I. Introduction
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to the statement by the President of the Security Council of 31 October 2001 (S/PRST/2001/30), in which the Council requested me to submit reports at least every four months on the situation in Somalia and the efforts to promote the peace process, as well as to operative paragraph 13 of Security Council resolution 1872 (2009), in which the Council requested me to take the steps identified in paragraphs 82 to 86 of my report of 16 April 2009 (S/2009/210) and to report on progress. The present combined report provides an update on major developments in Somalia since my reports of 20 July 2009 (S/2009/373) and 2 October 2009 (S/2009/503), and assesses the political, security, human rights and humanitarian situation, as well as progress made in implementing the three-phased incremental approach set out in my April 2009 report. It also covers the operational activities of the United Nations and the international community's counter-piracy efforts further to my report of 13 November (S/2009/590).