There has been a tragedy in the waters unfolding on the Mediterranean Sea, that many believed to be people from my country and neighboring countries. If all the reports are confirmed, this may be the worst tragedy since the migration crisis. We must make every effort to recover the bodies those we perished and care for those we survived. I acknowledge the efforts made by many nations to safeguard and care for migrants and refugees escaping their home nations because of the misfortune of insecurity and hopelessness.
We request from the governments in the region and others who have capacity to investigate the crimes that have been committed in order to lure these young people to unsafe journeys across the oceans.
The pain, misery and misfortune of illegal migration and its painful physical and mental cost for all concerned will only end when we have peace, stability and real inclusive economic development in source countries.
Let me thank the Council for its long-standing support for peace, stability and development in Somalia.
It is almost four years since the appointment of my government. Four years since Somalia emerged from two decades of war, two decades without a functioning government in place, two decades without schools, hospitals or any form of public service.
In Brussels in late 2013, I made a pledge on behalf of Somalia to pursue peace and prosperity. This pledge had been central to my original Six Pillar Policy which provided a foundation for the subsequent New Deal Compact for Somalia.
At the heart of my Brussels pledge lay the pursuit of three imperative items: a secure Somalia, a democratic Somalia and a progressive and prosperous Somalia.
In 2013, the Somali Government agreed to pursue the political transformation of the nation by drafting and agreeing a Federal Constitution, adopting a federal model of governance and holding democratic nation-wide elections by September 2016.
Side by side with the necessary political transformation, we needed to build a secure Somalia. Our national armed forces were decimated. Our soldiers, our police, our security personnel had no formal training, no capacity building, and no payment for almost 22 years. Al Shabaab had emerged from the conflict, taking advantage of a non-existent state, and began its terror campaign in Somalia and neighbouring countries.
Security must provide the conditions for development to flourish. And Somalia needed development desperately. We had lost two generations of people who had not ever been able to go to school. There were no jobs, no public services and very little hope.