UNPOS
United Nations Political Office for Somalia

Closure of UNPOS

The United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), established on 15 April 1995, supported the Federal Government’s peace and reconciliation efforts. Its mandate ended on 3 June 2013, with its responsibilities transferred to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

Preparations continue for the upcoming National Constituent Assembly

Mogadishu, 15 July, 2012 -- 15 members of the Somali security forces today completed a training course on newly arrived biometric security equipment, which will be used to register the 825 delegates and around 400 support staff for the upcoming National Constituent Assembly (NCA). The United Nations Development Programme donated the equipment to the Somali Police Force.

The biometric security equipment uses the latest technology to register a person's name, image, and fingerprints. Using this technology will help ensure that security screening of all people who enter the NCA venue can be both thorough and quick.

The Minister of Interior and National Security Abdisamad Moalim Mohamoud paid a surprise visit to the training, to observe the process. He encouraged the participants, who are drawn from the Somali Police Forces and the National Security Agency, to work quickly to ensure that the delegate registration can be completed in a timely manner.

The registration and issuing of ID cards will begin tomorrow. Security staff will be the first to undergo the process, followed by over 80 members of local media who are registered to cover the proceedings of the National Constituent Assembly.

The National Constituent Assembly will meet for 8 days to discuss, consider, and vote upon a draft Provisional Constitution that will replace the current Transitional Federal Charter. This is a key step towards achieving the goal of ending the current transitional period on the 20th August, 2012.

See more Biometric Security Training images on the UNPOS Flickr photostream