Abuja, 28th October 2019. Experts from the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) are meeting to discuss integration matters as they affect regional development.

The two-Day Desk-to-Desk (D2D) meeting, which commenced at the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters on the 28th of October 2019, in Abuja, Nigeria, will enable participants deepen their cooperation with regards to good governance, early warning, conflict prevention, elections, human rights, youth empowerment, gender, security sector reform, terrorism and violent extremism, maritime security and transhumance, among others.

Welcoming participants to the meeting, the Director, Political Affairs of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Remi Ajibewa restated the commitment of the regional organisation to collaborating with partners such as UNOWAS, the governments and citizens of West Africa to ensure peace and stability in the region.

He stressed the overriding importance of creating a borderless, peaceful and coherent region where potentials are actualised through the creation of opportunities for sustainable development and environmental preservation as the region looks forward to credible elections in six Member States in 2020.

Also speaking at the opening of the meeting, Director, Political Affairs, UNOWAS Mr. Roland Kouassi Amoussouga-Gero lamented that despite efforts at both the national and regional levels, the ECOWAS region continues to face several peace and security challenges including election and governance related tensions and issues.

According to Mr. Amoussouga-Gero, UNOWAS is eagerly looking forward to meaningful discussions with ECOWAS on the next steps in the implementation of the Action Plan announced at the Ouagadougou summit on September 2019 including how the UN system’s regional entities can contribute to its roll out.

Others issues to be discussed at the meeting include insecurity and trans-national threats, border cooperation with regional organisations and partners including the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin (LCB) and joint planning and programming for year 2020.