Study Istanbul Declaration on Somalia.

Organized by the Government of the Republic of Turkey, and co-chaired by the President of Somalia and the UN Deputy Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Jan Eliasson, the High-Level Partnership Forum (HLPF) on Somalia was held this week (February23-24, 2016) in Istanbul, Turkey with the theme "Focusing on Progress in Somalia". The Forum which reviewed Somalia's progress in the political, security and economic sectors aimed at addressing the challenges that the country faces in the implementation of speedy peace and state-building processes brought together key international partners and 200 Representatives from 54 countries and 11 international organizations, leaders of the Somali Federal Government and Interim Regional Administrations. This year's forum followed the previous meetings held in Copenhagen in 2014 and Mogadishu in 2015.

Commending the progress in Somalia and referring to the country's political, security and development agenda, the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in his opening remarks said, "As you all know, Somalia is going through a critical period. … On this rocky road, we need to support Somalia and never leave [Somalis] in the lurch".

Taking note of the fact that stability is vital for Somalia progress, Erdoğan called for the implementation of key 2016 milestones. Somalia's security needs are being addressed in efforts to seek tangible solutions to fight al-Shabaab terrorist activities in the country. Al-Shabaab is an al-Qaeda-linked militant group and was among the topics covered throughout the forum. He said, "I believe that the improvements that we will make for easing our Somali brothers' daily lives and increasing their welfare will also contribute to the country disposing of its terror problem. Essentially, the thing that lies under the success of the Turkish model in Somalia, which you all watch with interest, is our acting with this mentality. We also expect international cooperatives to support Somalia with the same attitude". Explaining that Turkey shouldered the country's reconstruction process through universities, orphanages, roads, hospitals and even street lamps that are put into service through humanitarian institutions, Erdoğan noted, "We will continue our work until Somalia finds tranquility and becomes a peaceful, stable country with the cooperation of the international community and regional countries, hopefully."

Stressing on the tremendous progress Somalia has made over the last few years, Deputy- Secretary General of the United Nations. Jan Eliasson said Somalia once mired in a conflict has now better functioning governance on relative terms. As this year marks the end of the Somalia Compact, and the mandate of the first Federal Institutions formed under Somalia's 2012 Provisional Constitution closes in, the Deputy- Secretary General said, "Yet, 2016 is not a finish line," noting that the country had tough challenges ahead. The international community must move beyond crisis management and work together towards maximizing stronger partnership for sustainable peace and development, while also ensuring the rule of law, and respect for human rights. He noted Somalis have worked hard over the past four years to build the foundations of a new federal, democratic state. Jan Eliasson stressed on the importance of forging a visible strategy which he said was crucial in the promotion of peace and state building in the country. On Somalia election 2016, the Deputy–Secretary General commend the Federal Government's decision of working on a viable electoral model, particularly its commitment to make sure that women would make up 30 per cent of the seats in the new Parliament. In all these, the Deputy–Secretary General urged all national and international stakeholders to support implementation of such a decision which should come in line with the Mogadishu Declaration and Security Council resolution 2232, adding that a secure, fair and transparent electoral process held on time would do much to sustain confidence in the process of Somalia's transformation.

The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, detailed the positive achievements in the country, such as recovering most of Somalia from al-Shabaab, subsequently working to defeat extremism on its own soil, building institutions within all but one of the federal member states and forming the National Independent Commission along with the ongoing review of the Constitution and the upcoming action plan for the electoral process. He said, "The future of Somalia is embedded in democracy and will only be secured through inclusivity, diversity and equal access to democracy". The President however stressed on the significance of the continued assistance of every Somali and of the international community for the promotion of sustainable peace and development in the country.

A high level Ethiopian Delegation headed by State Minster of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Taye Aske-Selassie attended the High Level Partnership Forum on Somalia. Ethiopia is one of the key `players in the process of bringing sustainable peace and development in the region and its  participation in this ministerial meeting affirmed the country's longstanding commitment to supporting international efforts towards a more stable, peaceful and resilient Somalia. During the event, State Minster Ambassador Taye Aske-Selassie had made it clear that Ethiopia remains committed to consolidate its endeavor towards bringing lasting peace and stability in Somalia. He said the political landscape of Somalia has fundamentally changed in the last four years. Since the establishment of an internationally recognized government under the leadership of Hassan Sheik Mohammed in September 2012, Ambassador Taye said, "All witnessed the formation of three regional administrations and we are looking forward to the formation of one regional and one city administration in the coming months". According to the state minster what is more significant in terms of political change in the last three and half years is the transformation of the violent political culture into civil, peaceful and legal political mode of engagement. Ambassador Taye however added that the problem in the security sector has the potential to undermine all the political achievements. He said unless the security sector is strengthened, all our political and stabilization plans will be brought into distress. Moreover, H.E Ambassador Taye said, "The strategy is never wait for a deadly enemy to come and attack. Chase it! Isolate it, contain, degrade and finally eliminate it!" The state Minster stressed that this required commitment and resilience resource, potential will and support. It should be underlined that this is a strategic task that required a coordinated plan and action of all partners; and Ambassador Taye finally underlined, "While we are in charge of respective countries we have to make sure that we support the cause of building of a strong and vibrant Somalia."

The High Level Partnership Forum in its communiqué welcomed the second annual progress report of the New Deal Somali Compact and commended the detailed Compact Review process, the joint analysis of achievements and the challenges in the implementation, as well as identification of milestones for 2016. It also welcomed Somalia's progress in many areas and called for continued engagement and provision of assistance. Noting that the constitutionally-mandated terms of the Federal Government and Parliament close in, the communiqué noted 2016 was a decisive year for Somalia. Mindful of the fact that the one-person one-vote elections would not be possible this year, it welcomed the inclusive and participatory processes that helped parties agree on the key principles and actions of the 2016 electoral process in line with the ‘Mogadishu Declaration' of 16 December 2015. The communiqué further underlined that there must not be any impediments to the timely implementation of the electoral process, including ensuring freedom of expression, and making sure that the constitutionally-mandated term limits of the legislature and executive are observed. Accordingly, it called for parties to work for an inclusive 2016 Electoral Process Implementation Plan and the development of the 2020 Roadmap. On the prospects of ensuring universal suffrage, the forum also stressed on the importance of setting clear political vision and path and urged all stakeholders to come to terms with a view to consolidate twin-track planning in support of a one-person one-vote electoral model, one that is overseen by a workable National Independent Electoral Commission by 2020.

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