UN urges new Somalia cabinet to tackle challenges

The UN envoy in Somalia on Friday lauded the parliamentary approval of the new cabinet and called on ministers to move swiftly to tackle myriad challenges facing the Horn of Africa nation.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia Michael Keating said the new cabinet contains a healthy mix of experienced leaders and relative newcomers to the political stage which is ready to get into action.

"The parliamentary approval was a bright green light. The challenges ahead, including drought, insecurity and corruption, are enormous," Keating said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

The newly installed 27 cabinet ministers which include six women, the largest number of female ministers ever to be named to a federal government cabinet, was approved by Parliament on Wednesday.

Keating said the number of women represented another positive step towards empowering Somali women in the political affairs of their country.

Some 24 percent of the seats in Somalia's tenth parliament were occupied by women during the recently concluded electoral process.

The UN envoy also noted with approval the Federal Government's blueprint spelled out by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire just prior to the parliamentary vote on the cabinet.

Khaire had underlined the need to eradicate poverty, build up Somalia's security services in order to eliminate the scourge of terrorism, and expedite the constitutional review process that will lay the foundations for the holding of one-person, one-vote elections in 2020.

Keating said the UN will work with Somalia's international partners to support the government's efforts to deliver tangible outcomes on these priorities.

"The UN and international partners look forward to working closely and fruitfully with the president, the PM and the new cabinet as they tackle the many political, economic, security and humanitarian tasks facing Somalia today," Keating said. Endit