S/PV.6281 Security Council

In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Joseph Mutaboba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau. It is so decided. I invite Mr. Mutaboba to take a seat at the Council table. In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Her Excellency Mrs. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Permanent Representative of Brazil, in her capacity as Chair of the Guinea-Bissau configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission. It is so decided. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them document S/2010/106, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on developments in Guinea-Bissau and on the activities of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in that country. At this meeting, the Security Council will hear briefings by Mr. Joseph Mutaboba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau, and Her Excellency Mrs. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Permanent Representative of Brazil, in her capacity as Chair of the Guinea-Bissau configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission. I now give the floor to Mr. Mutaboba. Mr. Mutaboba: On 1 January 2010, the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea- Bissau transitioned into the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS). It is a great privilege for me to present to the Council the first report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Integrated Mission (S/2010/106). UNIOGBIS is in its third month of operations. The Secretary-General’s report before the Council outlines the progress made in the establishment of UNIOGBIS and the remaining challenges to peace, stability and development in Guinea-Bissau. Allow me therefore to take this opportunity to update members of the Council on developments in the country since the report was prepared and, in conclusion, to make three general observations. In terms of the latest developments on the political front, on 11 February President Sanha appointed former President Yalá and the leader of the opposition party, Partido para a Renovaçao Social (PRS), to the State Council, which was a positive step that will contribute to the much-needed collaboration and inclusion among the main political parties. The National Assembly, at the request of the opposition PRS party, set up two parliamentary commissions on the revision of the Constitution and local legislation. Finally, the technical committee established by the National Assembly to organize a national dialogue process has begun its work. On regional cooperation, the Ministers of Defence of Guinea-Bissau and Senegal met in Dakar on 12 February. They agreed to review and update the bilateral security and defence cooperation agreement signed in 1975. With regard to tensions over border markers in October 2009, both sides agreed that the joint commission set up to manage border issues would meet in this month of March. With respect to the commission of inquiry, in February the Judiciary Police submitted to the Office of the Prosecutor General two reports on the assassinations of President Vieira and the Chief of General Staff in March last year. Both reports have been referred to magistrates in the Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation. In terms of socio-economic developments, State schools were disrupted by a wave of strikes by the two teaching unions at the end of February over the alleged failure of the Government to keep its side of an agreement signed with the unions over pay and conditions of service in December 2009. Finally, on the Integrated Peacebuilding Office, as a follow-up to the joint strategic planning retreat held between UNIOGBIS and the United Nations country team in early February, the United Nations system is finalizing a joint framework for peace and development in Guinea-Bissau. This joint framework will contain specific benchmarks to measure progress in peace consolidation in Guinea-Bissau. I would like now to turn to more general observations. First, the year 2010 could be a turning point for Guinea-Bissau. The country is enjoying a relatively stable political environment and growing international attention. This unprecedented window of opportunity for Guinea-Bissau should not be missed. There is a lot to be done, and the Government has continued to make progress in re-engaging the country’s international partners and pursuing its reform agenda. They are doing well, but they could do better. The pace of fiscal reform has improved and there has been progress in preparation for public administration reform. Furthermore, the Government is up to date with current salaries for the first time since 2004. It has also increased revenue collection and improved fiscal management. Guinea-Bissau is getting closer to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative completion point, which would result in debt relief of $700 million some time in November. That is slightly more than half of the country’s total debt burden. In short, with an overall African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde majority in the National Assembly, governance improvements and the prospect of debt relief, the conditions are in place for political stability and