SRSG: The international community looks at Guinea-Bissau with “optimism"

21 Apr 2015

SRSG: The international community looks at Guinea-Bissau with “optimism"

21 April 2015 – The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Guinea-Bissau, Miguel Trovoada, met President José Mário Vaz for a “routine” visit and to brief him on the parliament’s request for support to the national reconciliation process and constitutional reform. At the end of the visit the SRSG said the international community looks at Guinea-Bissau with “optimism”.

Speaking to the media at the end of the meeting, the very first one after the 25 March round-table in Brussels, SRSG Trovoada said it was a routine visit. “I had been with the President in Brussels round-table, and today was the time for me to come here to talk a little about what happened in Brussels, congratulate him and thank him once again for his presence at the roundtable which had a great impact on the international community and see what are next steps to be taken”, he explained.

The SRSG added that he also informed the president that following Security Council Resolution 2203 (February 2015) UNIOGBIS is available to contribute to the establishment of a climate of long-lasting stability and harmony. “In this regard, we were contacted by the National Assembly to support the holding of a national dialogue for reconciliation and we responded favorably.” informed Mr. Trovoada.

“We were also requested to support a possible constitutional review, and we will meet this request because one of the fundamental aspects of our mission is to align all our actions with the priorities set by the country's authorities”, he added

Asked how he assesses the new momentum the country is experiencing, the Head of the UN Office in Guinea-Bissau said that the international community as a whole looks at this “new era with optimism”. And the reaction of the international community at the roundtable is evidence of that:

“You saw the way the international community rushed to Brussels, a clear, unequivocal support to the new authorities, convinced that Guinea-Bissau is ready to turn the page, to abandon this image of a State in permanent instability and replace it with an image of a really stable State, ready to enter the family of nations, a state where the people today are giving evidence of their determination to build a better future for their children, with their own efforts, but also with the support of the international community”, SRSG stressed.

The UN Security Council through its Resolution 2203 requested UNIOGBIS, including through the use of the good offices and political support of the Special Representative, to focus, in particular, on the support of an inclusive political dialogue and national reconciliation process to strengthen democratic governance and work towards consensus on key political issues particularly with regards to the implementation of necessary urgent reforms.