Secretary-General, in Message, Says Vitally Important for Darfur’s Civil Society

Representatives to Contribute to Bringing Peace to Their Land

 

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the opening ceremony of the Second Darfur Civil Society Forum, as delivered by Djibrill Yipènè Bassolé, Joint African Union-United Nations Chief Mediator for Darfur, in Doha, Qatar, on 12 July:

I regret that I cannot be with you for this important event in the Darfur peace process, the Second Doha Civil Society Forum.  I would like to congratulate you for participating in this process, which we all hope will bring peace to Darfur.  I would also like to thank the Government of Qatar for hosting this Forum and the Darfur peace talks, and for its sustained support to the African Union-United Nations Mediation.

This forum demonstrates my strong commitment and that of my representative, Joint Chief Mediator Bassolé, to the central role of civil society in the peace process.  It is vitally important that you, the over 400 representatives of Darfur’s different communities, opinion leaders, women, youth, intellectuals, displaced people and the diaspora, contribute to the solutions that will bring peace to your land.  Your commitment to this process, your patience when it goes slowly, your energy to make it accelerate are essential to finding a settlement and addressing the underlying causes of the conflict.

You come from different communities; you have different opinions about different issues; but you are united in your wish for a just and fair peace for Darfur.  Unlike many troubled regions of the world, Darfuris share a common religion, language and history as a region.  Let what you have in common bring you together, to find a definitive solution to Darfur’s conflict and marginalization.

I am deeply concerned about the ongoing violence in Darfur.  As you know, I have made resolving the conflict in Darfur one of my top priorities from my earliest days in office as Secretary-General.

I urge all parties to the conflict to end hostilities and respect the ceasefires to which they have committed.  I call on them to negotiate in Doha a comprehensive settlement of the Darfur crisis which addresses the legitimate concerns of all of Darfur’s communities.  And to those who have refused to participate in the negotiations, I say:  join them without further delay.

Please accept my best wishes for a successful event.

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For information media • not an official record