On Monday, Marco Carmignani was received by the Regional Secretary, Fernando na Bioia, and the chairman of the Regional Advisory Council, Mamadu Mané, who told him about the functioning of the State Committee of the region and issues related to the different works and projects financed by the international community in the region. A region, which combines the South province with the regions of Tombali and Bolama-Bijagós.

According to them, Marco Carmignani stressed the importance of the regional office for UNIOGBIS, for national authorities and the local populations, as it allows direct contact, greater presence on the ground and communication between the region and other areas in the country.

This senior UNIOGBIS official said what he heard from the members of the Regional Advisory Council was "thorough, interesting and genuine", a way of thinking that should also reach Bissau, the country's capital.

Representatives of the Quinaraian authorities took also advantage of the presence of the UN multidisciplinary mission to raise the controversial issue of the construction of a thermoelectric power plant in Buba, in the vicinity of the Cufada lagoons (without a prior study of its environmental impact). In this regard, Mr. Carmignani called for dialogue, including through the United Nations radio program in Guinea-Bissau -Perspectivas- to allow all parties involved in the debate to voice their concerns, pros and cons in order to find consensual solutions.

Finally, the mission also visited the locations where a Model Police Station, the Buba Regional Court, the Southern Military Zone Command and the Police Order Police (POP) will be built. Today, on 21 February, the multidisciplinary mission visited the headquarters of the National Guard (GN), the Papagaio Community Radio, the site of the construction of the controversial thermoelectric power plant, the Cufada lagoons and the village of Mbassa, which is affected by huge and illegal logging.