Mbuji Mayi, 24 September 2012 – On 18 September 2012 in Mbuji Mayi, capital of Kasaï Oriental province, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Roger Meece, presided over the official ceremony for the deployment of Area Coordinators of Joint Offices of the United Nations system for Kasaï Oriental, Kasaï Occidental and Bas-Congo provinces.

Mr. Meece was accompanied by his deputy, Fidèle Sarassoro, who is also UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Democratic Republic of Congo. The ceremony was also attended by several members of the Congolese government, and the ambassadors of the United States and Canada.

The establishment of Area Coordinators is consistent with Decision No 2008/24 of the Secretary-General on an integrated approach to the United Nations action in conflict or post-conflict areas. The new approach, which defines for the UN a new way of working in the field, aims at maximizing the individual and collective impact of the UN's response by reducing the costs of operations. This initiative will contribute to reinforcing coordination between the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and members of the Country Team, which is composed of UN agencies. .

The United Nations Joint Offices in Kasai Oriental, Kasaï Occidental and Bas-Congo, which represent the first selected provinces to benefit from this new approach, will also, serve as a test in implementing this approach. In these three provinces located in the western part of the country, the priorities are geared towards peace consolidation and development. In these relatively stable areas where MONUSCO has started a drawdown, the Mission will gradually transfer responsibilities to UN agencies, which will continue to play their traditional role in support of national institutions.

Piergiorgio Paglialonga/ MONUSCO