[Title] Statement by H.E. Mr. Koichiro Gemba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, at the Mini-Summit on Somalia United Nations Headquarters

Mr. Chairperson, His Excellency, Mr. Ban-Kimoon, Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to express my sincere respect for the initiative of His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in hosting this Mini-Summit Meeting on Somalia, as well as for the efforts through which the United Nations has been engaged in Somalia's issues thus far. Allow me to also express my sincere congratulations to Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, for being newly elected as the President of Somalia.

The past two months have seen tremendous achievements with the adoption of the new provisional constitution, the inauguration of the new Federal Parliament and the election of a new President. It is of great delight to see a unified Somali government to be formed for the first time in the last 21 years. The steady progress seen on Somalia's security situation was made possible by the great contributions of AU Somalia Mission (AMISOM) and noble sacrifices of A MISOM troops. Japan highly appreciates this achievement as the result of efforts made by Somalia, African countries, IGAD and AU as well as support from the international community.

In order not to let this historical opportunity slip away and bring forth a bright future for Somalia, the Government and the people of Somalia's own self-help as well as continued support of the international community is essential. I hope to see the Somali government to develop and implement a Somali-led Action Plan for nation building and to cooperate with the international community so that the Somali people will benefit from the dividend of peace. I would also like to emphasize the importance of countries and organizations involved to continue cooperating to improve the security situation in Somalia which is the fundamental premise for a mid to long term development.

Since 2007, Japan has contributed a total of approximately 229.1 million USD mainly in the security sector and humanitarian assistance including improvement of infrastructure. In the security sector, Japan has been supporting the Somali Police Force by providing necessary equipments and salaries for approximately 5000 police officers as well as capacity building. Japan will continue to actively participate in the discussions and provide necessary support to Somalia's nation building including improvement of the security situation.

In addition to the above, Japan, concerned over the situation of Somali youth affected by conflict, armed groups and piracy, has decided to provide a total of 6 million USD through the UNDP for rehabilitation and reintegration of these youth.

Mr. Chairperson,

In June 2013, Japan, with the cooperation of the UN, UNDP, the World Bank and AU as co-organizers, will host the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, the TICAD V, with the presence of African heads of states and key international partners. One of the main topics of the TICAD V will be "Peace and Stability", which is the foundation for development not only for Africa but for the world. Peace and stability of Somalia is the key for the prosperity of the Horn of Africa region as well as for combating terrorism and piracy off the coast of Somalia which imposes great security threat to the world. From this viewpoint, Somalia will be among the key issues to be discussed at the TICAD V under the "Peace and Security" section.

Our Somali friends have overcome 21 years of long struggle and I trust the future of Somalia will be a promising one.

Mr. Chairperson,

I would like to reiterate that Japan will continue to work together with the United Nations and the international community to consolidate the foundation of peace and stability in Somalia.

Thank you for your kind attention.