5 July 2012 - UN Africa II director João Honwana today completed a 2-day visit in Bissau aimed at discussing with the United Nations office (UNIOGBIS) and partners how to best support Guinea-Bissau in resolving its current crisis.

"I came here to resume contacts with Guinean actors and the country's reality and see with my colleagues from the UN mission how to better support Guineans in finding solutions for the crisis", Honwana said.

In the course of this working visit, Honwana held discussions with representatives of the international community and met with representatives of political parties including PAIGC, PND, PRS, PRID and AD as well as civil society and religious leaders.

Honwana, who served in Guinea-Bissau as Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNOGBIS (UN Peacebuilding Support Office) in 2004-2006, travelled to Bissau as part of a visit to West Africa having recently assumed the position of Director in the Africa Division of the Department of Political Affairs. Prior to Bissau, Honwana visited Dakar, Bamako and attended the ECOWAS Heads of States and Governments Summit in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast/Cote d'Ivoire.

In its resolution 2048 of 18 May 2012, following the 12 April coup d'état in Guinea-Bissau, the Security Council stresses the need for all national stakeholders and Guinea-Bissau's international bilateral and multilateral partners to remain committed to the restoration of constitutional order and, in this context, encourages ECOWAS to continue its mediation efforts aimed at the restoration of constitutional order, in close coordination with the United Nations, the AU and CPLP.

The resolution also requests the Secretary-General to be actively engaged in this process, in
order to harmonize the respective positions of international bilateral and multilateral partners, particularly the AU, ECOWAS, CPLP and the EU, and ensure maximum coordination and complementarity of international efforts.