NAIROBI, 2 November (IRIN) - The
UN resident Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Randolph
Kent, on Tuesday launched the UN's action plan to help make the most of
recent political changes in the country, saying it was time to support
the Somalis' struggle for peace "in tangible ways".
The programme, entitled 'First Steps:
An Operational Plan to Support Governance and Peace-building in Somalia',
sets out ways in which UN agencies operating in Somalia could help the
emerging Transitional National Government (TNG), as well as the autonomous
areas of 'Somaliland' and 'Puntland' in the north of the country, the UN
stated. It has called for almost US $20 million in donor support to fund
phase one of the plan, through to the end of this year.
"Somalis have now moved from the struggle for survival to the struggle for peace. The UN and its partner aid agencies are reflecting this change in planning new initiatives. We want to be sure that the authorities in Somalia reap the peace dividend," Kent said.
While the United Nations could not become embroiled in the politics of the Somali people, it did hope the 'First Steps' plan would provide "an incentive for peace" by expanding its support to those administrations in Somalia that could provide the "operational space" required by humanitarian agencies, a UN press release stated.
The key issue for the UN was to try to support developments that allow greater stability and access to vulnerable civilian populations, especially in southern Somalia, humanitarian sources told IRIN on Thursday. In parallel, at an operational level, it needed to underpin processes - such as peace-building - by which the Somali people could begin the work of putting the country back together. The significance of the UN plan was that it sought to push forward thinking on, planning for and support of peace and reconciliation efforts in Somalia, regardless of the success or failure of the transitional government, they added.
The humanitarian dividend in areas of peace and stability could already be seen in the supply of clean water, health facilities and support to agriculture and livestock, among other sectors, according to the UN statement. The organisation was now gearing up to harness Somali and international expertise to provide a wide range of assistance for strengthening the judiciary, law enforcement and demobilisation, as well as setting up a civil service commission and helping with taxation, budgeting, urban planning and administration, it said.
Donors have been taking a wait-and-see approach to the Transitional National Government (TNG), with many waiting to see when and how the authority starts exerting "effective control" in Somalia, according to humanitarian sources. Yet the TNG was beginning to take on some measure of international recognition - notwithstanding divisions among donor countries on where they stood - and the UN was hopeful of getting some response, at least for the initial phase of the new plan, an official told IRIN.
Phase two, running through 2001, would cover medium-term transitional planning, including rehabilitation and continued governance support. If the necessary conditions for peace and stability prevailed, a third phase would involve UN agencies planning with Somali counterparts and international partners, such as the World Bank and the IMF, to develop longer-term development goals for Somalia, according to 'First Steps'.
In essence, 'First Steps' was about being ready to deliver humanitarian assistance to areas of Somalia which might become peaceful and stable, UN Somalia Information Officer Sonya Laurence Green told IRIN on Thursday. "Wherever peace and stability can be established, we want to be there because the UN is interested in helping vulnerable Somalis wherever they may be," she added.
[for more details on the plan, go to 'Policy Documents' at www.unsomalia.org]
[ENDS]
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