This week, as part the UK’s Presidency of the G8, Foreign Ministers will meet to discuss the need to encourage the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to re-engage in Somalia. The G8 countries are some of the largest shareholders in both the World Bank and the IMF. As a result, the UK is using its Presidency of the G8 to propose that G8 countries support two things.

Firstly, in the short-term, to support the steps needed for IFIs to re-engage with Somalia; and secondly, to support a longer-term process leading eventually to arrears clearance (Somalia is approximately £459 million in arrears, with a total external debt of over £2 billion) and full engagement of the IFIs with Somalia.

With one of the lowest levels of GDP per capita in the world, Somalia needs to create a stronger economy and more sustainable growth in order to help improve both security and living standards. However, for twenty years, the conflict, instability and absence of a legitimate government in Mogadishu has meant that the International Financial Institutions (principally, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank) have been unable to provide any tangible, sustained support to Somalia.

Engagement by the IFIs is a key element in Somalia’s recovery from conflict and state collapse. Not only will this support build and grow the economy – creating more jobs and more opportunities for the Somalis – it will also support the foundations on which a successful and increasingly stable Somalia will be built.

In the short term, the active support of the IFIs can help stimulate the economy by bringing in vital technical expertise and advice, providing small-scale funding and support Somalia’s leaders strengthen their focus on economic governance, security and political stability. Once these building blocks are in place, the IFIs can, together with the Federal Government, put together a plan for longer-term engagement, bringing in full-scale technical expertise and financial support to deliver on the more ambitious projects that will help to rebuild Somalia.

However, the process is reciprocal. IFI re-engagement is contingent on the commitment of the Federal Government of Somalia continuing to make progress on strengthening transparency and accountability (both to Somalis and its partners) – key building blocks for Somalia’s future that will also be discussed at the Somalia Conference on 7th May in London

Re-engagement and support from the IFIs could help the Somali government strengthen their capacity to deliver on their priorities. G8 engagement on the IFIs in Somalia would set a high level of foreign policy, financial and political ambition that meshes entirely with the broader set of objectives for next month’s Somalia Conference in London.

This week the Foreign Ministers will also discuss preventing sexual violence in conflict, an issue that is unfortunately relevant to many countries, including Somalia. Under our Foreign Secretary’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, the UK has been working hard to push this issue up the international agenda because we believe more can and must be done to stop these acts occurring. We are looking for the G8 to endorse a new international protocol on the investigation and documentation of sexual violence in conflict to help improve the evidence base from which prosecutions for sexual violence in conflict can be drawn.

For Somalia we know this is a problem, and one the Government are keen to address. In the coming weeks we are looking forward to co-hosting a women’s event in Mogadishu with the Government of Somalia to discuss these and other issues that affect Women in Somalia today. The Prime Minister and the President have declared their strong stance on ending this violence and making the culture of impunity a thing of the past; the UK stands ready to support to see this desire become a reality.

 Although the processes will be   long, the UK is intent on pushing on the agenda’s now – and give Somalia the start it so desperately needs.

Last Thursday, the Federal Government of Somalia, together with the UK, hosted the latest meeting with a number of key international partners in Mogadishu. The location was significant.

This was the first time such a meeting had been held in Mogadishu since the Federal Government came to power last year. It was a real demonstration of the ‘paradigm shift’ in Somalia’s relationship with the international community that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called for since he was elected last September.

Importantly, the meeting was about more than just location. It also offered the chance to listen and discuss the Federal Government’s emerging plans to deliver on their priorities – priorities that the Government and its international partners, like the UK, believe will form the foundations on which a successful and increasingly stable Somalia will be built.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fauzia opened the meeting by setting out the political achievements and objectives of the new government. Representatives of the government then talked the international partners through their strategic vision for increasing security and the capabilities of Somali security forces; the plans for judicial reform and enhancing the role of police, as well as the progress being made in strengthening financial accountability, transparency and management.

These are all clear priorities of the Government’s Six Pillar Plan, and the key issues that the Somalia Conference in London on 7 May will focus on. They are signs of the progress being made by a Government that has been together for less than 4 months.

However, as was reiterated on several occasions during the course of the day, the Government’s ability to deliver is more likely to be successful if the international community commits and gets behind them in a coordinated way. So the challenge for the Somalia Conference is not simply one that rests with our Somali colleagues – but one that also demands that international partners improve their coordination, coherence and impact in Somalia.

