8 May 2015 – SRSG Miguel Trovoada attended today in Dakar, Senegal, the 27th high-level consultation meeting of the Heads of the UN Peace Missions in West Africa at the invitation of Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the UN SG for West Africa and Head of UNOWA.

The objective of this regular meeting was to review progress in the implementation of the respective UN mandates in the region, to strengthen coordination in order to address common challenges including in the areas of elections, Ebola, security, organized crime, terrorism and to examine the prospects of democratic transitions in the West Africa region.

Concerning Guinea-Bissau, the Heads of peace missions noted the progress made since the return to constitutional normalcy following the 2014 elections and called on partners to honor the promises made at the donor round-table on Guinea-Bissau held in Brussels on 25 March.

The Heads of peace missions welcomed the peaceful, transparent and free electoral process in Nigeria and noted the paramount need for inclusive political reconciliation and dialogue in several countries in the region, including in Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea. They expressed hope that the upcoming elections in these three countries will consolidate reconciliation and strengthen the peace process.

Participants recognized with satisfaction the advances made in the fight against the Ebola Virus Disease and called for continued attention in most affected countries. The Heads of peace missions welcomed the efforts of national, region al and international partners in this regard. They noted that particular attention is required to ensure that political developments, especially in Guinea, do not thwart the progress made thus far.

Also, the meeting expressed concern about the security situation in Northern Mali and called on all parties to adhere to the ceasefire agreement and the declarations on cessation of hostilities signed in Algiers. They called on all parties to stay committed to the peace process and to work together to ensure the signing of the peace accord on 15 May in Bamako.

Regarding the situation in the Sahel, participants recognized that the humanitarian crisis in the Sahel creates opportunities for criminal networks to prosper and called for increased cooperation between
United Nations missions and entities, as well as strengthened regional cooperation.

Participants noted the positive ongoing transition from UNMIL to the Liberian government in the security field and welcomed national efforts in the area of decentralization.

The meeting expressed deep concern about the ongoing tragedy of the migrants from the sub-region and urged national governments of the region and the international community to cooperate to address this matter.