piracy activities in the coast of Somalia; we underline the need to ensure that maritime security addresses other illegal activities.
19. We welcome the plans to strengthen the financial management systems of the FGS, and in particular of the security sector, including the development of transparent and credible payroll systems for the security forces. We welcome the establishment of the multia-gency task force to address payments of salaries and stipends and urge the completion of a harmonized system and timely payment of salaries and stipends by October 2015.
20. We commend the recently implemented Somali Financial Management Information System, which captures the revenue and automates the processing of expenditure providing financial data of the activities conducted by the FGS.
21. We commend the revised 2015 national budget initiating greater fiscal discipline as well as the inter-ministerial budget strategy committee for the preparation of the 2016 national budget and the implementation of revenue mobilization reform. We look forward to an early enactment of the revised budget. We commend the progress on increased transparency and accountability on revenue management, and look forward to the publication of all completed annual financial statements and audit reports.
22. We welcome the re-engagement of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and the initial steps taken towards arrears clearance and debt relief processes. We welcome the recent article IV International Monetary Fund (IMF) consultation setting the stage for its first Article IV consultations since 1989, and are committed to the key reform areas raised in financial governance, resources management and the strengthening and independence of the Central Bank of Somalia.
23. We welcome the work of the Financial Governance Committee (FGC) and the creation of the Interim National Procurement Board (INPB). We welcome the FGS’ commitment to ensuring that all new procurement and concession contracts are submitted to validation through the INPB. We recognize that further work is required to strengthen these bodies. 4 We look forward to the finalization and adoption of the Public Finance Management, Procurement and Audit Bills.
24. We recall the role of the New Deal Somali Compact in ensuring the coordination of priorities and actions on security, inclusive political process and development. We further recognize the role of the New Deal Somali Compact in providing a structured aid planning and delivering approach for Somalia. We renew our commitment to the implementation of policies and operational reforms to support the efficacy of the New Deal mechanisms, in particular commitments on transparency, risk-sharing, timely and predicable aid and strengthening the Federal Government of Somalia’s (FGS) planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring and oversight capacity.
25. We commit in finalizing the Compact monitoring framework, consistent with the principles of mutual accountability, through the establishment of a task force, under the leadership of the Ministry of Planning and look forward to reviewing the overall Compact implementation progress, based on the agreed monitoring framework, at our next meeting and drawing on this as a basis for moving towards a renewal of our partnership, beyond 2016.
26. We welcome the establishment of the World Bank, United Nations and the upcoming African Development Bank Funding Windows, to implement the New Deal through improved coordination of the Somali Development and Reconstruction Facility (SDRF) mechanism and in the spirit of Somali ownership and leadership. We welcome the establishment of the National fund stream of the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund and urge the quick identification of programmes to be funded through this funding stream.
27. We welcome the Use of Country Systems roadmap and steps taken by the FGS and development partners towards achieving related benchmarks. We urge increased use of country systems, as the country PFM systems improve.
28. We reaffirm our commitment to the partnership principles and emphasize the national prerogative of setting development priorities, accelerating delivery, visibility and overseeing implementation mechanisms and monitoring of results. We welcome the proposed measures and way forward to increase national ownership, visibility and accelerate delivery and commit to finalizing and agree on final measures by September 2015.
29. We welcome the progress made on using the New Deal framework and processes for programme development and oversight, and coordination. We recognize that further progress is required in this regard and urge for those coordination mechanisms and programme governing bodies still outside of the SDRF to be brought within that framework. We urge bilateral programmes to coordinate under the leadership of the government.
30. We commend the Federal Government for accelerating activities and planning for a sustainable economic recovery. We look forward to the progress on the National Development Plan, fulfilling the requirements of an iPRSP, to be developed within the 5 framework of the New Deal. We reaffirm the importance of infrastructure for economic recovery, job creation and service delivery. We welcome the conclusion of the national infrastructure needs assessment, and look forward to an investment conference dedicated to infrastructure, to be held in 2015.
31. We are encouraged by the effort made by the FGS in consultation with the Interim Regional Administrations to initiate work on a long-term development framework (Vision 2035) to positively shape the future socioeconomic transformation of Somalia. We acknowledge that this long term framework must be linked to strategies such as the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, and reflect the global Sustainable Development Goals.
32. We commend the work done by the FGS and partners, including civil society, in fostering stabilization in the areas recovered from Al Shabaab. We recognize the importance stronger harmonization and coordination of the different stabilization funds and programmes, in order to properly support the building of local administrations and deliver basic services and sustainably expanding economic opportunities, employment and better livelihood. We commit to this enhanced coordination and harmonization under the leadership of the FGS and through the coordination mechanisms set up under the Compact.
33. We recognize the continuing humanitarian crisis, including in recently liberated areas and its impact on the Somali people and commend the principle humanitarian action in response. At the same time, we commit to the formulation of a more long-term strategic approach that addresses the underlying causes of crisis, by supporting multi-year planning for sustainable solutions and resilience gains, led by the Ministry of Planning and bringing together existing and planned resilience and recovery activities. We recognize the need to address the longstanding issue of internal displacements and provision of durable solutions under government leadership, at federal, regional and local levels.
34. We express grave concern over the growing refugee and Somali returnees’ influx from Yemen and urge the immediate deployment of financial and physical support to provide shelter, supplies and income support to those refugees, in addition to the support currently being provided in reception centres. We urge an extension of this support to other areas where people are arriving.
35. We reaffirm the important role of women in peace and state-building and commit to increase their participation in the political, social and economic spheres.
36. We recognize that the protection and promotion of human rights is crucial for sustainable peace and state building in Somalia, and welcome the Federal Government’s commitments on human rights, including through participation in the ongoing Universal Periodic Review process. While we recognize that broad consultation is critical for enactment of a solid law establishing the Independent Human Rights Commission, we stress the importance of expediting the passage of the legislation and subsequently establish the Commission. We call on partners to support processes aimed at ensuring 6 that human rights is anchored in the implementation of all PSG priorities, in particular through the Human Rights Roadmap and the existing Action Plans on Human Rights.
37. In conclusion, we thank all participants for their constructive engagement and commit to implementing the measures and actions agreed upon in the remaining period of 2015 and review the overall progress of this year of implementation of the Compact at our next Ministerial-level meeting the first months of 2016.