On this, progress is also being made: new funding mechanisms are being discussed to support Somali authorities, including the Federal; Government, deliver; a new ‘aid architecture’ – how donors work together – is being elaborated.

As importantly, a new UN Security Council Resolution was recently passed in a clear signal of support to the new Somali Government and further evidence of international commitment to support the Somalia’s recovery from two decades of civil war. The new Resolution, UNSCR 2093, does four things: it extends AMISOM’s mandate for another year; it sets clear parameters for the future of the UN’s engagement in Somalia; it suspends some elements of the arms embargo on the government of Somalia for 12 months; and it introduces a number of monitoring and reporting mechanisms to allow the Security Council continued oversight of weapons flows and use in Somalia.

This Resolution also underlines the importance of AMISOM continuing for a further year in its vital work in helping free Somalis from the dark days of AL Shabaab. It also directly responds to the request to the UN family from President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud: support us and give us one door to knock on.

Resolution 2093, therefore, sets the scene for both: a new UN Mission based in Mogadishu, supporting Somali solutions to Somali issues.

Over the coming weeks, our aim – working in partnership with the Federal Government – is to drive forward this agenda, so that by the time we all gather in London 7 weeks from now, we have the basis for a real and strengthened partnership – not simply between the UK and the Federal Government, but between the international community and Somalia.

Teams from both governments are already working hard in Mogadishu, London and Nairobi, and I’m confident that – together – we will be ready. We’re on course to make the Conference on 7^th May a real success and fulfil the themes of opportunity, partnership and commitment that underpin this shared agenda.

If you want to find out more about the conference, including how you can join the debate, please do go to our new Somalia Conference website .

As ever, your comments and contributions will be very welcome.

International Women’s Day is a global opportunity to celebrate and promote the rights of women. It is a chance for all of us, men and women, to unite under a single, common aim – gender equality.

This is particularly pertinent in Somalia. Everyone in Somalia has suffered from decades of often unrelenting conflict. But Somalia’s collapse has had a disproportionate impact on the lives of women and girls, with Somalia often referred to as one of the worst countries in the world to be a woman.

I am often told that Somalia has been carried on the backs of women for the past twenty years; they provide much of the labour required for the family’s survival, and are often the main breadwinners and entrepreneurs. Somalia’s women have also played a key role in promoting and securing greater stability, bringing different factions together in efforts to stop the fighting – as at the Arta conference in Djibouti in 2000.

However, after decades of violence, and despite the recent political progress and the security improvements, Somalia’s women are facing another, largely untold, crisis: the alarming increase in sexual violence against women and girls. This has to stop. Women’s security – and that of the households and communities they build, support and protect – has to be prioritised.

The recent Appeal Court verdict exonerating a woman convicted in February of insulting the Government, after she alleged she had been raped by Government security forces, was welcome; but there is still a long way to go.

The Government of Somalia is taking some initial – and positive – steps to tackle this issue, including the Prime Minister’s recent announcement of a new human rights taskforce; and their plans to strengthen the police and justice system. Somali communities need stronger law enforcement and legal support; they also need stronger and more outspoken leadership from Somalia’s political, civic and religious leaders.

Preventing sexual violence, improving gender equality and strengthening the role of women in Somali society cannot be done overnight. It will take time, commitment and patience. Most importantly of all, perhaps, it will take leadership and courage, including from the international community.

The UK is committed to improving women’s rights in Somalia. As well as helping strengthen the police and judicial systems, we have also agreed with the Somali Government to develop pilot programmes under the Foreign Secretary’s Prevent Sexual Violence Initiative – an objective that will form a key part of the Somalia Conference in London on 7th May 2013.

Everything I have seen in Somalia has showed me that women must play a critical role in Somalia’s continued recovery. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, the UK is prepared to support Somalia’s women and children now and for the long-term, as we hope others will.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, I want to sign off this blog with a short extract from a poem by Liban Obsiye:

“While her brothers prepare to eat,
She is cooking their meal.
While her brothers are away playing,
She helps her mother.
She is a girl. A Somali girl.

While her husband is shouting and screaming,
She is teaching her children.
While her husband sleeps,
She is studying.
She is a wife. A Somali wife.

