STORY: Ahead of 2020, delegation of AU, EU, IGAD and UN

holds consultations with stakeholders in Baidoa

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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 10/DECEMBER/2019, BAIDOA, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:
1. Wide shot, aerial view of baidoa
2. Med shot, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative (SRSG) for Somalia,
James Swan, and other members of the delegation from AU, EU, and IGAD
alighting from the plane
3. Med shot, AMISOM troops mounting a guard of honour
4. Med shot, the delegation walking with the President of South West State
Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen
5. Wide shot, the delegation seating inside a conference room
6. Med shot, SRSG James Swan, flanked by other members of the delegation
listening during the meeting
7. Med shot, President of South West State Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed
Laftagareen talking during the meeting
8. Med shot, SRSG James Swan shaking hands with the President of South West
State Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen
9. Med shot, delegation meeting up with local elders and representatives from
civil society
10. Med shot, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative (SRSG) for Somalia,
James Swan, and other members of the delegation from AU, EU, and IGDA
listening during the meeting with local elders and representatives from civil
society
11. Med shot, representatives from civil society listening during the meeting
12. Med shot, representative from civil society talking during the meeting
13. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) JAMES SWAN, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL’S SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE (SRSG) FOR SOMALIA
 “2020 will be a pivotal moment for Somalia, when a number of key national
processes should be concluded. These processes will lay the foundations for
Somalia’s further progress by agreeing a Constitution, holding ‘one-person,
one-vote’ elections, continuing the fight against Al-Shabaab, and paving the
way for debt relief for Somalia. Achieving these will require the active
collaboration of all Somali stakeholders, and it will particularly need the
leadership of the Federal Government and the Federal Member States,” he
added. “In order to address these issues, we encourage all stakeholders to
engage in dialogue with one another – this includes federal and state
authorities, civil society and the people of Somalia. It is with this in mind
ahead of the critical juncture in 2020 that we are engaging national as well as
Federal member stakeholders to understand the opportunities and
challenges for implementation of this processes for 2020 in Somalia. As we
conclude our visit in South West State we appreciate the warm welcome of
its people and we are grateful to the authorities, elders and civil society
representatives who took time to meet with us”.

Ahead of 2020, delegation of AU, EU, IGAD and UN holds consultations with
stakeholders in Baidoa
Baidoa 10 December 2019 – As 2019 draws to a close, senior officials from some of
Somalia’s international partners today visited Baidoa, in South West State (SWS), for
the start of a series of consultations with a range of stakeholders in the country’s
Federal Member States.

“2020 will be a pivotal moment for Somalia, when a number of key national
processes should be concluded. These processes will lay the foundations for
Somalia’s further progress by agreeing a Constitution, holding ‘one-person, one-
vote,’ elections, continuing the fight against Al-Shabaab, and paving the way for debt
relief for Somalia,” the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia,
James Swan, said on behalf of the delegation.

“Achieving these will require the active collaboration of all Somali stakeholders, and
it will particularly need the leadership of the Federal Government and the Federal
Member States,” he added. “In order to address these issues, we encourage all
stakeholders to engage in dialogue with one another – this includes federal and state
authorities, civil society and the people of Somalia.”

The UN envoy was speaking on his behalf and that of his fellow delegation members:
the European Union’s (EU) Ambassador to Somalia, Nicolas Berlanga, the Special
Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission,
Ambassador Francisco C. J. Madeira, and a Senior Advisor of the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (IGAD), Jamal Ahmed Ibrahim.

While in Baidoa, the delegation met with SWS’ President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed
‘Laftagareen,’ local elders and representatives from civil society to help better
understand the opportunities and challenges to implementation of the various
national process set for 2020.

“We appreciate the warm welcome of its people and we are grateful to the
authorities, elders and civil society representatives who took the time to meet with
us,” Mr. Swan said, adding that the delegation looks forward to hearing from other
Federal Member States as it continues it visits, and to supporting Somalia to fulfil the
national priorities it has committed to in 2020.
ENDS