By IANS,
United Nations : India wants the United Nations to become a more effective partner of the African Union in resolution of African conflicts.”The relevant UN agencies should support the regional and sub-regional organizations and assist in their capacity building and in facilitating their implementation,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Puri said Tuesday.
He was participating in a UN Security Council open debate on impact of transnational organized crime on peace, security and stability in West Africa and the Sahel region.
The UN offices in the region, including UNOWA, UNOCA and UNOAU, should look into practical and concrete ways to strengthen the efforts of the national governments and regional institutions and bring greater coherence and coordination, Puri said.
While countries in West Africa and the Sahel are more democratic today than in the past and have achieved respectable rates of economic growth, they continue to suffer from a number of problems which have political, security and socio-economic dimensions, he said.
“The importance of an enduring peace, security and stability in West Africa and the Sahel region cannot, therefore be overemphasized,” he said. “Addressing these problems will not only help the region but also have a positive effect on democracy and development in Africa as a whole.”
Noting that a number of countries in the region, including Mali, Senegal and Guinea Bissau, face crucial elections this year, Puri expressed the hope that elections will be held in a peaceful manner and further strengthen the roots of democracy in these countries and the larger region.