Tripartite Meeting on UNAMID Focuses on Darfur Development, Security, Access
NEW YORK, October 1, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Early recovery, reconstruction and development needs of Darfur; concerns over insecurity in parts of the region; and UNAMID's access to areas most affected by conflict were the primary focus of discussions of the 16th meeting of the Tripartite Coordination Mechanism on UNAMID. The forum was held on Saturday 28 September at the UN headquarters in New York, on the margins of the General Assembly.
The Tripartite Mechanism, composed of representatives of the Government of Sudan, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN), is an instrument aimed at resolving issues and challenges related to UNAMID deployment and operations.
The AU and the UN commended the continued commitment of the Government of Sudan to reaching a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Darfur and welcomed the efforts of the AU – UN Joint Chief Mediator, Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, for his recent engagement with the remaining Non-signatory movements aimed at revitalizing the Darfur peace process within the framework of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).
They also expressed concern about the increased levels of insecurity affecting some parts of Darfur and their impact on the commencement of early recovery and development of the region. In this connection, the AU and the UN underscored the importance of facilitating unfettered access and freedom of movement for UNAMID to execute its mandate and urged the Government of Sudan to facilitate the timely issuance of visas for personnel required for the Mission.
It was also agreed that the Darfur Development Strategy was a solid framework through which the Government of Sudan could address the root causes of conflict, promote stability and generate much-needed support for the peace process. In this regard, the participants acknowledged that ways should be explored on how best UNAMID could contribute more towards early recovery and development.
The delegations were headed by Ambassador Rahmatalla Mohamed Osman, Under Secretary of the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mr. El-Ghassim Wane, Director for AU Peace and Security Council; Mr. Hervé Ladsous, Under Secretary General for the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations; and Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, AU-UN Joint Special Representative.
The next meeting of the Tripartite Coordination Mechanism is scheduled to take place in January 2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the margins of the African Union Summit.