Mogadishu - The United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) and the Department of Operational Support (DOS) have concluded a three-day workshop in Mogadishu at which they engaged with partners on best practices and lessons learnt of the operational partnership in Somalia.

Senior leaders from the AU, ATMIS, SSF and the UN family all spoke of the value of UNSOS support and emphasized importance of joint planning and closer tripartite collaboration to enable a smooth security transition. The critical role played by UNSOS as a strategic enabler in Somalia was also recognized.

Participants also discussed how practices and processes can be further streamlined to ensure DOS and UNSOS can stay fit for purpose as it supports ATMIS and SSF during the security transition.

The DOS delegation was led by Ms. Vanessa Kent, Chief Partnership Service, who said “We've been able to hear some very positive responses from the partners, including how over time UNSOS has evolved to learn from innovative practices and better integrate with ATMIS and the Somali Security Forces for UNSOS to provide support in a more responsive and timely manner.”

Ms Kent said that the Department of Operational Support (DOS) learned valuable lessons from UNSOS’ support model in Somalia which would aid in providing better support for future operations particularly those led by the African Union in coordination with national security partners. She added that listening to the partners, DOS will be more adept at tailoring its responses and support to the needs on the ground.

At the end of the workshop, ASG Kacyira reiterated that UNSOS remains committed in assessing and exploring strategies to improve efficiency and effectiveness in assisting the African Union and Somali Security Forces transition process.

The workshop was attended by representatives from the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), ATMIS Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) from respective capitals, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), UN Country Team and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) including Somali Security Forces (SSF).  

In 2009, the UN Security Council established the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA). It was the first, and remains the only, stand-alone UN logistics support mission supporting an AU mission. In 2015, UNSOA was renamed United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) to reflect the expanded mandate of support to Somali Security Forces (SSF) and the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).