tangible improvements in the lives of the people of Guinea-Bissau in the short to medium term. Secondly, security sector reform remains at the centre of the country’s stabilization and development agenda. In the past few months, the Government, with the support of its international partners, has made some progress. The legal framework for security sector reform is now before the National Assembly, as are the plans for the defence sector pension scheme. The Security Council has given UNIOGBIS the mandate of coordinating international efforts in security sector reform. I am happy to report that the majority of the United Nations security sector reform team is now in place and that the recruitment of the remaining personnel will most likely be finalized by the end of March. In addition to implementing its overall coordination mandate, UNIOGBIS will also take a lead role in providing support to national authorities in the reform of internal security institutions, focusing on the police, and we have in fact already started this. UNIOGBIS is committed to collaborating closely with the country’s international partners in a flexible manner to ensure that our collective contributions are responsive to the needs of Guinea-Bissau. The mission will also assist national authorities and international partners in developing integrated strategies to implement holistic security sector reform programmes and mobilize resources. In this regard, I hope that the Peacebuilding Commission, under the able leadership of Ambassador Maria Luiza Viotti, Chair of the Commission’s Guinea-Bissau configuration, will also support resource mobilization efforts and strategic coherence for security sector reform efforts. Thirdly, as Council members know, Guinea- Bissau’s journey towards peace, democracy and prosperity is taking place in a very difficult regional environment. The political and security situation in West Africa remains highly precarious, and we see worrying signs of military coups, of ethnic and interreligious conflicts and of political intolerance. We also see increasing threats from international crime, illicit drug trafficking, smuggling, the unfair exploitation of natural resources and illegal fishing taking hold in West Africa. Given the interdependence of most countries in the subregion, this could further threaten Guinea-Bissau’s stability at a time when we think it is on the right track. On the other hand, a successful and peaceful Guinea-Bissau could have a positive influence on developments in the region. Peace consolidation in Guinea-Bissau continues to require collective and timely action. In this regard, I would welcome continued support from the Security Council in ensuring the constructive and coordinated engagement of all stakeholders. I thank you, Sir, and the members of the Council for your consideration.

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Mrs. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti. Mrs. Viotti: I would like to start by extending a very warm welcome to Ambassador Li Baodong, the new Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations. We look forward to working very closely with him. I thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to brief the Council today in my capacity as Chair of the Guinea-Bissau configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). I welcome the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Joseph Mutaboba, and thank him for his remarks and, most important, for the work he has been doing in the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea- Bissau (UNIOGBIS). Since I last briefed the Security Council on the relevant activities of the PBC, in November 2009 (see S/PV.6212), the Commission has maintained its engagement with Guinea-Bissau in several ways. The National Peacebuilding Steering Committee concluded the first review of the Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau. The review’s final report confirmed the validity of the priorities established, assessed the progress achieved in pursuing them and signalled the way forward in critical peacebuilding areas. Based on that assessment, PBC members drafted and approved a document (PBC/4/GNB/3) with conclusions and recommendations for all actors involved in peace consolidation in Guinea-Bissau. The Commission formally adopted the document at the beginning of February. From 18 to 21 January, a delegation from the PBC, headed by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil, Ambassador Regina Maria Cordeiro Dunlop, visited Bissau and reiterated the Commission’s continued support to the peacebuilding process in the country. The report of the field trip (PBC/4/GNB/4) provides an analysis of the situation on the ground and a road map for the Commission’s actions in specific priority areas. The inauguration of President Malam Bacai Sanhá in September 2009 and the formation of a new Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Júnior were hailed by many observers as the beginning of new phase for Guinea-Bissau. There was growing recognition that the conditions are now right for the country to launch a much-needed process of reconciliation and for stability to take hold. We are pleased to note the progress made since then. The National Assembly