Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia, warned that respect for international law is becoming increasingly selective, multilateral cooperation is weakening and uncertainty “has become the new normal”.
With progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 standing at just 36 per cent, he stressed that trust in the United Nations “will not be restored through declarations alone”, but when institutions act consistently, uphold international law and deliver tangible results.
“Let us move beyond promises and towards performance,” he urged. “Let us invest not only in managing crises, but also in preventing them,” and build a United Nations that “delivers better for all humanity”.
Calling for a more representative, transparent and effective Security Council, he stressed that Africa remains unrepresented in the permanent category and underrepresented in the non-permanent category.
“This historical injustice against 54 sovereign States cannot be postponed indefinitely,” he said, reaffirming Somalia’s support for the Common African Position.
Turning to UN operations, he called for “a more accountable, strategic and result-oriented partnership” that reinforces rather than replaces national leadership.
The long-standing assumption in UN development policy that countries like Somalia lack capacity must be permanently consigned to “the dustbin of history”, where it belongs, he stressed, stating: “We now have capable people, institutions and policies that are proudly guiding our national transformation.”
On Somalia’s political transition, he recalled that the country’s last election through universal suffrage was held in 1969.
“Today, we are determined to change that history,” he said, highlighting constitutional reform aimed at establishing universal suffrage, accountable institutions and a multiparty political system.
Somalia’s goal is an effective democracy “where differences are resolved through dialogue, law and elections, not violence”.
Turning to security, he said Somalia remains on the front line of the fight against international terrorism and called for predictable and sustainable support for its security transition, including adequate financing for the African Union Mission in Somalia.
