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UN Security Council welcomes renewal of peacebuilding office in Central African Republic

15 December 2010 03:06 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN Security Council on Tuesday expressed approval of the renewal of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA) for a year, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

The approval was contained in a presidential statement adopted at an open meeting of the 15-nation Security Council.

The statement also said that BINUCA, which would have otherwise expired at the end of this year, should continue its work in supporting disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The Security Council "encourages the international community, including BINUCA, to provide timely and adequate support to the process."

The statement also thanked the international community for its work in the CAR.

"It welcomes in particular, the important work of BINUCA, under the leadership of the special representative of the secretary- general, Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde, and the efforts of the Peacebuilding Commission in advising and advocating for coordinated international support to address core peacebuilding priorities including elections and disarmament, demobilization and integration," the statement said.

The CAR has experienced threats from local and international armed groups like the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP). CPJP staged attacks on July 19 and Nov. 24, which the Council statement condemned.

Upcoming presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 23, 2011 will pose another challenge for the CAR, Susan Rice, the U.S. UN ambassador who holds the rotating Council presidency for December, told the Council.

UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon stated in his latest report to the Security Council on the CAR that BINUCA should see the country through the upcoming electoral process.

BINUCA will be up for renewal again when its new mandate ends on Dec. 31, 2011.