"Money received today in Somalia will have far greater impact on stability than that which arrives in three months' time," Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe told the Security Council, adding that the "extremely generous pledges" of 200 million U.S. dollars made earlier this year need to be fulfilled immediately.
He said he and Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Susanna Malcorra would meet with key donors tomorrow to assess the fulfilment of these pledges.
At the same time, he said, the humanitarian situation has "worsened dramatically" over the past three months due to intensified fighting in Mogadishu, the capital, growing insecurity in much of southern and central Somalia, and deepening drought.
Some 3.7 million people -- or about 50 percent of the population -- are now in need of livelihood and humanitarian aid, up from 3.2 million in January.
Presenting Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's latest report, he noted that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) had overcome repeated attacks by foreign-funded and heavily armed groups, and that the African Union (AU) and its crucial peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, remained fully committed to bringing peace and stability to a country that has known little of either for the past two decades.
Beyond the international trust for financial support, he suggested that development partners start direct bilateral economic and financial cooperation with the TFG, and he stressed the "urgent need" to provide additional resources for AMISOM, which has some 5,200 troops stationed in Mogadishu, 65 percent of its mandated strength of 8,000.
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