By Tommy Hansen
COPENHAGEN
Fifty-six international delegations comprised of more than 300 people have gathered in Copenhagen to review progress on the New Deal Somali Compact aimed at building reconciliation in the beleaguered North African state.
The High Level Partnership Forum Copenhagen (HLPF Copenhagen) meeting in the Danish capital aims to maintain the momentum in the political transition process in Somalia, with a view to fostering dialogue and reconciliation in the country, officials said on Thursday.
Co-chaired by His Eminence Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of the Federal Government of Somalia, and the United Nations and hosted by the Danish government, conference delegates reviewed progress made since the Brussels Conference in September 2013, where the New Deal Somali Compact was endorsed.
Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said in a statement: "We wish to state clearly that the international society is ready to help Somalia, but also that we demand certain standards from the Somali government.
"We owe that to the people of Somalia; we need reconciliation, stability and results."
- 'Political crisis'
He also told the Danish national news agency Ritzau that some of the main issues at the meeting involved defeating corruption and promoting human rights in Somalia.
"Right now, unfortunately, there's a political crisis in the country, and we are pointing out to the political leadership in Mogadishu the need of unification and establishing a plan for obtaining political stability," he said.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: "... Somalia has taken important steps to implement the commitments it has made to its people and to the international community.
"But, to maintain this momentum, Somalia’s leaders must resolve their current differences and work to ensure Somalia has a stable and more peaceful future."
Also present at the two-day conference which ended on Thursday was the Danish Minister of Trade and Development, Mogens Jensen, who visited Somalia in August this year.
- 'High risks'
Jensen said: "The Danish commitment in and around Somalia for the last two decades has given good results.
"In corporation with the Somali government, civil societies, the U.N. and the African Union, we have been working on transforming a failed state with civil wars, extreme poverty, fugitives, piracy and terror into a peaceful area. Our engagement in Somalia involves high political, security and financial risks."
He added: “Somalia is facing immense political, security and humanitarian challenges.
"For over 20 years, the country has suffered from civil war, famine, epidemics, refugee flows, piracy and terrorism."
Somalia's eight-year political transition ended in August 2012, with the handover of power from the leadership of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to a new Federal Government; The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS).
The TFG was established in 2004 through various international conferences, attempting to restore national institutions to the country after the 1991 collapse of the Siad Barre regime and the ensuing Somali Civil War.
Elections are due in Somalia in 2016.
Denmark contributes 200 million Danish kroner ($33 million) annually to development and stabilization efforts in Somalia.
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