While the men fight,
She is making peace.
While the men disappear,
She is providing a living for her family.
She is a mother. A nation’s mother.”

In the lead up to International Women’s Day on Friday, we are featuring the stories of women who work for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as guest posts across the FCO bloggers’ network.

Jane Stevens and Tracey McLelland are a successful job sharing duo who are part of the communications team working on the upcoming London Conference on Somalia.

How do you follow up a stint leading the Foreign Office’s overseas communications efforts around London 2012 Olympic Games, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to highlight the best of Britain, working with our Embassies around the world?

By joining the FCO’s brand new Projects Task Force to work on Somalia.

We have worked as a job share partnership for the past two-and-a-half years, each working three days a week. The modern Foreign Office is really waking up to the possibilities of flexible working, and our previous job on the London 2012 campaign was a case in point.

Our Head of Team was a job share position, with other team members working from bases in our Embassies in Beijing, Cairo, Moscow, Pretoria and Mexico. But it worked, and worked well –so much so that the Guardian shortlisted our communications campaign for their 2012 Public Services Awards.

There is plenty of exciting work still going on to make the most of the London 2012 legacy – but for us, apart from the odd touch of nostalgia, 2012 is so last year!

And 2013 has brought the opportunity to join the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s newest department and be part of a new way of working.

The Projects Task Force brings together officers from various grades, currently over 70% of us are women. Most of us have varied working patterns – part time, unusual hours and some colleagues work remotely from other countries, as well as our jobshare.

It brings a flexible new resource to the FCO, allowing teams working on high priority policy areas or projects to bid for extra staff to help during particularly busy or critical times.

Which is how we now find ourselves leading the communications efforts around the Somalia Conference, to be co-hosted by the Governments of the UK and Somalia in London on 7 May. We have brought our communications skills with us, but learning about Africa and Somalia is a whole new world. We’re loving it so far.

We have built up a network with colleagues across Government with an interest in the conference; developed our communications strategy, researched audiences in Somalia, including learning about their preference for radio over press and the internet.

We have launched a conference website and even filmed the Somali President on his recent visit to the UK. All this happens while handing the issues back and forward between us every Monday and Thursday on our “handover” days.

Somalia, digital engagement and video conferences with colleagues in Nairobi one day, then after some time updating and getting things in order, it’s over to the other half of the partnership for a couple of days. The other goes back to the school run, housework and – this week – devising costumes for World Book Day celebrations!

Work-life balance can make for an eclectic mix.

• Follow @FCOHumanRights on Twitter #IWD #womensday
• Map showing UK government action to empower women across the globe.

A year ago, few predicted that Somalia would see such significant changes; yet 2012 saw some real progress in Somalia – including the end of the Transition; a new Parliament (with a significant number of new MPs); the election of a new, reform-minded Speaker and President and a desire for a different type of politics. Al Shabaab has been weakened, having lost the strategic locations of Baidoa and Kismayo, to add to the loss of Mogadishu in 2011. It has also seen renewed international support – from Somalia’s neighbours, the AU and, via the London and Istanbul conferences, the wider international community.

As we look forward, these changes offer better prospects for enhanced stability in Somalia than those seen in two decades. Somalia’s President has identified his preliminary priorities, which we support. Delivering on these will need strong Somali leadership and sustained international commitment. It’s not just about rebuilding Somalia’s state institutions, reversing the massive displacement or arresting the changing nature of Al Shabaab’s insurgency. It’s also about helping the government extend its authority; re-building trust; integrating militia into the national forces; and creating the right incentives for a national political process. This means supporting the new government to make progress in newly-recovered areas, to facilitate political reconciliation and foster greater collaboration with its neighbours; to transparently manage its own finances. At the heart of this agenda is showing that life can be – is – better now than previously or under Al Shabaab.

All this can be done – but it won’t be quick, nor can it be internationally-driven. As 2013 dawns, there are some clear priorities that – together – we can start to address.

Firstly, security. Al Shabaab is weakening, piracy currently in decline. To consolidate the territorial gains being made, AMISOM needs sustained support to deliver their mission; together with the Somali security forces, AMISOM now covers a significant proportion of the country. But, longer-term, AMISOM is unsustainable. Somalia needs its own security forces – credible, capable and accountable forces (army, police, coastguard), supporting a more effective judicial system in which Somalis have greater confidence.

