Mark Simmonds
U.K. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected president by the Somali parliament in September 2012, becoming the first permanent president in the country since 1991. His election was met with domestic and international optimism and seen as an opportunity to provide a clear vision for reform in the country. On May 7, the British government will host a conference on the future of Somalia. The conference, to be cohosted with the new Somali government, will focus on identifying the priorities for the Somali government moving forward, including security and justice sector reforms, capacity-building around health and education, and encouraging transparency and accountability. Please join the CSIS Africa Program as we host Mark Simmonds, U.K. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, to discuss the conference and the British government’s perspective on moving Somalia forward.
