The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão, concluded a week-long good offices mission in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on October 4.
During his mission, Mr. Simão held a series of meetings with Ivorian authorities on peace and security issues in the subregion, notably with the Vice President of the Republic, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, as well as the President of the National Assembly and the Minister of Security.
He commended the Ivorian Government on the smooth conduct of the recent presidential and legislative elections and also praised the country’s experience in peacebuilding, while reaffirming the United Nations’ commitment to supporting national and regional stabilization efforts.
The Special Representative also met with several Ivorian opposition parties, notably the FPI, the PDCI-RDA, and the PPA-CI, as well as the ruling party, the RHDP, with whom he discussed electoral reform and the national political dialogue, demonstrating UNOWAS’s continued commitment to fostering dialogue among all of the country’s political actors.
On September 29, at the headquarters of the Council of the Entente in Abidjan-Cocody, Mr. Simão signed, on behalf of UNOWAS, a Memorandum of Understanding with this regional organization, which was established in 1959. The agreement establishes a structured framework for cooperation in the areas of preventive diplomacy, early warning, mediation, and peacebuilding.
He also conducted a field visit to the Korhogo region in the north of the country to gain a better understanding of the efforts and mechanisms for receiving and caring for refugees present on Ivorian territory.
Mr. Simão also took part in the High-Level Regional Week on Women, Youth, Peace, Security, and Economic Resilience, organized by UNOWAS and UN Women in collaboration with the Ivorian Government and the African Development Bank (AfDB), which concluded with the adoption of the Abidjan Call, a roadmap for investment and economic leadership by women and youth.
Throughout his mission, the Special Representative reaffirmed UNOWAS’s commitment to conflict prevention and peacebuilding in West Africa and the Sahel.
