United Nations Security Council Resolution 2245 – Somalia
Resolution 2245 (2015)
The Security Council,
Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia,
Taking note of the Secretary-General’s letter of 7 October 2015 covering United Nations support activities in Somalia (“the Secretary-General’s letter” S/2015/762),
Taking note of the African Union Peace and Security Council’s 18 September 2015 communiqué on UNSOA,
Noting with appreciation the positive contributions that the UN Support Office to AMISOM (UNSOA) has made to supporting the gains made by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), and underscoring that such contributions are evidence of a successful partnership between the United Nations, the African Union and Member States in Somalia,
Expressing further its gratitude to AMISOM and Somali National Army (SNA) personnel for the sacrifices which they have made in the fight against Al Shabaab,
Expressing concern at the Secretary-General’s finding that despite the innovation and best efforts of UNSOA, its resources and resultant capacities have not been able to keep pace with the dramatic expansion of the requested logistical support and that there is a progressively widening gap between the logistical support UNSOA is requested to deliver and its capacity to deliver,
Welcoming the observations and recommendations of the Secretary-General to address gaps in UNSOA’s ability to deliver, and further welcoming the steps already being taken and urging their full implementation as a matter of urgency,
- Emphasizes the role and impact of a responsive, effective, efficient and responsible field support platform as a strategic enabler in Somalia, and in view of the expansion of UNSOA’s mission since its establishment in 2009, decides that UNSOA shall bear the name of the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) (and which will be responsible for support to AMISOM, UNSOM and the Somali National Army on joint operations with AMISOM);
2. Welcomes the Secretary-General’s assessment that UNSOS should consolidate and prioritise its efforts in line with the Security Council’s strategic objectives in Somalia, and in that context and on an exceptional basis and owing to the unique character of AMISOM, requests that the Secretary-General continue to provide, under the Department of Field Support, logistical support primarily to a maximum of 22,126 uniformed personnel in AMISOM and 70 AMISOM civilians, the SNA on joint operations with AMISOM, and UNSOM as follows:
AMISOM
(b) The reimbursement of contingent owned equipment, considered owned by the Troop Contributing Country, in line with United Nations rates and practices including through Letters of Assist, with the understanding that eligible equipment shall be limited to equipment jointly recognized as required by the African Union, the United Nations and the TCC and be subject to periodic reviews by UNSOS to ensure full operational capability and that the equipment is fit for purpose;
(c) The reimbursement of basic and essential supplies and services required to allow AMISOM contingents to sustain themselves, taking into account the operational tempo of AMISOM’s operations and other relevant factors, and including catering equipment and training to ensure safe preparation of rations, VHF/UHF, HF, telephone and TETRA communications; sanitary and cleaning materials; furniture and stationery; and tactical tentage, decides that reimbursements will be limited to these categories, be in line with United Nations standards, rates and practices and subject to periodic reviews by UNSOS to ensure full provision, and further decides that where a TCC is unable to provide the necessary sustainment required by the United Nations and the African Union in the categories above, limited support in lieu of reimbursement will be provided to ensure basic and minimum standards;
(d) Support the efforts of the African Union and AMISOM in the coordination of support to AMISOM among bilateral partners and the United Nations and maintenance of, and quarterly reporting to the Council as well as donors on, a United Nations Trust Fund to provide financial support to AMISOM;
UNSOM
Somali Federal Security Institutions
(g) The provision on an exceptional and cost recovery basis of in-theatre medical evacuation for the Somali National Police Force on joint operations with AMISOM and where they are a part of AMISOM’s overall strategic concept, for casualties sustained in the line of duty and in areas of operation where similar support is provided to AMISOM and the Somali National Army;
3. Emphasizes that any support provided by UNSOS to AMISOM, the Somali National Army and, in the context of paragraph 2g above, the Somali National Police Force shall be in full compliance with the Secretary-General’s Human Rights Due Diligence Policy under the overall responsibility of the SRSG, who shall work in close coordination with the Special Representative of the of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia (“the AMISOM SRCC”);
