Readout of the Secretary-General's meetings with H.E. Mr. Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Prime Minister of Djibouti; and H.E. Mr. Idriss Arnaoud Ali, Speaker of the National Assembly of Djibouti

By UNITED NATIONS
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NEW YORK, October 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Secretary-General met with Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, his cabinet, as well as with National Assembly Speaker Idriss Arnaoud Ali in Djibouti today and discussed food security and development issues, as well as peace and security issues in the country and the wider Horn of Africa.

They also discussed the situation of refugees residing in or transiting through Djibouti. The Secretary-General stressed that policies and actions to support their safe and voluntary return should be explored while ensuring that their human rights are fully respected.

On the issue of counter-terrorism, the Secretary-General informed the Prime Minister of the role of the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre and encouraged Djibouti to explore the full range of UN assistance including capacity-building and technical advice and expertise.

They also discussed the Ebola epidemic and the need to boost international support and assistance, including from Djibouti, to the affected countries in West Africa. They agreed on the negative effects that quarantine and stigmatization can have on healthcare workers, and welcomed the positive steps taken by the African Union to mobilize human and other resources to curb the spread of the epidemic at its source.