16 Jan 2012

UN / WEST AFRICA

UN Special Representative for West Africa Said Djinnit said today that the situation there is improving and that a number of states have held credible elections. However, he cautioned that piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, organised crime and drug trafficking and groups like Boko Harum in Nigeria continue to pose serious threats to the region. UNTV

Posted at: January 16, 2012 3:55 pm

Duration: 03:16

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / WEST AFRICA
TRT: 3.16
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 16 JANUARY 2011, NEW YORK

SHOTLIST:

FILE – 2011, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters

16 JANUARY 2011, NEW YORK

2. Wide shot, Security Council Headquarters
3. Cutaway, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa (UNOWA):
"Never the less the situation still calls for us to remain weary as progress continues to be tenuous as recent events in Guinea Bissau demonstrated countries in the sub region are vulnerable to incidents which could jeopardize progress in peace building, democracy and stability. Along the same lines worrisome developments could come to the forefront such as an upswing in the activities of the Boko Haran group in Nigeria which weigh heavily on peace and security in this country which is a lynch pin in Africa."
5. Cutaway, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (French) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa (UNOWA):
"While West African countries have been spared of conflicts and violent crisis's in the reporting period they have nevertheless had to tackle a re emergence of trans-border threats. A significant increase in piracy acts in the Gulf of Guinea, during the reporting period, are a new threat to security and development for the states of the region."
7. Cutaway, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (French) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa (UNOWA):
"The humanitarian and security consequences of the Libyan crisis continue to be a matter of great concern as they have aggravated chronic instability in the sub-region in particular in the Sahel region. Leaders whom I met during a visit that I undertook in the Sahel region in October 2011 in particular Presidents of Mali and Niger underscored that their countries are already facing significant challenges in particular cyclic drought, food insecurity, youth unemployment and insecurity in northern regions of their country. Today they are bearing a new burden brought about by economic and security problems brought about by the Libyan crisis."
9. Cutaway, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (French) Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa (UNOWA):
"Efforts made to shore up security and sub-regional security could be useless if the scourge of drug trafficking and organized crime undermine state institutions and societies that are already fragile in West Africa. These scourges must be taken up with determination and consistency. Here increased political mobilization and wholehearted cooperation in production countries, transit countries and destination countries is absolutely necessary."
11. Cutaway, delegates
12. Wide shot, Security Council meeting ends

STORYLINE:

The United Nations (UN) Special Representative for West Africa (UNOWAS) Said Djinnit said the situation there was improving and that a number of states have held credible elections. However, he cautioned that piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, organised crime and drug trafficking and groups like Boko Harum in Nigeria continue to pose serious threats to the region.

Briefing the Security Council today, he also warned that "the situation still calls for us to remain weary as progress continues to be tenuous." Recent events in Guinea- Bissau he said demonstrated that countries in the sub region were vulnerable to incidents which could jeopardize progress in peace building, democracy and stability.

While West African countries have been spared of conflict and violent crises during the past months, Djinnit noted that the sudden rise in piracy acts were "a new threat to security and development for the states of the region."

He also said that the security and humanitarian consequences from the Libyan crisis continued to be a matter of great concern as they have aggravated "chronic instability in the sub-region in particular in the Sahel region."

Djinnit recalled that leaders he had met during a visit to the Sahel region in October last year had underscored that their countries were already facing significant challenges.

In particular: cyclic drought, food insecurity, youth unemployment and insecurity in northern regions of their country and today, Djinnit said, they had to also deal with the economic and security problems brought about by the Libyan crisis.

He also stressed that efforts to step up security and sub-regional security would be useless if "the scourge of drug trafficking and organized crime undermine state institutions and societies that are already fragile in West Africa."

He stressed that in that area, increased political mobilization and wholehearted cooperation in producing countries, transit countries and destination countries was necessary.