Security Council Press Statement on Guinea-Bissau

The members of the Security Council heard a briefing by the Special

Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations
Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), Mr.
Modibo Ibrahim Tour, who provided an update on the situation in
Guinea-Bissau, on 30 August 2016.
The members of the Council expressed their serious concern over the
political impasse in Guinea-Bissau and urged national actors to abide
by the Constitution and the rule of law, while striving to find a political
solution to the crisis through good-faith dialogue. They urged the
security forces of Guinea-Bissau to maintain their non-interference in
the political situation, to continue the restraint shown in this regard,
and maintain respect for civilian control.
The members of the Security Council stressed the urgent need to
ensure a functioning government and welcomed the ongoing dialogue
among key national stakeholders, including between the PAIGC and the
PRS. They further urged them to work towards that end and underlined
the importance of ensuring stability throughout the current
parliamentary term.
The members of the Security Council stressed the need for the
Government of Guinea-Bissau to work to restore the confidence of
development partners by resolving the political impasse. They invited
donors to fulfil their pledges made at the Brussels Round Table held in
March 2015, bearing in mind the impact of the political impasse on the
implementation of their commitments.
They called on them to consider, in consultation with the Government of
Guinea-Bissau, devising innovative strategies contributing to the
delivery of social services to the people of Guinea-Bissau whose living
conditions have been greatly affected by the political impasse.
The members of the Security Council recalled the decision taken by the
forty-ninth Ordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and
Government of the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) held in Dakar on 4 June 2016, to designate a
presidential mission to Bissau comprising the Heads of State of Guinea,
Senegal and Sierra Leone. They reiterated their support and stressed

the urgency of the deployment of such a mission and look forward to its
outcomes.
The members of the Security Council commended the important efforts
of ECOWAS and encouraged ECOWAS to extend its political support to
the political process in Guinea-Bissau through the use of good offices
and mediation.
They further welcomed the renewal of the mandate of ECOMIB bearing
in mind its important role in maintaining stability in Guinea-Bissau. In
this respect, they commended the decision of the European Union to
provide financial support to this Mission.
The members of the Security Council welcomed the joint efforts by
international partners, in particular the United Nations, African Union,
ECOWAS, European Union and the Community of Portuguese-language
Speaking Countries (CPLP), to enhance cooperation in support of the
Government in Guinea-Bissau and encouraged them to continue
working together towards the countrys stabilization and the building of
strong and credible institutions in accordance with the key structural
reforms in the defence, security and justice sectors establish by the
Government. In this regard, they acknowledged the role of the
Peacebuilding Commission in enhancing these efforts to support the
long-term peacebuilding, including institution-building, priorities of
Guinea-Bissau.
The members of the Security Council also noted the challenge of
fighting illicit drug trafficking and organized crimes and urged positive
engagement by the Bissau-Guinean authorities and the support by the
international donors in this regard.
The members of the Security Council further encouraged ECOWAS and
the CPLP to take the necessary steps towards organizing a meeting of
the International Contact Group on Guinea-Bissau, in consultation
with all concerned stakeholders.
The members of the Security Council reiterated their commitment to
continue to monitor the current political crisis and expressed their
readiness to take necessary measures to respond to further worsening
of the situation in Guinea-Bissau.

4 September 2016