UNREC took part in UN Presences in Central Africa, organized by UNOCA in Libreville,  Gabon

UNREC took part in UN Presences in Central Africa, organized by UNOCA in Libreville, 
Gabon. In accordance with the proposed ToRs outlined prior to the mission, UNREC attended 
the 9th Meeting of United Nations Peace and Development Advisors (PDAs) and Heads of 
United Nations entities in Central Africa, from March 14th to 17th, 2023. Overall, these 
meetings provided a valuable opportunity for UNREC to emphasize the importance of arms 
control and to integrate it into national common country analysis and sustainable development 
cooperation frameworks. The discussions also highlighted possible areas of collaboration with 
PDAs, Resident Coordinators (RCs), and other UN offices. The proposed UNSCAR project 
was well-received, and participants suggested that UNREC use similar annual meetings of UN 
PDAs and Heads of UN presences in various parts of Africa to promote disarmament and arms 
control. However, the discussions also revealed a significant knowledge and skills gap among 
UNCTs regarding ways to integrate arms control into national sustainable development 
cooperation frameworks. Addressing this gap is crucial to promoting disarmament and nonproliferation efforts in Africa, and the proposed UNSCAR project has been strongly supported 
to help bridge this gap. Participants also recommended that UNREC institutionalize its 
participation in the meetings of PDAs and Heads of UN offices to promote disarmament and 
arms control, establish contacts, and explore collaboration (see further details in the mission 
report).