STORY: On South West State visit, UN envoy to Somalia

flags need for “good relations” between federal member

states and federal government
TRT: 02:21
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 18/JULY/2019, BAIDOA, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide drone establishing shot, Baidoa, Somalia

2. Wide shot, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative (SRSG) for Somalia
James Swan is welcomed by AMISOM troops in Baidoa
3. Wide shot, SRSG for Somalia in a meeting with AMISOM officials in Baidoa
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) James Swan, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Somalia
“Part of the reason that I’m here is to help strengthen our collaboration regarding
political, capacity-building and humanitarian activities, in addition to economic
development and state-building efforts.”

5. Shot, SRSG for Somalia is welcomed by President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed

‘Laftagareen’ at the regional State House
6. Wide shot, SRSG for Somalia with President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed
‘Laftagareen’ and his cabinet holding discussions
7. Close up shot, President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed ‘Laftagareen’ and his cabinet
at the consultative meeting in Baidoa
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) James Swan, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Somalia
“I do not want to leave this occasion before the media without also underscoring a
wider message that I have delivered in every one of my visits, to the Federal
Member States; that is the message on the need for good relations between federal
member states like South West State and the federal government. This kind of
relationship between the center and the FMSs [Federal Member States] is absolutely
vital for delivering services and good government to the Somali people and it’s a
message that I have conveyed in Mogadishu and in all of the FMSs that I have
visited.”

9. Med shot, SRSG for Somalia, James Swan, with President Abdiaziz Hassan
Mohamed ‘Laftagareen’ holding discussions
10. Wide shot, SRSG for Somalia during the tree planting session at the UN camp in
Baidoa

On South West State visit, UN envoy to Somalia flags need for “good relations”
between federal member states and federal government

Baidoa, July 18 2019 – On his first visit to South West State since taking office, the
new United Nations envoy to Somalia emphasized the importance of “good
relations” between Federal Member States and the Federal Government.

“I don’t want to leave this occasion without underscoring a message that I have
delivered in every one of my visits, and that is the message on the need for good
relations between federal member states like South West State and the federal
government,” the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James
Swan, said in a joint media encounter in the state’s capital, Baidoa.

“This kind of relationship between the center and the FMSs [Federal Member States]
is absolutely vital for delivering services and good government to the Somali people
and it’s a message I have conveyed in Mogadishu and in all the FMSs that I have
visited,” he added.

The UN official’s remarks followed meetings with South West State’s President
Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed ‘Laftagareen’ and members of his cabinet.

Addressing journalists in the same media encounter, President Laftagareen said their
discussions focused on security, humanitarian assistance and the political situation in
the region.

“We had constructive discussions with the Special Representative James Swan,”
President Laftagareen said. “He pledged the continued support of the UN to the
region and upscaling of the humanitarian and development programs for the benefit
of the people of South West State.”

Supporting South West State

In his remarks, the UN Special Representative reiterated the world body’s
commitment to supporting South West State.

“Part of the reason I’m here is to help strengthen our collaboration regarding
political, capacity building and humanitarian activities in addition to economic
development and state building efforts,” Mr. Swan said.

Baidoa hosts the second largest number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in
Somalia after Mogadishu. IDP figures reached 329,000 in January this year, putting a
heavy strain on the town’s capacity to host and provide critical services.

“We also want to tell and assure the people of South West State that the UN family
is striving to respond to the needs of South West people so that we can have a real
positive impact in addressing the multiple challenges the state faces,” Mr. Swan
noted.

The United Nations is implementing a wide range of activities in South West State.
They include the construction and rehabilitation of centres for former members of
violent extremist groups, helping the regional administration address demands
caused by internally displaced persons and supporting the African Union Mission in
Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali security forces to improve security in the region.

De-mining, AMISOM and UK support

While in Baidoa, the UN envoy also saw first-hand some of the de-mining training
provided by the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to AMISOM troops based in South
West State, and met with senior AMISOM officials and members of the United
Kingdom’s Somali National Army Support Team.

Mr. Swan has been visiting Somalia’s Federal Member States since taking up his post
in late June. Today’s visit follows trips to Puntland, Jubaland and Hirshabelle.

He was accompanied to Baidoa by senior officials from the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) and UNMAS –Takeshi Moriyama, Dyane Epstein and Qurat-Ul-Ain Sadozai,
respectively.