Oslo, 28 November 2016 – Special Envoy Said Djinnit travelled to Norway on 27-28 November to meet with several authorities, including stakeholders in the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework agreement for the Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the region. The discussions focused primarily on the situation in the DRC and ways to support ongoing political mediation efforts led by the Conference Episcopale Nationale du Congo (CENCO) in the country’s electoral process with a view to averting violence. Mr. Djinnit also discussed with his interlocutors the level of cooperation between his office and Norway to promote peace and stability in Africa’s Great Lakes region. He expressed appreciation for Norway’s support to his office.

While in the Norwegian capital, the Special Envoy met on 27 November with Christian Nellemann, the director of the Rhipto-Norwegian Center for Global Analyses. Mr. Nellemann is engaged in the preparation of the high level forum on natural resources planned by the Office of the Special Envoy for the second half of 2017.

Then on 28 November, Mr. Djinnit exchanged with Daniella Woldemichael, Deputy Managing Director of the Norwegian-African Business Association (NABA), to discuss preparations for the next Private Sector Investment Conference planned for end 2017 in Rwanda. Also on 28 November, the Special Envoy held discussions with representatives of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on coordination matters in the Great Lakes region, especially regarding durable solutions for refugees and IDPs; Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and women’s empowerment, including engagement with the Great Lakes Women’s Forum; and cross-border youth exchanges and confidence building in the region.

The Special Envoy also exchanged with Hilde Wallacher, Advocacy Advisor to the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), on its support for gender and youth projects with over $ US10 million allocated to the DRC and Burundi.

Mr. Djinnit finally met with several officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Foreign Minister Børge Brende, to exchange on priority areas, and to support project and objectives specifically in the ministry’s sections for Southern and Central Africa, UN Policy, Horn of Africa, and West Africa.