Special Representative Haavisto visited Mogadishu
Foreign Minister’s Special Representative on mediation Pekka Haavisto visited Somalia on 13–14 September during his Horn of Africa tour.
The purpose of Pekka Haavisto's tour is to learn about the root causes of the refugee problem and to find out what possibilities Finland has in the prevention of conflicts, and in mediation and reconstruction in the area.
”In connection with the refugee crisis, it is important to consider how the situation can best be improved in the refugees' countries of origin. Mediation is one central instrument in the toolbox," Haavisto notes.
In Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, Haavisto met with, for example, Mohamed Osman Jawar, Speaker of the Federal Parliament, Nicholas Kay, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, and Maman Sidikou, Head of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
During their talks, they discussed the constitutional review under way in Somalia, the creation of new regional states in Somalia, fight against extremist movements and terrorism, the role of diaspora in mediation, and the 2016 parliamentary elections. Finland stresses women's stronger participation in the building of the Somali society.
From Somalia, Haavisto will continue to the neighbouring Kenya, where the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has its headquarters, and to Ethiopia, where he will meet representatives of the African Union to discuss Finland's participation in mediation in the area.
On 17 August, Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini appointed Pekka Haavisto, Member of Parliament, to serve as his Special Representative on regional mediation with special focus on Africa. Mediation is one of the priorities of Finland's foreign policy.