SOMALIA / MARITIME CAPABILITIES

STORY: SOMALIA / MARITIME CAPABILITIES
TRT: 6:39
SOURCE: UNSOM
RESTRICTIONS: CREDIT UNSOM STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 30 MARCH 2022, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
SHOT LIST:
1. Wide shot, Somali Police Force maritime facility inauguration, Mogadishu port
2. Wide shot, Somali Police Force maritime facility’s jetty
3. Wide shot, Somali Police Force maritime facilities, Mogadishu port.
4. Wide shot, Anita Kiki Gbeho and arriving at the event
5. Wide shot, Anita Kiki Gbeho, jetty
6. Wide shot, Anita Kiki Gbeho cutting the ribbon at the jetty
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Anita Kiki Gbeho, Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, UN:
“Today under the leadership of the Ministry of Interior and the Somali police force. We were pleased to be part of the inauguration of the Maritime Law Enforcement Facility in the Port of Mogadishu. The state-of-the-art facility will support Somalia in policing its maritime security and we were pleased to be a part of it as the United Nations.”
8. Long shot, Somali Police Force maritime officers performing security exercise with the jetty
9. Med shot, Representatives of Somali government, UN and EU
10. Long shot, newly constructed Somali maritime police unit headquarters facility
11. Wide shot, Representatives of Somali government, UN and EU
12. Close up, Tim Lardner
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Lardner, Country Director, UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS):
“UNOPS has implemented this project, supported and funded by the European Union to deliver a headquarters for the Somali Maritime Police Unit and to allow them to have an effective operational center. The end results mean that the Somali police force and the maritime police force will have a much, much more effective ability to operate and interact offshore and within the coastal areas of Somalia, to ensure maritime crime is reduced and effectively work forward on that.”
15. Long shot, Anita Kiki Gbeho and Tiina Intelmann, Head of the European Union Delegation to Somalia
16. Med shot, Tiina Intelmann speaking
17. Wide shot, Tiina Intelmann, receiving a gift
18. Wide shot, Anita Kiki Gbeho receiving a gift
19. Wide shot, representative of the Ministry of Ports and Marine Resources
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Neil Walsh, Regional Representative for Eastern Africa UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC):
“We're able to help cops and investigators visit, board, search and seize in keeping maritime security to the highest possible capability. Doing this together, there is no more important partner for us than the Federal Government of Somalia and working with our partners across the United Nations and across the European Union, we can make a real difference in our lives, real difference in the security of the maritime capability of the federal government of Somalia.”
21. Various shots, Somali Police Force officers performing security exercises and inspecting a ship.
22. Pan shot, newly constructed Somali Police Force’s maritime facility.

STORYLINE:
Somalia’s maritime capabilities received a major boost today with the inauguration of a new, state-of-the-art maritime facility for the Somali Police Force (SPF) in Mogadishu, funded by the European Union and developed by the United Nations.

“In recent years Somalia has expanded its maritime law enforcement capability, allowing the SPF to deliver safety and security around Mogadishu Port and along Somalia’s coastline. This furnished and equipped base will allow the SPF to become increasingly more effective,” the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, Anita Kiki Gbeho, said in her remarks at the inauguration ceremony.

“For Somalia to continue expanding its ‘blue economy’ and benefit from wealth-generating opportunities its vast coast offers, maritime security, and law enforcement will need to continue playing an enabling role,” she added, while also noting that the facility will support the development of Somalia’s ocean governance structures.

With its key location along main international shipping routes, 3,300 kilometers of coastline, and extensive sea-based resources, the ‘blue economy’ is widely seen as having great potential to contribute to Somalia’s economic development. Innovation and growth in the coastal, marine, and maritime sector provide the ability to deliver food, energy, transport, among other products and services.

The $3 million building project was implemented by the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The facility will provide an operational base from which the SPF can operate around Mogadishu Port and along the Somali coastline, as well as help build a long-term maritime law enforcement capacity.

The facility is made up of a furnished headquarters block with information technology equipment, a detention facility, a floating jetty and boat ramp, and an accommodation unit. In addition, it has been equipped with maritime communications equipment to enable operational readiness, and 60 Maritime Law Enforcement officers have been provided with training and workshops on maritime law enforcement, marine engineering, and maritime communications.

“The SPF maritime law enforcement component will have a much, much more effective ability to operate and interact offshore and within the coastal areas of Somalia, to ensure maritime crime is reduced and effectively work forward on that,” the UNOPS Country Director for Somalia, Tim Lardner, said on the sidelines of the inauguration.

Also at the event, UNODC’s Regional Representative for East Africa, Neil J. Walsh, highlighted the key role the facility – and partnerships – will play in aiding efforts to support Somalia’s fight against transnational and maritime organized crime.
“We're able to help police and investigators visit, board, search and seize in keeping maritime security to the highest possible capability. Doing this together, there is no more important partner for us than the Federal Government of Somalia and working with our partners across the UN and across the EU, we can make a real difference in the lives, real difference in the security of the maritime capability of the Federal Government of Somalia,” Walsh said.