UNITED NATIONS STANDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SECURITY QUESTIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA

TO HOLD 22nd MINISTERIAL MEETING 14 - 18 MARCH IN BRAZZAVILLE

 

NEW YORK, 7 March (Department for Disarmament Affairs) -- The United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa will hold its twenty-second Ministerial Meeting in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo, from 14 to 18 March 2005.  Participants will include senior governmental experts from the ministries of foreign affairs, defence and security, as well as the ministers for foreign affairs.  The Committee has also invited the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Chairman of the Commission of the African Union or their representatives, as well as the Director of the United Nations Regional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa.

The meeting will, among other things, elect a new bureau for the period 2005 to 2006 and consider the following agenda items:  review of the geopolitical and security situation in selected Member States of the Committee, including Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the situation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda since June 2004; the threat of the problem of mercenaries in the Central African region; the role of the Committee in promoting the implementation of the Dar-es-Salam Declaration on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in the Great Lakes Region; the contribution of Central African States to the work of the Second Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and light Weapons in All Its Aspects; preparations for the Bahr-El-Gazal 2005 Joint Military Exercises; report on the activities of the Secretariat of the Economic community of central African States; report on the activities of the United Nations Regional Centre for Human Rights and democracy in Central Africa; and adoption of the Committee’s programme of work for the period 2005 to 2006.

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 11 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 and 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:  the Republic of the 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 Pamela Maponga, Secretary of the Committee, Department for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations, tel.:  (212) 963-5521, e-mail:  maponga@un.org.

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