UNSOS Media Fact Sheet

15 Nov 2015

UNSOS Media Fact Sheet

BACKGROUND

1. United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) was established on 9 November 2015, through a UN Security Council Resolution 2245. UNSOS is a successor operation to the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA), which was established in 2009 to provide logistical field support to AMISOM. UNSOS will provide critical support not only to core missions - AMISOM and UNSOM - but also the Somali Security Forces.

BENEFITS:

2. The change from UNSOA to UNSOS provides for:

  • Strengthened leadership;
  • Better engagement with UN member states, AU and key partners;
  • Enhanced mechanism for monitoring use of resources, respect for human rights and protection of civilians;
  • Streamlined administrative process to address critical logistical gaps that hinder effective troop mobilization and mobility;
  • Development of an environmental policy that encourages use of clean energy;
  • Enhanced support for both complex military operations and highly mobile political engagements in different parts of Somalia (UNSOS currently supports 37,000 troops with support staff of less than 500);
  • Support UN and non-UN entities through the use of ‘light footprint’ concept and outsourcing model.

HOW THE CHANGE WILL BENEFIT SOMALIA

3. UNSOS will help make AMISOM, UNSOM and SNA more effective, eroding further Al Shabaab’s capacity and help create the much needed space for political reconciliation, state formations and extension of government authority in the whole country.

AMISOM will be more effective and mobile, thereby opening more supply routes that will enhance humanitarian access to vulnerable populations. A well supported UNSOM will enable greater and deeper interaction with the Somali government in the realization of Vision 2016.

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                                                     For more information contact:

Anne Mugisha Bwomezi, Chief, Information Support Management Section, UNSOS, at bwomezi@un.org