STORY: Learning first-hand of peace and political

participation challenges, UN envoy to African Union wraps

up first visit to Somalia
TRT: 3:41
SOURCE: UNSOM STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AND
PUBLIC AFFAIRS GROUP
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 5/DECEMBER/2019, MOGADISHU, JOWHAR, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

MOGADISHU:
1. Wide shot, a plane carrying the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative to
the African Union, Hanna S. Tetteh, taxis at Aden Abdulle International Airport
2. Med shot, Hanna S. Tetteh getting off the plane
3. Wide shot, Hanna S. Tetteh is received by Maj. Gen. Fidza Dludlu, the AMISOM
Head of Mission Support
3. Med shot, Hanna S. Tetteh in a meeting with Maj. Gen. Dludlu
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hanna S. Tetteh, UN Secretary-General’s Special
Representative to the African Union
“We have a unique situation in that this is an African-led peace enforcement mission
[AMISOM], and then we have a United Nations support mission, UNSOM, and a
logistics support mission, UNSOS, that is working with AMISOM, in order to create
favourable conditions for state-building here in Somalia.”

5. Med shot, Hanna S. Tetteh greeting guests

6. Wide shot, Hanna S. Tetteh meeting senior officials of AMISOM, UNSOM,
Ambassadors from Troop Contributing Countries and international partners
7. Med shot, representatives of international partner agencies, take notes
8. Close up shot, UN envoy to Somalia, James Swan speaking during the meeting
9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hanna S. Tetteh, UN Secretary-General’s Special
Representative to the African Union
“Essentially what the two organisations have committed to do, is to work together to
be able to address the peace and security challenges on the continent with a focus
on preventive diplomacy but also dealing with the various stages of the conflict cycle
where necessary.”

JOWHAR:

10. Wide shot, Jowhar town

11. Med shot, Jowhar town
12. Wide shot, Hanna S. Tetteh in a meeting with the President of Hirshabelle State,
Mohamed Abdi Waare, UN envoy to Somalia, James Swan, the Head of AMISOM,
Ambassador Francisco Madeira and senior officials of Hirshabelle State and AMISOM
13. Med shot, UN envoy to Somalia, James Swan, the Head of AMISOM, Ambassador
Francisco Madeira during the meeting
14. Med shot, President Mohamed Abdi Waare speaking during the meeting
15. Wide shot, Hanna S. Tetteh in a meeting with senior AMISOM military and Police
officers
16. Close up shot, Hanna S. Tetteh speaking during the meeting
17. Wide shot, Hanna S. Tetteh in a meeting with senior AMISOM military and Police
officers
18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hanna S. Tetteh, UN Secretary-General’s Special
Representative to the African Union
“I believe that this will very much help my work and would give a better
understanding of what my colleagues in the UNOAU who support the African Union
peace operations department in their work with AMISOM have to deal as challenges
– though I admit that there is very much more to learn and I look forward to being
able to make the trip again.”

MOGADISHU:

19. Wide shot, street shots

20. Wide shot, Somalia’s Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Isse Awad
welcomes Hanna S. Tetteh and UN envoy to Somalia, James Swan, at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs premises
21. Med shot, Hanna S. Tetteh during a meeting with the Somali Federal Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Isse Awad
22. Wide shot, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building
23. Med shot, Hanna S. Tetteh during a meeting with the Speaker of the Federal
House of the People (Lower House of Parliament), Mohamed Mursal Sheikh
Abdirahman
24. Close up shot, Hanna S. Tetteh speaking during the meeting
25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hanna S. Tetteh, UN Secretary-General’s Special
Representative to the African Union
“Across the African continent there is inadequate representation of women at all
levels of government, but most especially in the legislature, where participation
depends on being successful in an election and given the fact that a majority of the
Somali population are women – indeed it is hoped that as they discuss legislative
reform, there will be great opportunities for Somali women to participate in the
governance process, to participate in the state-building process, and to help build
the future that the country see’s for itself.”

26. Wide shot, Hanna S. Tetteh meeting in the country's capital with female
Members of Parliament
27. Med shot, Hanna S. Tetteh meeting in the country's capital with female Members
of Parliament
28. Med shot, Hanna S. Tetteh talking to a female Member of Parliament
29. Close up shot, Somalia national flag

STORY:

Mogadishu, 5 December 2019 – Wrapping up her first visit to Somalia, a senior

United Nations official charged with the world body's relations with the African
Union (AU) today highlighted the “unique situation” the country finds itself in regard
to its efforts to improve security.

“We have a unique situation in that this is an African-led peace enforcement mission
[AMISOM], and then we have a United Nations support mission, UNSOM, and a
logistics support mission, UNSOS, that is working with AMISOM, in order to create
favourable conditions for state-building here in Somalia,” said the UN Secretary-
General’s Special Representative to the African Union, Hanna S. Tetteh, who also
serves as the Head of the UN Office to the African Union (UNOAU), at the end of a
three-day visit to the country.

In April 2017, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and AU Commission

Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat signed a framework agreement for cooperation
and partnership on peace and security. Essentially, the agreement committed the
UN and AU to work together to address the continent's peace and security
challenges, with a focus on preventative diplomacy but also dealing with the various
stages of conflict cycles, where necessary.
In the case of the Horn of Africa country, the AU has deployed a regional
peacekeeping mission, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), with the
approval of the UN. AMISOM is to gradually hand over security responsibilities to
Somali security forces, contingent on their abilities along with political and security
progress in Somalia, efforts which are supported by the UN Assistance Mission in
Somalia (UMSOM). AMISOM receives logistical field support from the UN Support
Office in Somalia (UNSOS).

“Since I assumed office… I had not had the opportunity to visit Somalia to have a
sense of how this actually is working in practice,” Ms. Tetteh continued, noting that
the visit had provided an “opportunity to understand the challenges both the UN
and the AU are facing in Somalia and the efforts that are being made to address
those challenges.”

Range of meetings

In addition to meeting the heads of UNSOS and UNSOM – Lisa Filipetto and James
Swan, respectively – the visiting UN official met with Somalia’s Foreign Affairs
Minister, Ahmed Isse Awad, and the Speaker of the House of the People, Mohamed
Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman.

She also met the head of Hirshabelle state, President Mohamed Abdi Waare,
members of his cabinet and the deputy speakers of parliament during a visit to that
Federal Member State’s capital, Jowhar, yesterday. Ms. Tetteh also held meetings
with AMISOM’s leadership, including the AU Commission Chairperson’s Special
Representative, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, as well as ambassadors
representing the countries which contribute troops to AMISOM.

“I believe that this will very much help my work and would give a better
understanding of what my colleagues in the UNOAU who support the African Union
peace operations department in their work with AMISOM have to deal as challenges
– though I admit that there is very much more to learn and I look forward to being
able to make the trip again,” Ms. Tetteh said.
‘Eye-opening session’

Of particular note for the visiting UN official was her meeting in the country's capital
with female members of parliament – a role she could relate to in light of her
experience as a parliamentarian in her native Ghana, and which she described as an
“eye-opening session” after hearing about the challenges they faced.

“Across the African continent there is inadequate representation of women at all

levels of government, but most especially in the legislature, where participation
depends on being successful in an election and given the fact that a majority of the
Somali population are women – indeed it is hoped that as they discuss legislative
reform, there will be great opportunities for Somali women to participate in the
governance process, to participate in the state-building process, and to help build
the future that the country see’s for itself.”

ENDS