UN official inspects Darfur peacekeeping liaison office

January 31, 2009 (ADDIS ABABA) – The head of the UN peacekeeping department and the chief of Darfur hybrid peacekeeping mission, Rodophe Adada, visited today the office of the AU-UN coordination body.

The Joint Support Coordination Mechanism (JSCM) office in Addis Ababa was conceived at the first ever working level meeting on the conceptualization of UNAMID in Addis Ababa on 23 January 2007.

The visit of Alain Le Roy aimed to inspect the operational experience since it was established in November 2008. The JSCM mission is to facilitate liaison between the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the AU Peace and Security commission on matters related to deployment operations of UNAMID.

During the visit, Le Roy stressed that the UN was determined to strengthen AU capacities to mount peacekeeping operations across Africa successfully at a time when the world body was in the process innovating new responses to different challenges.

The JSCM is seen as an important tool in the UN-Au partnership for effective communication, coordination and information-sharing, he said, in a meeting with staff who took the opportunity to express their views on the significance of the new office.

Le Roy also met today with Ramtane Lamamra the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security at the AU Headquarters to discuss the latest developments in Darfur and Somalia.

The meeting was attended by Rodophe Adada who had held a working session earlier with Commissioner Lamamra to review UNAMID ongoing efforts to implement its mandate.

(ST)