In her speech, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Guinea-Bissau, Rosine Sori-Coulibaly, called for “concerted action by all national stakeholders, with the support of the international community, to stabilize the fragile governance system, ensure the proper functioning of state institutions and face other pressing political and socio-economic challenges.”

UN Deputy Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Bintou Keita, who traveled to Bissau on behalf of António Guterres, stressed that “Guinea-Bissau has made remarkable progress in reforming and strengthening its state institutions and maintaining relative stability. The repositioning of a United Nations mission team to the country is proof of this progress. ”

Both senior UN officials highlighted “the absence of violence; holding free elections; the use of legal channels to resolve political disputes; greater participation of women and youth in political processes; strengthening the fight against drug trafficking; and the remarkable progress made in national human rights monitoring;”, as proofs of the success of the political mission in Guinea Bissau.

The RESG for West Africa and Sahel, Ibn Chambas, who takes over the responsibility of continuing to follow the situation in Guinea-Bissau, reaffirmed the UN's commitment “to continue to support the government and people of Guinea-Bissau in implementing reforms aimed at guaranteeing strong democratic institutions, a prosperous economy, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a society where peace reigns. ”

“All of these are achievements that we can be proud of,” concluded Keita.

In compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2512 of 28 February 2020, the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office for the Consolidation of Peace (UNIOGBIS) ends on 31 December this year.

This ends the presence of the UN special political mission in the country that had been deployed by the Council in the aftermath of the armed conflict of June 7, 1998. The first mission, UNOGBIS, was expanded and integrated with the UN Country Team in 2008, by order of the UN Secretary General, and renamed UNIOGBIS.

Successive mandates included promoting political dialogue, supporting the national reconciliation process, promoting and protecting human rights, promoting gender equality, supporting the fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, and supporting the strengthening of the rule of law and state reforms.

In 2018, a strategic assessment mission, ordered by the Security Council, recommended the gradual closure of the Mission as part of a transition. The situation recommended a lighter political footprint of the United Nations in the country, while placing more emphasis on economic and social development. The Security Council agreed, ordering the establishment of a reconfiguration of the United Nations presence in Guinea-Bissau in its resolution 2458 (2019), confirmed by resolution 2512 (2020).