Baidoa, 10 December 2019 – As 2019 draws to a close, representatives of the African Union, European Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development and United Nations today visited Baidoa, capital of South West State, in the first of a series of consultative meetings in 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 on a Constitution, holding ‘one-person, one-vote elections’, continuing the fight against al Shabab, 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. 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 this critical juncture in 2020, that we are engaging national as well as Federal Member State stakeholders to understand the opportunities and challenges to implementation of these processes for 2020 in Somalia.
As we conclude our visit to 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 the time to meet with us.
We look forward to hearing from other Federal Member States as we continue our visits, and to supporting Somalia to fulfil the national priorities it has committed to in 2020.
