UN ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON CENTRAL AFRICA SECURITY QUESTIONS TO HOLD 21ST MINISTERIAL MEETING 21 - 25 JUNE

UN Advisory Committee on Central Africa Security Questions

to hold 21st Ministerial Meeting 21 - 25 June

NEW YORK, 16 June (Department for Disarmament Affairs) -- The United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa will hold its 21st^th Ministerial Meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 21 to 25 June 2004.  In addition to ministers for foreign affairs, participants will include senior governmental experts from the ministries of foreign affairs, defence and security.  Also participating will be the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Peace-building Office in the Central African Republic, representatives of the Secretary-General of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Chairman of the Commission of the African Union, as well as the Director of the United Nations Regional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa.

The meeting will consider the following agenda items:  A critical reflection on the work of the Committee during the last twelve years with a view to improving its agenda; review of the relationship between the Committee and the Council for Peace and Security in Central Africa (COPAX), in particular its Council of Ministers, with a view to harmonizing the programme of work of the two bodies; review of the geopolitical and security situation in selected Member States of the Committee, including Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome and Principe since November; cooperation between the United Nations and ECCAS, in particular the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Report of the Secretary-General’s June 2003 interdisciplinary mission to the Central African region (document S/2003/1077 of 11 November 2003); and the participation of all ECCAS countries in the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. 

The Committee, whose major objective is to promote peace and security in the Central African region through confidence-building measures, including arms limitation and disarmament, was established by the Secretary-General on 28 May 1992, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 46/37 B of 6 December 1991.  Its Member States includes all eleven ECCAS countries, namely:  Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe.  The Committee meets at least twice a year at the ministerial level.  It also organizes conferences, seminars and workshops on various issues related to peace and security in the Central African region.

Its bureau is currently composed as follows:  President:  Equatorial Guinea; First Vice-President:  Republic of Congo; Second Vice-President:  Sao Tome and Principe; and Rapporteur:  Rwanda.  The Department for Disarmament Affairs serves as its Secretariat.

For more information, please contact:  Sharon O’Brien, Department for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations, tel.:  (212) 963 1467, e-mail:  sobrien@un.org

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