Final communiqué

 

1.       At the

invitation of Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the UN

Secretary-General for West Africa and Head of the United Nations Office for West

Africa (UNOWA), the Heads of the United Nations Peace Missions in West Africa

held their Twenty- eighth high- level consultation meeting on 11 December 2015

in Abidjan.

 

2.       In

attendance were the Special Representatives of the UN Secretary-General and

Heads of UN Missions in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI), Ms. Aïchatou Mindaoudou; in

Liberia (UNMIL), Mr. Farid Zarif; in Mali (MINUSMA), Mr. Mongi Hamdi; in

Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), Mr. Miguel Trovoada; in West Africa (UNOWA), Mr.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas.

 

3.       The

objective of this bi- annual meeting is to review progress in the implementation

of the respective UN mandates in the region, to strengthen coordination in order

to address common challenges in the areas of elections, security, organized

crime and violent extremism, and to examine the prospects for democratic

transitions in the West Africa region.

 

4.       The Heads

of peace missions welcomed the peaceful and transparent electoral processes in

Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea, and expressed the hope

that the upcoming elections in Niger, Benin, Cabo Verde, Ghana and the Gambia

will consolidate democratic processes in these countries. In addition,

participants noted the need for inclusive dialogue in several countries in the

region. 

 

5.       The Heads

of peace missions welcomed the maturity of the people of Burkina Faso as

demonstrated during the recent elections, and called upon stakeholders to

persevere with a process of security sector reform and a national reconciliation

process. 

 

6.       The Heads

of peace missions welcomed reconciliation initiatives in Cote d'Ivoire and

encouraged ongoing efforts related to social cohesion, the reform of the

security sector, and transitional justice.

 

7.      

Participants noted with concern the continued activities of terrorist groups in

Mali and called for the full and sustained engagement of the signatories and

other stakeholders in support of the implementation of the key provisions of the

Malian Peace Accord.

 

8.       The Heads

of peace missions also noted the continuing need to address root causes of

exclusion and deprivation which contribute to the rise of violent extremism.

 

9.      

Participants welcomed national efforts in the area of decentralization in

Liberia, and expressed hope for greater progress in national reconciliation,

constitutional reform, and resourcing of the ongoing security transition from

UNMIL to the Government of Liberia.

 

10.   The Heads of

mission expressed concern about the absence of a climate of lasting stability in

Guinea- Bissau despite the high expectations that followed the restoration of

constitutional order, and urged political and institutional stakeholders to

engage in dialogue in order to create an enabling environment for the

implementation of the country's development programme.

 

11.   Participants

recognized with satisfaction the success in the fight against the Ebola Virus

Disease and urged for the further strengthening of early warning mechanisms.

Participants also called for the timely implementation of a transparent and

accountable recovery process, and welcomed the commitment of national, regional

and international partners towards this end.

 

12.   The Heads of

peace missions strongly condemned recurring terrorist attacks in the region, in

particular in Mali and around the Lake Chad Basin area. They deplored the

humanitarian consequences of the attacks, and welcomed the increased

collaboration of regional and international actors to effectively address the

security, humanitarian and development challenges of these crises.

 

13.   The Heads of

peace missions agreed to increased cooperation in the area of information

sharing in order to reduce the threat of extremism and terrorism in the region.

 

14.   The Heads of

peace missions expressed their gratitude to SRSG Mindaoudou of UNOCI for the

warm welcome and excellent organization of the meeting.