4. Welcomes the Secretary-General’s intention to address and streamline administrative and procurement processes, including recruitment, in UNSOS, underlines the importance of UNSOS being able to respond swiftly to the operational demands in Somalia, agrees with the Secretary-General on the need to strengthen the leadership functions within UNSOS, agrees that UNSOS leadership should be Mogadishu-based, and in this context decides that the Head of UNSOS shall report to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on the delivery of UNSOS’ mandate set out above, and through the SRSG to the Security Council, and stresses that the Head of UNSOS should have separate quantifiable compacts with both the Head of UNSOM for the delivery of support to UNSOM and the AMISOM SRCC for the delivery of support to AMISOM;
5. Requests the Secretary-General to continue efforts to support the African Union through advice and guidance on the implementation of a system to address allegations of misconduct, including sexual exploitation and abuse;
6. Further requests the Secretary-General to consider the environmental impact of the UN fulfilling its mandated tasks, including carrying out an environmental baseline study and regular environmental impact assessments of the operations of UNSOM and UNSOS;
7. Further requests the Secretary-General to support the African Union in the development of its environmental policies in Somalia and their implementation in AMISOM through the provision of mentoring and guidance;
8. Underlines the need to ensure full transparency and proper accountability for resources provided, including those made available through the SNA trust fund, and in this context, requests the Secretary-General to ensure a robust internal control framework is in place and regular financial and substantive reporting on the SNA trust fund through the SRSG is provided to the Council as well as to donors;
9. Recognizes the unique nature of UNSOS’ mission, welcomes the Secretary-General’s intention to strengthen the joint senior leadership decision -making framework between UNSOM and AMISOM and ensure operational efforts are aligned with a common set of strategic priorities, and requests the Secretary-General to include progress made in establishing this framework in his reports on Somalia to the Security Council;
10. Reiterates that the sustainable delivery of logistical support remains a joint responsibility between the United Nations and the African Union, recognises that the current logistical arrangements as noted in paragraphs 41 and 42 the Secretary-General’s letter are unsustainable, and requests AMISOM and the SNA to ensure that they give the utmost priority to securing key supply routes essential to improve the humanitarian situation in the most affected areas, and as a critical condition for logistical support to AMISOM;
11. Renews its call to the AU to expedite the deployment of AMISOM force enablers and multipliers as provided for in paragraph 6 of resolution 2036 (2012), and as called for in resolution 2124 (2013), as well as addressing critical logistical gaps within AMISOM TCCs, and calls on Member States to support the efforts of the AU in mobilising such equipment urgently;
12. Encourages Member States to support AMISOM through the provision of assistance to the AU and AMISOM TCCs of financial support for the payment of troop stipends, training, technical assistance and the provision of ammunition (in accordance with the relevant exemption from the arms embargo in Somalia), as well as through uncaveated financial contributions to the AMISOM Trust Fund;
13. Requests the Secretary-General to work closely with the AU in improving the performance of AMISOM through the delivery of the AMISOM support package as well as support the African Union in the form of technical and expert advice in its coordination efforts and within the areas of UNSOS mandate;
14. Welcomes the intention of Member States to provide uniformed personnel as well as government provided personnel to UNSOS in support of the delivery of its mandated tasks, and looks forward to further details on their deployment;
15. Recalls the recommendations of the Secretary General in relation to the provision of a non-lethal support package to the Somali National Police Force and extension of the non-lethal support package for the Somali National Army to Puntland security forces, notes the Secretary-General’s assessment that this support should be provided by entities other than UNSOS, and requests the Secretary-General to keep the Council informed of progress to identify a suitable entity to provide this support;
16. Decides to keep UNSOS’ mandate under review in line with that of AMISOM, and in that context, decides to review and take any action to renew or revise the provisions set out in paragraph 2 above before 30 May 2016;
17. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council in detail on the implementation of this resolution, and specifically on any challenges faced by UNSOS in carrying out its mandate as part of Secretary-General’s regular reports on Somalia;
18. Decides to remain seized of the matter.
Adopted by the Security Council at its 7551st meeting, on 9 November 2015.
