28 February 2013 - The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Guinea-Bissau, José Ramos-Horta, on Wednesday, 27 February 2013, gave an overview of his ideas on helping Guinea-Bissau achieve sustainable peace, at a closed-doors session of the 42nd Ordinary Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire.

At his request, he had a meeting with the Presidents of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Nigeria, Alassane Ouattara, Alpha Conde and Goodluck Jonathan respectively, as well as the President of the ECOWAS Commission, who all agreed to work closely with him. The heads of State asked the Special Representative to consult with their foreign ministers and to visit their capitals for additional dialogue.

Mr. Ramos-Horta, whose address was well received by the West African leaders, has consistently stressed the importance of working closely with the ECOWAS and other international bodies ever since arriving in Guinea-Bissau on 13 February to take up his appointment as head of the UN peace-building support mission in the West African country.