Sweden will host an international meeting on Somalia, under the leadership of the UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.The purpose of the meeting is to produce proposals for concrete initiatives to support the peace agreement that Somalia's transitional government (TFG) and the opposition alliance (ARS) signed in Djibouti in August this year.
"The situation in Somalia is extremely serious," says Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson. "Some 3.2 million people, or 40 per cent of the population, are in immediate need of emergency relief. The serious security situation is preventing humanitarian assistance efforts. The Djibouti agreement is now the only means of finding a political alternative to the continued violence and social collapse in Somalia. Creative ways of getting development assistance to Somalia are needed and support to Somalia's own commitments to stabilise its country need to be better defined," says Ms Carlsson.Representatives of the TFG and the ARS in Somalia will participate in the meeting, as will experts from the UN, the World Bank, the AU and the EU, as well as a handful of particularly committed donor countries.
The meeting should also be seen as preparation for a possible international donor conference early next year, focusing on more extensive support to peace, security and reconstruction."The peace process in Somalia has made some progress but the situation is extremely fragile. It is therefore essential that the international community shows that it means business with its support to the continued peace process. Hosting this meeting is part of Sweden's efforts to contribute to a sustainable political solution to this almost twenty year-old conflict in Somalia," says Ms Carlsson.
Swedish GovernmentMinistry for Foreign Affairs
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