Secondly, supporting the government to extend its reach and authority. It has a clear idea of what it wants to do: directing local stabilisation, facilitating political outreach, integrating militia, demonstrating to its people that they are better and more credible than the alternative. By demonstrating their commitment to financial transparency, the government can access support and assistance to control corruption, improve accountability, enhance its legitimacy and credibility – accessing financial assistance from major donors.

At the same, it’s clear that continued international support will be required. Recommendations on both the UN and AU missions will be presented and discussed in the next few weeks. We need to make sure the opportunities afforded by these two timely reviews are seized. Coordinated and coherent international leadership are vital to reinforce and assist Somalia’s own leadership. Both organisations have been at the forefront of international assistance over many years; as we move into this next, vital phase, we should make sure both help the new government deliver progress on the issues that matter.

This will inevitably mean greater prioritisation – on issues like security, justice, governance and public financial management. This, in turn, means greater collaboration and coordination among donors. We need to demonstrate we are prepared to make the shift that the President and our Somali partners are calling for – a greater presence; more direct engagement. The re-establishment of the British Embassy in Mogadishu in 2013 will be a tangible sign of the UK’s commitment.

Finally, we shouldn’t forget Somalia remains one of the world’s most challenging humanitarian contexts, both in terms of access and, most importantly, need. Over 2 million Somalis are acutely vulnerable; there are now three generations of Somalis in refugee camps outside the country. Improving the prospect for ordinary Somalis – basic assistance, the ability to return home, should they want – needs to be a yardstick by which we measure success.

As 2013 begins, many challenges exist; but so do the opportunities for a more stable future. Partnership, commitment, leadership; with the right resolve, the ambitions of all Somalis for a more peaceful, stable Somalia – one which the UK fully shares – could be within reach.

As ever, I’d welcome your thoughts. Once again, a very Happy New Year.

Earlier this year, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague MP, announced a new initiative to prevent sexual violence against women. It aims to strengthen international efforts and coordination to prevent and respond to sexual violence, to erode the existing culture of impunity, to increase the number of perpetrators brought to justice and to support states to build their own capacity to deal with this appalling crime. It is, in effect, a call to action and it will form a key part of the UK’s Presidency of the G8 in 2013.

Tackling sexual violence in conflict is central to conflict prevention and peace-building. The Foreign Secretary himself has said that ‘where there is no justice, the seeds of future grievance and conflict are sown’; and, as a result, stability and development are held back. It is for this reason that the UK wants to rally international action on preventing sexual violence and drive this issue up the global agenda. Despite the significant strides made in the past few decades in tackling impunity for international crimes and human rights violations, the obstacles to addressing sexual violence remains significant. Put simply, more needs to be done.

Nowhere does such an initiative matter more than in Somalia. After decades of violence, and despite the recent political progress and the security gains that we are witnessing, Somalia is facing another – largely untold – challenge: the alarming increase in the rape and sexual abuse of women and girls.

There are many stories of Al Shabaab fighters seizing women and girls, forcing them into marriage, subjecting many to sexual slavery. Yet it is also worth noting that these claims are not solely confined to Al Shabaab – there are allegations of similar crimes being perpetrated by armed groups, militia, even national and foreign armed forces. Yet few of these allegations are ever brought to court; even fewer of the perpetrators ever brought to justice.  Consequently, the survivors continue to suffer in silence: sexual violence has been ‘de-prioritised’; and as a result, women’s security – and that of the households and communities they build, support and protect – seen as less important.  We must shatter this culture of impunity.

Thousands of Somali women have been subject to sexual violence; many of them in camps, and many of them children. It is clear more – much more – needs to be done. Access, however, remains one of the biggest  constraints; it is often difficult for aid agencies and NGOs to access those women who most need assistance. But as Al Shabaab is pushed back in more areas, we have an opportunity to support and build on interventions aimed at preventing sexual violence and assisting the survivors.

Other requirements are also clear – we need to support efforts to build stronger law enforcement and legal support systems so that those women and children that have suffered these appalling crimes can seek justice; we need better information and correct targeting of resources; and we need stronger and more outspoken leadership from Somalia’s leaders – political, civic and religious – and the international community.

