Following the meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission on the situation on Guinea-Bissau held on 13 November 2019, at which members of the Commission were briefed by the president of the Country-Specific Configuration, Ambassador Mauro Vieira; by Ms. Rosine Sori-Coulibaly, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS); by Mr. Tanou Koné, Permanent Observer of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); and by Ms. Barrie Freeman, Director and Deputy Head of the Peacebuilding Support Office, the members of the Country-Specific Configuration on Guinea-Bissau decided to release the following statement:
The members of the Commission express their recognition for the continued engagement of the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS) and other regional and international organizations, including the Group of Five in Guinea-Bissau (UN, AU, ECOWAS, EU, CPLP) towards the stabilization of Guinea-Bissau. They also reiterate their appreciation for the important role and contributions of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Rosine Sori-Coulibaly and the UNIOGBIS team.
The members of the Commission support regional and international calls on the political stakeholders of Guinea-Bissau to sustain their commitment to hold free, fair, peaceful, transparent and credible presidential elections on 24 November 2019, and to conclude the electoral cycle on 29 December 2019, if a run-off is needed. In this regard, they call upon the political actors to refrain from taking any action that might negatively impact the organization of the presidential elections.
They highlight that the successful completion of the electoral process will be instrumental to break the cycle of political instability and to ensure long-term international commitment to the implementation of peacebuilding priorities and the promotion of socio-economic development in Guinea-Bissau.
The members of the Commission encourage all political stakeholders to resolve their differences through dialogue and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of Guinea-Bissau.
They reaffirm their commitment to accompany Guinea-Bissau in undertaking political and institutional reforms, as outlined in the Conakry Agreement and the government’s strategic development plan for 2015-2025. In close collaboration with the leadership of UNIOGBIS, the Commission commits to mobilizing international support for the strengthening of local institutions and the promotion of dialogue and reconciliation, including by empowering women and youth to play a bigger role in these processes.
The members of the Commission underscore once again their expectation that future changes in the presence of the United Nations in the country should take into account the need for effective support to the implementation of the country’s peacebuilding priorities.