Member States of the PBC’s newly established Guinea configuration convened on 26 April for a briefing by the configuration Chair, Amb. Sylvie Lucas of Luxembourg, on her recent mission visit to (and subsequent report on) Guinea from 3 – 10 April.In her briefing, the Chair noted three essential priorities for peacebuilding in Guinea, to be incorporated into the final ‘Statement of Mutual Commitments for Peacebuilding in Guinea’, namely: national reconciliation; security sector reform (SSR); and youth and women’s employment.
The Chair, accompanied by the Assistant-Secretary-General (ASG) of the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins, met with the President of the Republic of Guinea and other key members of the Guinean government, as well as the UN country team in Guinea and the sub-region (UNOWA).They also met with local authorities, political party representatives and civil society organizations (including women’s organizations, local NGOs, trade unions and media organizations).
Peacebuilding Priorities
National Reconciliation Government authorities and other national stakeholders, along with the Chair of the Guinea configuration, identified national reconciliation as the “priority of priorities” for peacebuilding in the country.Despite a lack of clearly defined conflict in its recent history (making Guinea a unique addition to the PBC’s agenda) the country remains fragile as it processes the aftermath of a series of repressive regimes, consistent violations of human rights, as well as continued ethnic tension within its borders.
The Chair identified several key initiatives for a multidimensional approach to reconciliation in Guinea, including:
The establishment of a ‘Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission’ to address the events and aftermath of 28 September 2009, in which 157 protestors against the then-junta government, died and another 1,253 were injured;
Integration of women as ‘full-fledged actors’ in the peacebuilding and reconciliation process;
Promoting dialogue between not only political actors, but community-level stakeholders as well;
The organization of a ‘national conference on reconciliation’ as an opportunity to reach consensus within Guinea on the direction of national reconciliation efforts.The Chair suggested that the PBC could assist in organizing and directing the conference.
Security Sector Reform (SSR) An effort that is already partly underway in Guinea is its process of reforming the security sector.Based on last year’s evaluation on SSR conducted jointly by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and the UN, a national seminar on security sector reform was held on 28 – 31 March 2011.Efforts to establish a National Steering Committee on SSR are underway, as well as the organization of a donor conference to examine outstanding funding needs and opportunities/ mechanisms to ensure consistency among various SSR initiatives.
The Chair proposed a special meeting of the Guinea configuration to discuss the topic of SSR in the coming weeks – potentially to be paired with an investigation of demilitarizing the government administration in pursuit of a healthy justice sector in Guinea.
Youth and Women’s Employment In the discussion, the Chair emphasized youth and women’s employment as an essential priority for the country moving forward.From the perspective of the PBC as an assistance body the Commission must focus its efforts on mitigating such pervasive elements undermining lasting peace in Guinea.The lack of an integrated approach toward youth employment, as well as poor training resources in the country, has resulted in little progress in this area.Of particular importance in improving the approach, the Chair stressed, is the integration of the private sector into the job creation process – offering opportunities to youth and women.Possible initiatives for the future in this regard include the establishment of a dialogue with the mining/ private sector to assess labor needs and training opportunities.In line with the ongoing review of Guinea’s national mining code, the PBC may also play a role in facilitating a fresh look at the social responsibilities of the mining/private sector in Guinea – setting up programs and facilities to ensure that these responsibilities are met.
Women’s organizing on both the political and economic levels has been more successful than youth organizing in Guinea.Among efforts already underway in Guinea, a strategic plan for implementing Security Council resolutions 1325 and 1820 on Women, Peace and Security is in place, together with a national strategy to fight gender-based violence.Improving women’s access to policy and legislative structures, as well as women’s economic empowerment should be the main priorities of the PBC in this regard, the Chair emphasized.
Next Steps The Chair closed her remarks with a look toward upcoming activities of the configuration.Discussions on the drafting of basic documents for Guinea’s Statement of Mutual Commitments, as well as a political support document, and a revised priority plan for peacebuilding will take place during a technical mission visit from 2 – 6 May.
On the agenda for forthcoming meetings of the configuration, will be discussions on mobilizing funds for peacebuilding in Guinea, the role of existing structures in the peacebuilding process, and the possibility of a more permanent PBC presence in Guinea (in the form of peacebuilding experts within the UN country team).Lastly, the Guinea configuration will address the issue of appointing a focal point for peacebuilding at the national government level – to facilitate constructive and consistent communication between the PBC and the Guinean authorities.
