Written question asked by Lord Luce (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Wednesday, 21 December 2011.

Somalia

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the details of their plan to host an international conference on Somalia in London on 23 February 2012.

Answer: The London Conference on Somalia on 23 February will seek to deliver a new, action-oriented international approach to Somalia building on the progress being made on the ground. We have invited Governments and multilateral organisations that are active and influential on Somalia, as well as representatives from Somalia. We would like the conference to agree a series of practical measures to support Somalia under six headings: Confronting terrorism and piracy; Supporting peace-keeping activity; Broadening responsibility for a peaceful political settlement; Alleviating famine and displacement, and developing systems and livelihoods; — promoting stability at the sub-national level; Improving international co-ordination. We are now holding intensive discussions with our international and Somali partners and key stakeholders (including civil society) in order to identify and agree measures that would best address the threats emanating from Somalia, meet humanitarian needs and tackle the causes of instability in Somalia.

Secondary information