STANDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SECURITY QUESTIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA TO MEET IN CHAD

Press Release
AFR/186
DC/2668

STANDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SECURITY QUESTIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA TO MEET IN CHAD

NEW YORK, 19 October (Department for Disarmament Affairs) -- The United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa will hold a subregional conference on the proliferation and circulation of illicit small arms in the Central African region from 25-27 October, in N’Djamena, Chad. It will be followed by the Committee’s Twelfth Ministerial Meeting, to be held from 27-30 October.

The Conference, called for by the Committee’s Tenth Ministerial Meeting, held in Yaounde, Cameroon, from 26-30 October 1998, is being held as a result of the Committee’s determination to seek ways and means of strengthening peace and security in its subregion. It is hoped that the Conference will culminate in the adoption of a programme or plan of action to combat the proliferation and circulation of illicit small arms and light weapons in the Central African region.

Participants will include senior officials from the foreign, defence and interior ministries of the member States of the Committee (see below), representatives of security organs of other subregional organizations and experts from international institutions such as the INTERPOL and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The following issues are to be discussed: the scope of the proliferation and circulation of illicit small arms and light weapons in Central Africa and its impact on the stability, security and development of the countries in the region; national efforts to combat the phenomenon; bilateral and subregional initiatives and perspectives; experiences of other regions; and action by international organizations.

The Committee is made up of the 11 member States of the Economic Community of the Central African States, namely, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda and Sao Tome and Principe. It was established on 28 May 1992 in accordance with General Assembly resolution 46/37 B on regional confidence- building measures. The purpose of the Committee is to develop confidence- building measures and to promote arms restraint and development in the central African subregion. The Committee meets at least twice a year at the ministerial level. Participation in the ministerial meetings is open to members only. In addition to the ministerial meetings, it also organizes conferences, seminars and workshops on various issues related to peace and security in the Central African region.

- 2 - Press Release AFR/186 DC/2668 19 October 1999

The Bureau of the Committee is currently constituted as follows: President, Cameroon; First Vice-President, Chad; Second Vice-President, Burundi; Rapporteur, Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to its practice, the Committee will elect new officers for a one-year term of office at this twelfth ministerial meeting. Pamela Maponga, Senior Political Affairs Officer with the Department for Disarmament Affairs, serves as Secretary of the Committee.

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