UN STANDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SECURITY QUESTIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA TO MEET IN BRAZZAVILLE, 29 AUGUST – 2 SEPTEMBER

UN STANDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SECURITY QUESTIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA

TO MEET IN BRAZZAVILLE , 29 AUGUST – 2 SEPTEMBER

NEW YORK, 25 August (Department for Disarmament Affairs) -- The United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa will hold its 23^rd Ministerial Meeting in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, from 29 August to 2 September 2005.  Participants will include Ministers for Foreign Affairs, as well as other senior governmental experts from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security. 

The meeting will consider:  (i) developments in the geopolitical and security situation in selected member States of the Committee since its last meeting in March 2005; (ii) exchange of experiences in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes of certain member States of the Committee; (iii) implementation of the Brazzaville Declaration which called upon member States of the Committee to implement the November 2004 Dar es Salaam Declaration on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in the Great Lakes Region; (iv) outcome of the July 2005 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; (v) preparations for the Bahr-el-Gazal 2005 Joint Military Exercises; (vi) report on the activities of the Secretariat of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); and (vii) report on the activities of the United Nations Regional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa.

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 United Nations Secretary-General on 28 May 1992 pursuant to General Assembly resolution 46/37 B of 6 December 1991.  It 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 twice a year at ministerial level and organizes conferences, seminars and workshops on various issues related to peace and security in the subregion.

Its bureau is currently composed of:  President, Republic of the Congo; First Vice-President, Sao Tome and Principe; Second Vice-President, Rwanda; and Rapporteur, Angola.  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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For information media • not an official record