UNOAU attends meeting of EU – UN Peace Support Assessment Mission to Ethiopia

On 15 March, UNOAU attended the preparatory meeting of the EU – UN Peace Support Assessment Mission to Ethiopia. The joint EU-UN mission visited Ethiopia from 15 to 22 March responding to the needs expressed by the Government of Ethiopia to assist with the identification of immediate priorities, pursuant to the Agreement on the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities signed in Pretoria on 2 November 2022. The meeting was attended by Representatives of the European Union (EU), UNDP, UNOAU/UNMAS, UNICEF, OCHA, UNWOMEN, FAO, UNOPS, and UNRCO. In his opening remarks, the EU team lead, Stefan Lock, briefed on the objective of the mission, highlighting that the assessment will provide an overview of on-going processes, key next steps and priorities of the Agreement. The UNDP Resident Representative, Turhan Saleh, stated that the assessment mission will holistically look at adopting a humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach. He informed that specific objectives of the assessment include: (i) to work with authorities to identify and prioritize peace initiatives that will deliver a quick peace dividend at the local level in the immediate and medium-term; (ii) support an inclusive and consultative process of participation, and reconciliation; and (iii) contribute to coherent international support and the creation of a shared monitoring system that can track progress against identified priorities. The UNOAU/UNMAS Mine Action Officer, in his intervention, called on the EU and UN team to support the urgent need for mine action intervention through resource mobilization and strategic advocacy.