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STORY: SOMALIA / JUBALAND SWAM VISIT
TRT: 04:22
SOURCE: UNSOM
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNSOM ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 27 JUNE 2024, KISMAYO, SOMALIA
1. Wide shot, Acting UN Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), James Swan, boarding plane
2. Med shot, Swan, writing down notes on board the flight to Kismayo
3. Aerial shot, terrain from the plane window
4. Wide shot, delegation arrives at Kismayo International Airport
5. Med shot, Swan, being received at the Kismayo International Airport
6. Close up, Swan, being received at the Kismayo International Airport
7. Wide shot, convoy departing the airport.
8. Wide shot, Somali and Jubaland State flags flown at the State House in Kismayo
9. Med shot, Somali and Jubaland State flags flown at the State House in Kismayo
10. Wide shot, State House building in Kismayo
11. Wide shot, Swan, being received by the President of the Jubaland State, Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed ‘Madobe,’ at State House
12. Wide shot, Swan, the President of the Jubaland State, Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed ‘Madobe,’ and other officials during the meeting
13. Med shot, senior officials present during the meeting
14. Close up, Swan, during the meeting
15. SOUNDBITE (English) James Swan, Acting UN Special Representative and Head of the UN
Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM):
“I’m very pleased to be here in Kismayo, in Jubaland. I have had the opportunity to have a telephone call with President Ahmed Islam previously and in fact, I have spoken with all the Federal Member States’ leaders by phone since my return. But it’s very nice to be back on the ground here in Kismayo, here in Jubaland. Of course, there are a number of important issues here in this federal member state that we addressed during the conversation, among them some critical issues in regard to the humanitarian situation and the need to ensure that there is a strong response by the United Nations and by others here in Jubaland.”
16. Med shot, President ‘Madobe’ and other senior officials during the meeting
17. Close up, President ‘Madobe’ during the meeting
18. SOUNDBITE (English) James Swan, Acting UN Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM):
“We’re very pleased to have Jubaland security forces, in close coordination with national forces, prepare to assume responsibility for sites that ATMIS will be vacating. This is extremely important not only for the security and well-being of the people here in Jubaland but also for the ability of the United Nations system organisations to respond to the urgent needs of the population and to reach those people. So, maintaining that security will be of primary importance and we are pleased to be able to work closely with the government in that regard.”
19. Wide shot, Swan, and President ‘Madobe’ bidding farewell after their meeting.
20. Med shot, Swan, heading to his vehicle
21. SOUNDBITE (English) James Swan, Acting UN Special Representative and Head of the UN
Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM):
“We seize this opportunity to discuss the importance, the value of continuing various state-building efforts, it’s so important to continue to engage the population around the democratic agenda, around election planning, around discussions of establishing district councils and local governance institutions. All these factors will help ensure that the voices of the Jubaland people are heard and that they can receive the kinds of services that they merit.”
22. Wide shot, UN and African Union personnel during a meeting with Swan
23. Med shot, UN personnel during the meeting
24. Wide shot, Swan, addressing UN and African Union personnel during a meeting
25. Med shot, Swan addressing UN and African Union personnel during a meeting
26. Wide shot, Swan, addressing UN and African Union personnel during a meeting
27. Med shot, Swan addressing the UN and African Union personnel during a meeting
28. SOUNDBITE (English) Mary Otieno, Country Representative ad Interim, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
“We cannot achieve the huge mandate of the UN and of the government of Somalia without us working together. And so that is my one big takeaway message. The other message is that the government is on board. They are working together, and we heard their concerns about security and how the UN also should really go into the newly liberated areas.”
29. SOUNDBITE (English) James Swan, Acting UN Special Representative and Head of the UN
Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM):
“We underscore first how much we appreciate the close collaboration and constructive partnership we have with the Jubaland authorities, with President Ahmed Islam and his team in working to respond to the needs of the Jubaland people. We also want to assure you that the United Nations system remains committed to working here in Jubaland across the full array of our mandates to help the people of this federal member state.”
30. Wide shot, Swan, departing Kismayo
Starting his initial round of in-person meetings with the leaders of Somalia’s Federal Members States, Acting UN Special Representative James Swan on Thursday (27 Jun) visited Jubaland where he met with President Ahmed Mohamed Islam ‘Madobe’ and his cabinet to discuss a range of local and national issues of importance.
“I’m very pleased to be to be in Kismayo, in Jubaland. I have had the opportunity to have a telephone call with President Islam previously, and, in fact, I've spoken with all the Federal Member States’ leaders,” Swan said at the end of his visit.
The evolving security environment was among the topics addressed during the meeting, with both parties highlighting the critical importance of preparing for the upcoming transition phase of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
“We are very pleased to see that Jubaland security forces, in close coordination with national forces, are preparing to assume responsibility for sites that ATMIS will be vacating,” the Acting UN Special Representative said.
This process, he added, was extremely important not only for the security and well-being of the people in Jubaland, but also for the ability of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to respond to the needs of the local population.
“We are all very much concerned with the recent outbreaks of cholera, acute watery diarrhea, and the need to ensure that there is a strong response. So, maintaining that security will be of primary importance. We're pleased to be able to work closely with the government in that position,” Swan said.
Other topics discussed included gains made in the state-building process, and the importance of continuing these efforts.
“It's so important to continue to engage the population around the democratic agenda, around elections planning, around discussions of establishing district councils and local governance institutions. All of these factors will help ensure that the voices of the Jubaland people are heard and that they can receive the kinds of services that they merit,” Swan added.
The Acting UN Special Representative was accompanied in this visit by representatives from some of the seven UN entities which are based in Jubaland, and which provide humanitarian and development support. Those accompanying him were Mary Otieno, the Country Representative ad interim of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); Charles Lolika, the Office-in-Charge of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); and Verenica Mutiro, the Deputy Head of Programme of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“We cannot achieve the huge mandates of the UN and of the government of Somalia without us working together,” Otieno said at the end of the meetings between the UN officials and Jubaland authorities.
“And so that is my one big takeaway message. The other message is that the government is on board. They are working together, and we heard their concerns of security and how the UN also should really go into the newly liberated,” she added.
The Acting UN Special Representative also welcomed the close collaboration and constructive partnership that that UN has with local authorities responding to the needs of the Jubaland people.
“We want to assure you that the United Nations system remains committed to working here in Jubaland across the full array of our mandates to help the people of this federal member state,” Swan said.
While in Kismayo, the Acting UN Special Representative also met with UN staff based there and with representatives of ATMIS.
James Swan was appointed to his position by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 14 May 2024. Upon his arrival in Mogadishu, Swan met with Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre. An experienced diplomat, Swan most recently served as Special Representative for Somalia and Head of UNSOM from 2019 to 2022.