has taken the lead in the organization of a national reconciliation dialogue. The event will bring together all national stakeholders in a series of debates on the root causes of conflict and will help to forge a common understanding and a vision for the future of the country. Security sector reform has gained momentum. The Government has submitted to the National Assembly a number of bills that will provide the legal framework within which the reform will take place. The fact that Guinea-Bissau has adopted the 2010 budget in a timely manner for the first time in many years and has improved fiscal management and normalized the payment of public servants is very encouraging. So is the record performance in the export of cashew nuts, which illustrates the economic potential the country has yet to achieve. This emerging positive economic and financial picture was also reflected in the International Monetary Fund’s conclusion, after the field mission to Bissau last January, that there are good prospects for moving from the current post-conflict emergency assistance into a medium-term programme. This could provide the impetus for reaching the long-awaited completion point under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. As we take the next steps of our engagement on peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau, one of the most important tasks is the launching of a pension fund that will allow the security sector reform programme to move forward. The Peacebuilding Commission should be able to strongly support the creation of such a fund. In Guinea-Bissau, as in other post-conflict countries, the interconnection between the security and economic dimensions of peacebuilding is evident. It is, therefore, important to combine efforts on the security side with measures that aim at job creation, especially among youth, and promote the revitalization of the economy. These actions will, in turn, generate revenues that will enable the State not only to fulfil its role of ensuring the rule of law but also to provide basic services to the population. The projects financed by the Peacebuilding Fund are now on track. In order for the Fund to have a positive impact on the ground, it is our duty to make sure that the implementing agencies are endowed with the necessary human resources to execute these and other projects the country needs so much. The youth employment project supported by the Peacebuilding Fund has been very successful in providing training for a number of very talented young people on how to start small businesses. It would be important to find ways of supporting its continuation, perhaps through microcredit schemes that would allow them to put what they have learned into practice. The time has come to expedite work on the approval of a second tranche of Peacebuilding Fund resources for Guinea-Bissau. The message has to be one of political support, of using the catalytic role of the Fund to attract more resources for the country in order to consolidate gains and make more progress at this crucial stage of peacebuilding. It is important to work around issues of absorptive capacity so as to take full advantage of the Fund’s capacity to reinforce the work of the PBC in a country that has been considered an aid orphan. Coordination remains an important requirement to ensure the success of peacebuilding actions in Guinea-Bissau. It becomes even more important as the Government starts planning for a donors’ round table that will have security sector reform as one of its main targets. The PBC is willing to support the Government in such an initiative. Institution-building continues to be an important part of our efforts. Strengthening the capacity of law enforcement agencies remains a high priority, especially taking into account that drug trafficking is still a matter of serious concern. We appreciate bilateral and multilateral actions in this field and look forward to the full implementation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) anti- drugs regional plan. In this connection, we welcome the launching of the West Africa Coast Initiative by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime together with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the United Nations Office for West Africa/Department of Political Affairs, INTERPOL and ECOWAS. Its focus on the creation of transnational crimes units, which will enable countries in the region to share information and intelligence, is certainly a major step forward in enhancing cooperation to combat drug trafficking. We appreciate the strengthening of the United Nations presence in Guinea-Bissau through the new Integrated Office. We hope that UNIOGBIS can fill all the new positions and be fully operational as soon as possible. Despite the remaining challenges, Guinea-Bissau has recently made significant progress. We should seize this opportunity and step up our support to the concerted efforts in enhancing stability and promoting development. I invite all concerned parties, including the Peacebuilding Fund, to reaffirm, in concrete terms, their commitment to peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau.

I thank Mrs. Viotti for her briefing. I now give the floor to the representative of Guinea-Bissau.