I am often told that Somalia has been carried on the backs of women for the past twenty years. Every Somali woman I have met in the past two years is testament to this claim; and everything I have seen clearly shows the role that women must play in Somalia’s future recovery and stability. The continued assault and abuse of women and girls needs to end; without this, Somalia’s recovery – a recovery that every Somali I meet in the street passionately wants – cannot really begin, let alone endure.

As the Foreign & Commonwealth Office marks 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, it’s time to break the silence.

SoS Justine Greening and Minister for Africa meet President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on a recent visit to Mogadishu.

So the final piece of the post-Transition jigsaw has finally fallen into place. Prime Minister Abdi Farah  Shirdon’s 10-person Council of Minister is now approved – overwhelmingly – by Parliament and with it, the final act of a two-month process to find Somalia’s new leaders.

Put before Parliament last week, their near-unanimous approval of the nominated Council was a further sign that both the Parliament and the new Executive are both committed to forging a new path. The new Council of Ministers is a mixture of old faces and a few new ones; a mixture of political experience and expertise drawn from further afield.

It shows that this new leadership is both sensitive of their own identity and sees the need for a delicate balance of political constituencies. The new cabinet has a number of unique and welcome features, not least its size and the universally-welcomed appointment of two women to senior positions, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and Social Services Development.

Like others, I have watched with considerable interest as the process has unfolded. I have been struck by a number of things.

Firstly, the time taken to get it right. This has been a lengthy process of negotiation and dialogue; an attempt to make sure that there is some balance of Somalia’s plethora of political interests in the appointments.

Secondly, the commitment to break with the past. A cabinet of only ten members is a brave and welcome innovation: giving greater focus to key priorities; and a greater sense of collective responsibility. And it is as a team that they should work.

Yet, I’m also aware that the challenges they face are daunting: a fragile set of institutions; a depleted and insufficient bureaucracy; where a significant proportion of Somalia’s human resources are outside the country; continued insecurity and instability; incentives that drive corruption and misappropriation. When set against the almost sky-high levels of expectations, the challenges are even more acute.

Tackling the continued threat posed by Al Shabaab remains key. Having lost Mogadishu, Baidoa and Kismayo in the past twelve months or so, Al Shabaab is down. They no longer hold as much territory or represent the same political force they once did. But it would be a mistake to count them out.

Insurgency-style tactics, from IEDs to suicide attacks, are evidence of Al Shabaab’s changing strategy, but also their increasing disregard for the safety and security that Somalis so passionately desire.

At the same time, it will be vital that the new government is able to show it can enable changes to ordinary people’s lives – making the streets safer for women and children, ensuring children are immunised against disease, getting girls into school, generating jobs for young people. None of this can be done without expanding safety, security and political leadership and reconciliation.

This inevitably means making sure AMISOM has the tools to do its job effectively, while Somalia takes ever-greater ownership of its own security: this means supporting the Somali National Security Forces; the Police; it also means strengthening the judiciary.

The President has, rightly, made this his top priority. At the same time, he has also said that it will be necessary in due course to engage all those who are alienated from the political process or marginalized politically.

Against these challenges, some say – surely this is a Council destined to fail? I don’t think so.

The President has told me he is adamant that the new government will reclaim Somalia’s sovereignty and that state will hold increasing legitimacy and credibility in the eyes of the Somali people. He and the Prime Minister are clear that it should be they who lead for the Somali people. But they also recognise that they cannot do this on their own.

The President has made it clear that he expects to see what he calls a ‘paradigm shift’ in how the international community and the Somali authorities engage with each other. At the heart of this are two constants – a long-term commitment and a more direct partnership with Somalia

It is with this spirit of commitment and partnership that the UK is now working with the new leadership. In the last few weeks, we have had a number of senior visitors to Mogadishu – most notably, the first visit by the new UK Development Secretary, Justine Greening MP and the new UK Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds MP; but also the Head of the British Army, General Sir Peter Wall; and the UK’s Deputy National Security Adviser, Oliver Robbins.

During each visit we have listened to the President and the Speaker set out their priorities; we have seen first-hand the security challenges facing the Somali National Security Forces and AMISOM; we have heard how the judiciary and police need to be supported; and we have listened to the demand to combat corruption and strengthen the government’s management of its own financial resources.

