His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, today marked International Human Rights day.
The President said: “Somalia witnessed abuses of human rights through two decades of civil war and the first step to take when addressing any problem is to admit there is one. Today, I want to send the
message that human rights abuses have no place in the new Somalia."
“I want to reiterate the government’s commitment to upholding human rights. We are working towards a position where there are no human
rights violations in Somalia and we abide with best international practice in human rights. Practical steps have already been taken with
numerous resolutions adopted by the Government at the United Nation Human Rights Council. New laws have also been introduced protecting human rights and the government’s political agenda has supported, and will continue to support, those laws.
“The Federal Government has adopted a Human Rights Road Map 2013 – 2015 which lays the foundation for improving the protection and promotion of human rights in Somalia. The Roadmap defines the government’s responsibilities and sets goals to be achieved in a short period of time in collaboration with civil society, NGOs and our international partners."
“We know that the world is watching Somalia closely and we will take the criticism we receive in this area constructively. We will not hesitate to take the appropriate action, however tough that may prove.
We must have accountability and demonstrate that nobody is above the law."
“Human rights however cannot just be enforced by the government and enshrined in law they must be protected, adopted and supported by society. For, in the last resort, human rights depend not upon judges or government, but upon the Somali people."
“Much has been achieved in a year but there is still a long way to go and there can be no complacency. It won’t happen overnight but we must as a society continue to work together to consign Human Rights abuses to history.”