I should like, Mr. President, to thank you and to convey our great pleasure at seeing you, the eminent representative of the Gabonese Republic, presiding over the work of the Council during the month of March. I am convinced that, owing to your spirit of brotherly cooperation and to the diligence and, above all, the comprehension of Council members — and I convey my greetings to the new members — the Council will give careful consideration to the report of the Secretary-General (S/2010/106) before it. As the Special Representative of the Secretary- General just recalled, Guinea-Bissau has come a long way. It has to be said, and we should celebrate this, that substantial progress has been made in strengthening democracy and promoting a culture of peace and dialogue, but above all in establishing a political climate of accountability and good governance that will help create conditions that favour lasting development. As members will have noted, what emerges from the report of the Secretary-General is that Guinea- Bissau is on the road to political stability. Guinea- Bissau has worked with great determination to establish a mechanism to firmly enable good governance, the rigorous management of public funds through the rigorous monitoring of all tax revenues, which has had evident success, as Mr. Mutaboba has just noted. For the first time since 2004, the Government of Guinea-Bissau was able to ensure the regular payment of salaries, which represents substantial progress since the payment of salaries, as Council members know, contributes to the building of the psychological climate necessary for peace and stability in a country insofar as it is salaries that enable families to live decent lives. Here I should like to emphasize in particular the effort being made in Guinea-Bissau — by both the President and the Prime Minister — to ensure the harmonious management of State affairs, and, moreover, to ensure that there can be understanding and dialogue, along with an inclusive political climate, which is open to other stakeholders, especially other political parties, and in which they too can make their contribution to building a Guinea-Bissau that favours peace and development. In this respect, it is important to take note of what Mr. Mutaboba just recalled: the fact that the President of the Republic invited the former President, Mr. Kumba Yala, to take part in the State Council, which clearly shows the good intentions, and above all the determination, of the leaders of Guinea-Bissau to promote an inclusive political climate. This policy of inclusion responds to the need to ensure ongoing dialogue in Guinea-Bissau. That is why, at present, all actors and stakeholders — the Government, civil society, young people and women — are participating in organizing what we hope will be a national reconciliation conference. This conference will be centred on topics focusing not only on the concerns of the people but also on the need to ensure that together, through fruitful dialogue, we can get to the right solutions that will allow us to establish lasting political stability and mechanisms opening the way for sustainable development. Everyone in the country must realize that, without dialogue, without the participation by all and without the contributions of all the sons and daughters of Guinea-Bissau, promoting development will not be possible. I should also like to say that defence and security sector reform efforts are under way. The Council will have realized that everything in Guinea-Bissau is a matter of top priority. But among the great number of priorities, defence and security sector reform is a pre- eminent one, to which we are devoting enormous effort and particular care. In this regard, I should like to thank the international community, including the European Union, for the invaluable cooperation that our development partners are providing us, in particular with regard to security and defence sector reform. However, while we are aware that defence and security sector reform is necessary and indispensable, it is not enough on its own. We must proceed, as we are doing, to a much broader reform, including of public administration, so that the skills needed to face all the challenges we have to address together in Guinea- Bissau are in place where and when they are needed. That is why, as I said earlier, we have begun to establish mechanisms that allow us to meticulously manage public funds to ensure that what little we have is spent in an intelligent way and so that, through transparent accounting, the people of Guinea-Bissau can have trust in their leaders and be aware of the Government’s praiseworthy efforts to meet their most urgent needs. I should also like point out that we are making efforts relating to the need to combat drug trafficking in our country. Here too, substantial progress has been seen thanks again to reform of the justice sector and in particular of the judicial police, which, today, equipped with far more substantial resources, is tackling this scourge which affects us all due to its nature as a scourge afflicting the entire region. For that reason, I welcome the fact that the West African region has decided to join in these efforts and place all available energy and resources at our disposal to address this scourge. From us, this requires firm discipline, joint efforts and good coordination. We are counting on the international community to support us in these efforts. The challenges are many, and despite my Government’s endeavours and despite our awareness of the need to redouble our efforts to shoulder our primary responsibility to establish the structures needed to transform Guinea-Bissau into a stable country that can contribute to peace and stability in the subregion. We need international assistance in overcoming all of the many obstacles before us. I am counting on Security Council members to urge the rest of the international community to provide sustained support for the efforts that we ourselves are making in Guinea-Bissau. I take this opportunity, once again, to thank the members of the Security Council for the interest they have always shown in Guinea-Bissau. I believe that, on the basis of the excellent report of the Secretary- General and the excellent clarifications provided this morning by Mr. Mutaboba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and by Ambassador Viotti, Chair of the Guinea-Bissau configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, Council members will have a clear and up-to-date idea of the progress achieved in my country. I confident that the Council will continue to provide the necessary support so that we can complete all the reforms on which we have embarked, so that we can continue all the necessary efforts, and so that we can be worthy of the trust the Council has placed in us.

There are no further speakers on my list. In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.