{{The UN said it stands ready to play a central role in supporting Somalia’s peace-building process.}}
Assistant Secretary-General of the UN for Peace building Support Judy Cheng-Hopkins paid a courtesy call to Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed on Monday and promised to continue supporting peace and stability in the Horn of Africa nation.
She was accompanied by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay.
“The Peace building Fund will assist the federal government in a timely, flexible and pragmatic way to sustain momentum of its state- and peace-building efforts under the Somalia New Deal Compact,” she said.
“The Fund is designed to help especially women, children, youth, disadvantaged groups, minorities and those who bore the brunt of the protracted conflict.”
The Fund was set up in 2006 following a request from the General Assembly and the Security Council to support peace building efforts in countries emerging from conflict or political crisis.
The UN Secretary-General declared that Somalia would be eligible to access the fund in December 2013.
In March, Mr Kay welcomed the development made by the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) and the Somali National Army in taking over almost ten districts from the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab.
He announced the allocation of $3 million from the UN Peace-building Fund to support the stabilisation efforts in the newly recovered areas in south central Somalia.
Mr Ahmed on his part told the high powered UN delegation that his government was focusing on reconciliation, peace building, finalisation of the constitution and federalisation.
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