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STORY: UN / WEST AFRICA
TRT: 2.00
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS
DATELINE: 10 JULY 2013, NEW YORK
FILE – RECENT, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters
10 JULY 2013, NEW YORK
2. Wide shot, Security Council meeting
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and head of the UN Office in West Africa (UNOWA):
“The West African sub-region has continued to face multiple political and security challenges including elections-related tensions in a number of countries; and transnational organized crime, piracy and terrorist activities cutting across the entire subregion. The humanitarian situation in the subregion continued to be characterized by food insecurity and malnutrition, in the face of dwindling funding.”
4. Cutaway, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and head of the UN Office in West Africa (UNOWA):
“The Sahel represents the third area of fragility in West Africa as illustrated by the crisis in Mali. This region is preventing a high number of indicators of vulnerability ranging from environmental degradation, desertification, food insecurity and crisis to illicit trafficking of arms, drug trafficking and terrorism. This vulnerability of the Sahel underscores the need for a UN integrated strategy for the Sahel which shall complement efforts by the countries of the region and regional organizations to address the root causes of instability in the Sahel-Sahara belt, and its consequences.”
6. Cutaway, delegates
7. SOUNDBITE (French) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and head of the UN Office in West Africa (UNOWA):
“Piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of guinea is another regional threat to the security of the West African countries. The phenomenon is negatively affecting international maritime trade routes transiting through the area, and has a significant potential to take a toll on economic progress in both coastal and landlocked countries.”
8. Cutaway, delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (French) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and head of the UN Office in West Africa (UNOWA):
“The agreement has thus paved the way for the holding of free and transparent and inclusive legislative elections that would allow, at last, all the energies of the Government and the people of that country to be geared towards socio economic transformation and development.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council meeting ends
Coordinated efforts and enhanced regional and international cooperation are key to address the myriad sources of instability in West Africa, a United Nations envoy told the Security Council today (10 July).
Said Djinnit the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for West Africa told council members that “The West African sub-region has continued to face multiple political and security challenges including elections-related tensions in a number of countries; and transnational organized crime, piracy and terrorist activities cutting across the entire subregion.”
He added that the humanitarian situation in the subregion continued to be characterized by “food insecurity and malnutrition, in the face of dwindling funding.”
Special representative Djinnit pointed to the Council three main zones where there was instability: the Sahel region, the Gulf of Guinea and the Mano River.
Talking about the Sahel region Djinnit underlined that in addition to the crisis in Mali, the Sahel was suffering from serious environmental degradation, desertification, food insecurity and drug trafficking and terrorism.
He said that “This vulnerability of the Sahel underscores the need for a UN integrated strategy for the Sahel which shall complement efforts by countries of the region and regional organization to address the root causes of instability in the Sahel-Sahara belt, and its consequences.”
Turning to the Gulf of Guinea, Djinnit said piracy continued to be a regional threat adding that “the phenomenon is negatively affecting international maritime trade routes transiting through the area, and has a significant potential to take a toll on economic progress in both coastal and landlocked countries.”
Djinnit noted that election-related tensions also continued to affect the region, and said UNOWA remained committed to promote common grounds and understandings through its good offices, as in the case of Guinea in the Manor River region, where earlier this month the Government and opposition parties, with the support of the UN, agreed to hold legislative elections in late September.
He pointed out that the agreement had paved the way for the holding of free and transparent and inclusive legislative elections, which he added “would allow, at last, all the energies of the Government and the people of that country to be geared towards socio economic transformation and development.”