As a result, we have already announced nearly £50 million of assistance designed to help Somalia’s new authorities.

So as the new cabinet settles in, the UK is clear that the opportunities afforded Somalia by the end of the Transition and her new political leadership should be seized. As President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says, Somalia has already lost several generations and too much time.

While this next phase of Somalia’s transition to greater stability will be difficult for many Somalis, one thing is clear – the UK will be standing with them. Challenges remain, but by working in partnership and for the long-term, we’re determined to help Somalis overcome them.

Yesterday, Somalia marked a major milestone in its recent history. After two decades of civil war, and a year after the Roadmap was agreed, the Transitional Period finally concluded with the election by MPs of new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud. This was the first such election inside Somalia for many years and came just weeks after the agreement on a new provisional Constitution, the successful inauguration of the new federal Parliament and the election of a new Speaker. Thanks to their leadership, Somalis have delivered a more accountable, more representative and more legitimate Parliament; the result of dialogue, compromise and, above all, a desire for change and to break with the past.

As British Prime Minister David Cameron said earlier today this is a significant and important step. As the British Ambassador to Somalia, I fully echo our Prime Minister’s message.  We also look forward now to the prompt appointment of a new Prime Minister and a new government.

The UK has fully supported this Somali process.  The London Conference on Somalia in February was an important milestone in galvanizing international support behind Somalia. We have supported the UN, the African Union and IGAD in their attempts to help Somalis bring greater stability to their country. Above all, though, we have continued to support Somalis reclaim their country. The political developments come on the back of the advances made by Somalia’s security forces and AMISOM troops in recent months – in Mogadishu, Afgoye, Baidoa, Beletweyne, and Afmadow. For the first time in many years people are rebuilding their properties and businesses. Confidence is increasing and members of the diaspora are returning, many of them young and energetic.

As we reflect on what has been achieved, so we should also start to look forward. There is clearly much to do. Somalia still faces many daunting challenges – the gains made are fragile. Strengthening safety and security; building more effective governance; improving maternal and child health; combating corruption; and strengthening the economy so that more Somalis have a stake in their country’s future – these are the challenges that will face the new government.

Rest assured, the UK will continue to help; we’re in this for the long-term. But, ultimately, Somalia’s future will rest on the choices of its people and the actions of its leaders. It is only through continued and more effective leadership that Somalia can once again have the sort of accountable and representative institutions needed to respond to the aspirations of the Somali people.

So as we mark what has been achieved, we now look to Somalia’s leaders to ensure that this fragile and hard-won momentum is not lost and that they demonstrate their determination and commitment to deliver real and sustainable progress – transparently, accountably and credibly. As Somalia decides, so its people continue to demand greater change and a brighter future. After twenty years of conflict, they deserve and need nothing less. Now that would be something really worth celebrating.

As always, I welcome your comments.

UK Minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham  on a visit to Mogadishu.

On Monday, Somalia marked a significant milestone in its history. Twenty years after the country fell into conflict, a new Federal Parliament was inaugurated – paving the way to end the Transition in the next few days, and opening the first legislature to be formed inside Somalia since 1991. This is a huge achievement, both for the people of Somalia and their representatives in Mogadishu.

Success in Somalia is not always easy to measure, and often much harder for those of us who follow developments day-in and day-out. We very rarely step back and look at what has been achieved overall. So I want to take stock of the successes of the last 12 months, because they have been significant and historic.

Firstly, the security situation has improved in a way that none of us thought possible. Thanks to the bravery of AMISOM troops and Somalia’s security forces, Mogadishu is no longer under the control of al-Shabaab; considerable gains have been made in Baidoa and Jubaland. Slowly but surely, Somalis are starting to rebuild their communities; I have seen first-hand life what this means – in Mogadishu, streets are returning to life, shops are opening; homes rebuilt.

Secondly, Somalia’s political process has moved forward. The Transition is ending; its final conclusion is only a matter of days away. Most notably, we now have the beginnings of a parliament that is more representative and more accountable to the Somali people than its predecessors; and a broadly representative National Constituent Assembly that has approved a new provisional Constitution. This is a Somali process, albeit one supported by the international community.

