Special Envoy Djinnit engages in several diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly in New York

22 Sep 2016

Special Envoy Djinnit engages in several diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly in New York

22 September 2016 - Special Envoy Saïd Djinnit was on official mission to New York from 19 to 23 September for consultations on new developments in the Great Lakes region. The five-day visit took place on the sidelines of the 71st Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 71) which kicked off at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, 13 September 2016.

The Special Envoy first participated in a meeting on Burundi organized by Special Adviser Jamal Benomar on 19 September. In attendance were officials representing different institutions and countries, including the European Union (EU), the International Organization of the Francophonie, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The participants discussed ways on how to better support the ongoing East African Community-led inter-Burundi dialogue facilitated by former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa.

On 20 September, Mr. Djinnit also took part in a meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) concerning the recent protests in the country and the subsequent clashes with security forces, which led to several deaths. Other participants from non-UN entities included the United Kingdom Minister for the Middle East and Africa, Tobias Ellwood; Angola Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georges Chikoti; Belgium Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Didier Reynders; United States Assistant Secretary-General for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield; and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, Smaïl Chergui.

In his introductory remarks on the DRC, Special Envoy Djinnit highlighted the progress and challenges in the current Congolese political dialogue suspended on 19 September as a result of the violent protests. The participants agreed on the need to stop immediately the violence, and encouraged all parties to resume talks as soon as possible.

While in New York, Mr. Djinnit also had bilateral meetings with Minister Chikoti and the Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Zachary Muburi-Muita, in which they discussed preparations for the upcoming high-level meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) scheduled for 26 October 2016, in Luanda, Angola.