UN Under Secretary General visits Burundi in mid-December - SRSG

17 Nov 2014

UN Under Secretary General visits Burundi in mid-December - SRSG

14 November 2014 - United Nations Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, is expected to visit Burundi in mid-December for talks with Burundian authorities and takes part in the ceremony marking the closure of the United Nations Office in Burundi (BNUB).

Speaking at press conference on Friday in Bujumbura, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Burundi, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga said that USG Feltman will attend a round table between Burundian government and its partners focusing on the assistance to the country, in 11-12 December 2014 and co-chair the BNUB UN flag lowering ceremony BNUB, in 12 December.

The closure of BNUB is stated in Security Council 2137 resolution which also refers to the transition of BNUB to a UN country team. BNUB was inaugurated in January 2011 to assist the Government in facilitating political dialogue, protection and promotion of human rights, support the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms and reinforcement on institutional capacities, among others.

The Special Representative and Head of BNUB also reminded that if BNUB is closing, the United Nations will remain in Burundi through the country team as well as a Human Rights Office and the UN Electoral Mission in Burundi (MENUB), which will be operational on 1st January 2015. "The flag lowering ceremony marks the termination of BNUB's mandate but not the end of UN presence in Burundi. We remain absolutely committed through our different representations. The end of an office brings a number of challenges. It will be our responsibility to further enhance our ability to assist and support Burundi in this extremely sensitive phase with 2015 elections approaching," said Onanga-Anyanga.

BNUB's transition to the country team will discussed on 20 November 2014, in Bujumbura, at a meeting between the Government of Burundi, bilateral and multilateral partners and the United Nations.