Thirdly, the international community is more united than it has been for a long time.  The London Conference in February and the Istanbul II Conference in June played a huge part in this, in particular that Somalia was a country that needed concerted, consistent and coherent support – but that the process needed to be owned and led by Somalis themselves.

Clearly the process could be better – it could still be more transparent; we still need more women to be represented in parliament and to be playing their vital and necessary role in Somalia’s political future. As a number of Somali women told me only the other day, Somalia has been carried on the back of women for over twenty years – a statement with which I entirely agree. Women have a vital role to play – not only in communities, families, businesses and homes; not only in building peace in Somalia, but also in its political leadership. And there is still a lot to do. In my conversations with Somalis, I am always struck by the consistent message: that the Transition must end; that the new Parliament and new Government need to be more credible, more legitimate and more accountable to the Somali people.

I was in Mogadishu on Sunday and Tuesday with my US and EU colleagues. We urged all those involved in the process – the Signatories, the Elders, the New Federal Parliament and the Technical Selection Committee – to continue to work together; to ensure that the remaining MPs are agreed, sworn in and allowed to take their seats in parliament; and to meet the quota for women’s representation.  As our Minister also reiterated yesterday, then elections can take place for a Speaker and President preferably in the next few days. Continued dialogue; engagement; discussion – this is what will move the process forward.

With this responsibility, however, comes accountability. I share the concern expressed by the SRSG, AU and IGAD about corruption and intimidation in the process. This is why it is so important that the new Parliament and Government commit to increasing transparency and fighting corruption. We stand ready to support our Somali counterparts in that effort, including through the Joint Financial Management Board, agreed at London and endorsed by the UN Security Council.

Right now, I look forward to the future with some optimism. The conclusion of the Transition should mark the beginning of more representative institutions. As we made clear in our recent joint statement, the international community’s priority remains simple – to ensure that the people of Somalia are better represented and become the beneficiaries of a better political process; a process that can deliver an enduring peace, sustainable economic recovery and the restoration of credible, legitimate and more accountable government prepared and able to meet the aspirations, hopes, freedoms and human rights of the Somali people. Ending the Transition and beginning a new phase in the long struggle for greater stability is within Somalia’s grasp.

As always I would very much welcome your views. What do you think about the end of the Transition? Despite the flaws in the process, what can the international community do to support our Somali counterparts in the next phase of government?

The following is a guest blog by Fionna Gibb, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Office for Somalia. 

As Ambassador Matt Baugh is on leave, last Friday I had the pleasure of hosting the British Office for Somalia’s reception in Mogadishu to celebrate the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. As the sun set on the Indian Ocean, and the waves pounded on the Somali shore, I was joined at the party by a convivial gathering of the international community based at Mogadishu International Airport.

Deputy Head of Mission , Fionna Gibb of the British Office for Somalia meets Deputy Force Commander, Brigadier Gen, Audace Nduwumunsi of AMISOM.

I commented that the British people, sometimes not known to get overly enthusiastic about big public displays of excitement, and possessing a natural talent for self deprecation, have defied the sceptics nonetheless by delivering a spectacular Olympics on time and within budget. Occasional British grumbling has been replaced with a growing and palpable sense of excitement – evidenced by the large crowds that turned out to welcome the Olympic flame the length and breadth of the country.

We are immensely proud to be hosting the world’s top sporting event, and welcoming 10,500 athletes from 204 countries. It is the culmination of seven years of hard work, commitment and vision to make these Olympic and Paralympic Games the best ever.

We live in a world where much of the news seems to be bad news and where conflicts continue to horrify us. Yet sport somehow rises above this and bridges differences between countries and communities. Sport offers hope: against the odds Somalia has managed to send athletes to almost every Olympic games since 1972.

I was privileged to meet a few weeks ago in Mogadishu Somalia’s two remarkable young athletes who are now representing their country in London. As I watched the opening ceremony live last Friday in Mogadishu, I waited to see them take their turn in the athletes procession. And then there they were, proudly carrying the national flag. We played our small part in getting them there by taking our immigration equipment to them in Mogadishu.

But the personal challenges they have both overcome to get this far have been far more immense. It is a testament to their determination, their vision and their optimism. They deserve a medal for that alone.

Mohamed Hassan and Zamzam Mohamed are true sporting heroes. Share your thoughts on Somalia’s Olympic and other national heroes by posting a comment below.