BANGUI - The United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) chief has urged all member states to get involved in efforts to restore security in the region.
Head of the UNOCA Abou Moussa was speaking during the opening of the 33rd edition of the UN's permanent consultative ministerial committee on security issues on Monday.
He said in order for the Central African states to end conflicts experienced in the region in the recent years and to defeat rebel groups such as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) of Joseph Kony, there is need for regional cooperation between states and reinforcement of partnership with the UN in the area of "preventive diplomacy."
The UN official explained that during the last UN meeting on the LRA, the Security Council adopted various approaches which will help effectively overcome peace and security challenges.
He said a roadmap and a strategy document based on these approaches are in the process of finalization.
The 33rd forum will discuss, among other issues, the geopolitical and security situation in Central Africa, the promotion of disarmament and programs to reduce the spread of light weapons, the promotion of peace and the fight against crime in Central Africa, examine the financial situation, the impact of climate change on peace and security in Central Africa and also examine the impact of exploitation of natural resources on peace and security in the region.
The UNOCA works in three main domains which include promotion of cooperation between the United Nations and states, sub-regional organizations and other sub-regional partners in order to assist them to promote peace and stability in the region.
The second domain is UNOCA's assistance in the prevention of conflicts as well as consolidation of peace, and the third domain is reinforcement of coordination between the UN entities operating in the sub-region and other organizations to be able to come up with an integrated regional approach on issues of peace and security.
Moussa said that UNOCA has the UN mandate to fight against LRA rebels in countries where this Ugandan rebel group is operating in.
The Bangui meeting which is scheduled to end on Friday, brings together delegates from 11 member states of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEAAC) which include Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad. (Xinhua)