The United Nations envoy to Somalia Dr. Augustine Mahiga on Wednesday met with the president of Somali National Olympic committee Duran Ahmed Farah and members of his committee in Mogadishu. The UN envoy expressed his excitement with the work being done by Somali NOC and its affiliated federations in the war-devastated country.

During the meeting both sides discussed on how the UN agencies and Somali NOC can cooperate on the promotion of sport for peace in the country which has been experiencing one of the world’s most notorious civil wars for the past two decades.

Somali NOC president Duran Ahmed Farah outlined the UN envoy about Somali NOC’s achievements in both domestically and internationally for the past two decades of lack of a functioning central government in the country.

“Dear UN ambassador as you are aware Somalia descended into chaos in January 1991 and all governmental infrastructures were totally destroyed, but Somali Olympic committee and its member federations have been the nation’s flag carriers and without Somali sport still functioning Somalia could have cut from the rest of the world” the NOC president told UNPOS head Dr Augustine Mahiga during the meeting.

The president added that since the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games Somali NOC has been participating in all international Olympic gatherings while its affiliated federations did their entire international, continental and regional appearances.

“We have so far implemented many sports for peace programs which yielded positive results by disarming hundreds of former child soldiers and rehabilitating an uncountable number of street boys and drug addicts who are now playing for different sports clubs, while some of them are members of national teams of different sport like football, handball or basketball” he noted during the meeting.

“Sport in Somalia has neither local investors nor international sponsors and like wise no governmental assistance because Somali government is still growing, so dear Mr. Ambassador we request you to push for a UN support for Somali sport, since the UN has its own office for peace and sports development” the NOC president demanded the UNPOS head Dr. Augustine Mahiga during Wednesday’s meeting.

For his part the UNPOS chief said he was very happy with the good start of relations between Somali NOC and his office adding he believes that sport can play a key role in peace building in Somalia.

“I know you did a lot of positive job in the country since the collapse of Somalia---I really appreciate your job “Ambassador Mahiga told the Somali NOC authorities during the meeting.

“I some times hear the international media calling Somalia ‘a failed state’, I actually hate when I hear that word, because Somalia is not a failed state as long as sporting organizations are still on duty” Dr. Mahiga told Somali NOC officials.

“I really praise you for the good job you are doing, you raised Somali flag over international sports gatherings---I say to you keep up flying the flag and we are on your side” the UN envoy emphasized.

Ambassador Mahiga was accompanied in the meeting by UNPOS public information officer Mrs. Isimini Palla and Mohamed Ibrahim Fanah from the AU/UN information support team, while Somali NOC president was accompanied by secretary General Abdullahi Ahmed Tarabi, Somali Handball Federation president Mohamed Hurshe Hassan and chief media officer and Somali Sports Press Association senior vice president Shafi’i Mohyaddin Abokar.

Wednesday’s meeting was the first of its kind between UNPOS and Somali NOC and it comes as Somali NOC is under preparations for the upcoming world Olympic Games to be held in London. Both sides promised to convene on another big meeting before the end of the month.

SOMALI NOC MEDIA DEPARTMENT