Somalia: Vote on a Draft Resolution*
Tomorrow morning (30 October), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution authorising the transition of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) to the UN Country Team (UNCT) over a two-year period, starting on 1 November. UNSOM’s mandate was most recently renewed by resolution 2705 of 31 October 2023 for one year, until 31 October.
Background
In a letter circulated to the Council on 8 May, Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi requested the termination of UNSOM’s mandate and called for the “swift conclusion of the necessary procedures for the termination of the [m]ission by the end of the mandate in October 2024”. Somalia sent another letter, which was circulated to the Council on 10 May, expressing its readiness to engage with relevant stakeholders in the “preparation of [a] complex transition process within [the] appropriate timeframe”.
In response to a request from the Security Council, the Secretary-General provided in a 30 August letter an update on the engagements between the UN and the Somali government on the modalities and timeline for UNSOM’s transition to the UN Country Team (UNCT). The letter shared a proposal from Somalia, dated 28 August, which envisioned a two-year phased handover of responsibilities from UNSOM to Somali institutions and the UNCT, commencing in November. The proposal called for restructuring UNSOM’s mandate with a limited scope that will include supporting state-building efforts, such as through inclusive constitutional review and electoral processes. It also suggested a mid-term review for the mission after one year to make necessary adjustments. (For background and more information, see the brief on Somalia in our October 2024 Monthly Forecast.)
Negotiations on the Draft Resolution
The UK, the penholder on Somalia, circulated the initial draft of the resolution on 16 October and convened a read-through of the text on 21 October. After receiving comments, the penholder circulated a revised draft on 23 October, opening it for comments until next day (24 October). The penholder subsequently placed a second revised draft under silence procedure on 25 October until 10 pm on Monday (28 October). China and Russia broke silence, after which several members submitted additional comments. The UK made further changes to the draft resolution and placed a third revised text under a silence procedure until 12 pm today (29 October). That draft passed silence and was put in blue later today.
It seems that the negotiations were arduous. In its work on the draft text, the UK was informed and guided by Somalia’s 28 August proposal and its engagement with Somalia’s permanent mission in New York. At the outset, it appears that Council members largely converged on Somalia’s proposal for UNSOM’s transition to the UNCT and relevant entities. During the negotiations, however, disagreements apparently persisted on several issues, with some members calling for aligning the draft text to be as close as possible to Somalia’s proposal.
The draft resolution in blue takes note of the Secretary-General’s 30 August letter, which contained Somalia’s proposal for UNSOM’s transition to the UNCT over a two-year period. It further determines that UNSOM will now be called the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS). It decides that UNTMIS shall “deliver a first phase of its transition until 31 October 2025”, while continuing to uphold the mandate as most recently renewed by resolution 2705 with the modifications in the current draft.
One point of disagreement pertained to the commencement date for the transition to the new mission. The initial draft proposed by the penholder apparently would have extended UNSOM’s mandate until 31 December, with UNTMIS beginning the formal transition of its functions on 1 January 2025. This approach was apparently supported by several Council members. However, other members, including China and Russia, proposed extending UNSOM’s mandate only until 30 November, with UNTMIS starting its transition from 1 December. Throughout the negotiations, it appears that the UK coordinated closely with Somalia, which in its 28 August proposal had asked for the transition process to start from 1 November.
It seems that during the negotiations, the US opposed including the end date for UNTMIS’ transition and requested the deletion of the phrase “two-year period”. It also apparently suggested language calling for the termination of UNTMIS’ mandate to be “informed by the conditions on the ground”. However, it seems that China, Russia, and “A3 plus” members (Algeria, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Guyana) insisted on clarifying in the resolution that UNTMIS’ two-phase transition is designed to end by 31 October 2026. Considering the views expressed by these members, the penholder amended the draft text to express the Council’s intention, informed by the conditions on the ground, to terminate UNTMIS’ anticipated two-phased transition by 31 October 2026.
The draft resolution in blue recognises Somalia’s critical needs during the transition and outlines key priorities for UNTMIS’ transition with a view to the progressive and phased transfer of these areas in the second phase of the transition. It appears that China argued that UNTMIS should streamline or transfer other outstanding tasks, if appropriate, to better implement the prioritised mandate. To address this concern, the penholder amended the text in blue to request UNTMIS to begin, from 1 November, planning and working towards the complete handover of any other outstanding tasks by the end of second phase of the transition. The list of priorities, as contained in the draft resolution in blue, includes:
- support for state-building, including the constitutional review process and efforts to conduct free and fair elections, through inclusive and transparent one-person, one-vote processes, including through capacity-building, technical assistance and policy guidance, and facilitation of dialogue to promote reconciliation;
- promotion and protection of human rights, including through institutional and human capacity-building, technical assistance and policy guidance;
- coordination of international donor support; and
- coordination with the anticipated successor mission to the African Union (AU) Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
The draft text also outlines a series of tasks for UNTMIS to hand over in the first phase of its transition to the UNCT, the Somali federal government (FGS), and other stakeholders. China and Russia apparently requested including responsibilities related to the promotion and protection of human rights in the list of tasks for the transition’s first phase. This suggestion was not incorporated in the draft resolution in blue, however. It seems that China also proposed adding tasks pertaining to child protection and technical advice and capacity-building related to women’s representation and participation to the list of tasks to be transferred in the transition’s first phase. Subsequently, the penholder added language on the transfer of tasks pertaining to child protection to the draft resolution in blue. As a result, among the tasks to be handed over in the transition’s first phase, are technical advice and capacity-building to support the FGS and federal member states in their efforts to “promote child protection”, except for activities mandated under resolution 1612 of 26 July 2005. (Resolution 1612 set up a monitoring and reporting mechanism on violations against children in armed conflict, among other things.)
It appears that Council members had diverging views on the frequency of the reporting from the Secretary-General regarding the situation in Somalia and implementation of the transfer of tasks set out in this resolution. While many Council members apparently supported the bi-annual reporting requirement introduced by the penholder, the US suggested incorporating a request for quarterly reports. Somalia, on the other hand, had suggested in its proposal reducing Council briefings to an annual closed session. Despite this, the draft resolution in blue requests the Secretary-General to submit two written reports, with the first report to be submitted by 30 March 2025 and the second by 30 September 2025. It appears that the penholder’s expectation is that these reports would be discussed in closed sessions.
Another area of disagreement during the negotiations concerned the reporting requirement introduced by the penholder for UNTMIS’ handover of responsibilities. In the initial draft, the penholder apparently requested the Secretary-General to present to the Council, by 31 December, a “transition plan” for UNTMIS’ gradual, responsible, and sustainable transition. It appears that while some members supported the penholder’s approach, China argued that the resolution already constitutes a transition plan and that asking for a report on the transition would be too prescriptive and overburden UNTMIS. In light of continued disagreements, the language was amended. The draft resolution in blue requests a “roadmap” for the transition’s first phase, to be developed in consultation with the FGS, including practical modalities, such as a reduction in UNTMIS personnel. In an apparent compromise, the draft text in blue requests the Secretary-General to include the roadmap in his first regular reporting on the situation in Somalia.
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Post-script: On 30 October, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2753, authorising the transition of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) to the UN Country Team (UNCT) over a two-year period, starting on 1 November. It decided that UNSOM will be called as the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS), which shall “deliver a first phase of its transition until 31 October 2025”, while continuing to uphold the mandate as most recently renewed by resolution 2705 with the modifications in the current draft.
