SRSG Sori-Coulibaly wanted to hear the perspective and views of civil society about the situation in the country and that they can be integrated in her good offices and mission reports.

The SRSG assured that the United Nations remains committed to the peace-building process in Guinea-Bissau and maintains permanent contact with authorities and political leaders. She highlighted the role of the United Nations in coordinating international partners with national authorities, through the high-level committee for monitoring the electoral process.

As for political dialogue, Ms. Sori-Coulibaly indicated that ECOWAS has the leadership, and that the concerted action of the international community is done at the level of the P5. “The United Nations is accountable to the Security Council, and this also requires quieter diplomacy that is sometimes not noticeable and involves analytical and reporting work so that concrete actions can be taken. “, explained the SRSG Regarding the COVID response, the SRSG assured that the United Nations in Guinea-Bissau, and in particular the Deputy Representative of the Secretary General, WHO, WFP and UNICEF have been at the forefront to support the response against COVID.

The CSOs informed on their current actions for dialogue and also to support the COVID response and provided their views on the current situation which became more complex with the emergence of the pandemic.

They have expressed willingness to continue engaged and to work with the UN and partners to promote dialogue and stability and stated that their engagement must built on previous initiatives such as the Stability pact which was signed in February 2019.

In an effort to implement its mandate, as set in UNSC resolution 2512 (2020), and in the women peace and security agenda, in the face of a challenging environment, UNIOGBIS adopted a multileveled approach, combining high level good offices (in coordination with the P5, and promotion of civil society re-engagement in political dialogue.