UN General Assembly
2023

In that context. I would like to reiterate Somalia’s call for the full and unconditional lifting of the arms embargo imposed by the Security Council in 1992. which is the longest-running and most expansive embargo of different kinds of arms in the world. Today Somalia has stronger administrative systems in place to regulate the possession, use and storage of firearms. Lifting the embargo will enable us to effectively address terrorism and build a future marked by peace and prosperity for our people. Somalia looks forward to a fruitful and bright future. To that end. we need to take three critical steps. First, we need to fulfil the requirements of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. We have successfully reached the decision point under the Initiative. We expect to reach the completion point by the end of this year, paving the way for alleviating the debt burden on Somalia and unleashing its vital resources to achieve autonomous growth.