RP contributes to UN's Somalia trust fund

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines will contribute $20,000 to a United Nations trust fund in support of Somali security institutions, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The DFA said President Arroyo has approved the contribution of the Philippines, which supplies 20 to 25 percent of the manpower requirements of the global maritime industry, as part of the country’s commitment to help restore peace and security in Somalia.

The funds will be used by Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government to beef up its security forces, which will play a critical role in combating piracy on the sea and their principals on land.

Filipino seafarers continue to be victims of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

To date, 44 Filipino seafarers remain in the custody of Somali pirates.

Somali security forces and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) are presently reliant mainly on international support in the form of funding, logistics and equipment for continued operations.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1863, adopted last Jan. 16, provided for the establishment of a United Nations trust fund that will raise funds to provide financial support for AMISOM until a UN peacekeeping operation is deployed to Somalia.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all countries to provide urgent military support to Somalia’s embattled transitional government and the poorly resourced African Union peacekeeping force.             – Pia Lee Brago