Explanation of Vote delivered by H.E. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, on behalf of the A3+, at Adoption of Security Council Resolution on Somalia

Madam President,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the A3+ Member States, namely Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia and my own country Guyana.

At the outset, the A3+ extends its congratulations to Denmark on its assumption of the Presidency of the Council for the month of March. We pledge our full support to your delegation in the execution of this important function.

Allow me to also express appreciation to the delegation of the United Kingdom for ably facilitating the negotiation of the resolution just adopted. The A3+ is grateful to all delegations for their constructive and valuable inputs throughout the process. As the Federal Government of Somalia continues its efforts to degrade the threat posed by Al-Shabaab to Somalia and the region, the support of the international community remains critical. We therefore welcome the unanimous support for resolution 2775.

Madam President,

The A3+ supported resolution 2775, which renewed the Al-Shabaab sanctions regime and extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts because we continue to ascribe importance to these elements in the fight against Al-Shabaab. Nonetheless, our position is that the Al-Shabaab sanctions regime should be comprehensively assessed to determine its fitness to support the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia in combatting the threat posed by Al-Shabaab, given the continuing evolution of the security situation in Somalia.
 
While we regret that our proposal to this end was not fully taken onboard, the A3+ engaged constructively on the text and welcome, in this regard, the mandate given to the Secretary-General to conduct a technical assessment of the arms embargo targeting Al-Shabaab, and to report to the Council on this by 1 November of this year. We also welcome the Council’s intention to review the appropriateness of the measures comprising the sanctions regime with a view to taking appropriate action as necessary, once the Secretary-General’s report is received. We urge the Council’s continued support and attention to the priorities identified by the Federal Government of Somalia during that review.

The A3+ underscores the importance of implementing measures to degrade the threat posed by Al- Shabaab. The Federal Government of Somalia continues to demonstrate its commitment to this end, and we acknowledge, in particular, the important role of Somalia’s Central Monitoring Department (CMD) in weapons and ammunition management. In this context, we urge Member States to enhance their compliance with existing sanctions measures and support the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia aimed at curbing the illicit flow of weapons to Al-Shabaab.

The A3+ acknowledges that degrading the threat posed by Al-Shabaab requires a multifaceted approach which includes disrupting the group’s finances and reducing the threat posed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). We commend the gains made by the Federal Government of Somalia in this regard and urge continued international collaboration and support to build on those gains.

Allow me to conclude, Madame President, by underscoring the commitment of the A3+ to working with all Council Members in the months ahead to examine the Al-Shabaab sanctions regime with a view to ensuring that it is effectively supporting the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia to combat the threat posed by Al-Shabaab.

I thank you.