“All stakeholders should demonstrate political will and good faith. The population of the country is watching you and counts on you because it is the first victim of this situation.”

“We are convinced that with political will and a constructive and inclusive dialogue between the various stakeholders, it will be possible to overcome sustainably the current political challenges. We have made a strong appeal to this effect to the entire political class. The United Nations stands ready to support all efforts to bring the country out of the crisis,” USG said in a statement after his last meeting with President José Mario Vaz.  

“I would also like to thank the authorities and political actors of the country for their continued cooperation with the United Nations Mission in Guinea-Bissau,” he stressed.

During his stay in Guinea-Bissau that he considered fruitful, Mr. Feltman spoke with a number of important actors on the situation in the country, including the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the main parties and key players in the political class. He also met with the Speaker of the National Assembly, the President of the Supreme Court, as well as representatives of civil society, members of the diplomatic corps and the United Nations Country Team. He also visited the new premises of the Center for the Fight against Transnational Crime.

Acknowledging that the country has experienced a number of political crises over the last decade, he underlined that these challenges must be overcome through a consensus for Guinea-Bissau to speed up its development.

Emphasizing on the role of the UN, Under Secretary-General Jeffrey Feltman pointed out: “We want to help mobilize the international community to engage more to support the development of the country. But as you know, all over the world, instability affects development. Given this reality, we encourage once more the political leaders of this beautiful country to overcome blockages and to work for the consolidation of stability.”

As far as women are concerned, he recalled that, during his meetings, he stressed the importance of promoting the women as a vector for peace and stability. “I keenly urged my interlocutors to ensure that women are more present, more involved and take up more senior positions in all fields, including in the governance of the country and political parties,” Mr. Feltman explained.

Going on, he welcomed the sense of responsibility that the Bissau-Guinean armed forces have demonstrated by refraining from interfering in the country's political life, insisting that it is a positive development. “The United Nations encourages the armed forces to keep this republican attitude,” he said.