Security Council Press Statement on United Nations

 

Regional Office for Central Africa

 

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Hardeep Singh Puri ( India):

The members of the Security Council were briefed by Mr. Abou Moussa, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, on the activities he undertook since his tenure as Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) began last June.

The members of the Council appreciated the efforts already made by Mr. Moussa, including contact with several States, as well as with other actors in the subregion.

The members of the Council encouraged UNOCA to establish partnerships with the regional and subregional organizations and to mobilize, in a complementary manner, the various initiatives of the United Nations in order to help the countries of Central Africa, in accordance with the UNOCA mandate, to face the regional challenges related to peace and security, in particular the destabilizing flow of small arms and light weapons, border and maritime security, and the presence of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

The members of the Council reiterated their deep concern about the continued attacks perpetrated by the LRA and recalled that UNOCA, in coordination with the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), should engage with the African Union and facilitate cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union on issues related to countering the threat posed by the LRA.

The members of the Council requested that the Office continue to work with theUnited NationsStanding Advisory CommitteeonSecurity Questionsin CentralAfrica, in particular with regard to the reinforcement of confidence-building measures between the countries of the subregion, as an element of conflict prevention.

The members of the Council once again requested the Office to consider any contribution which it can make to assist the States of the subregion in the areas of security sector reform, promotion of human rights, the fight against trans-border threats, and the reinforcement of the contribution of women to conflict prevention and resolution.

The members of the Council urged the Governments of the region and regional organizations, in particular ECCAS (Economic Community of Central African States), as well as other actors in the subregion, to cooperate with UNOCA.

The members of the Council renewed their gratitude to the Gabonese Government for its efforts to assist UNOCA in carrying out its mandate.

The members of the Council recognized the need for appropriate support to the Office to achieve its mandated objectives and looked forward to receiving the first report on the activities of UNOCA in November.

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For information media • not an official record