Thursday 17 November: International Conference for the Central African Republic

The news:

On 17 November, the International conference for the Central African Republic will take place in Brussels, organised jointly by the European Union i and the Central African Government.

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini i and the President of the Central African Republic, Professor Faustin Archange Touadéra, will jointly chair the conference, which will be attended by ministers and high-level representatives from international organizations.

The conference aims at mobilising the international community in order to generate political support and concrete commitments to support the Central African Republic's authorities' ambitious agenda to achieve peace, security and reconciliation across the country, as well as to promote development and economic recovery.

Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva i*, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica i and Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides i will also take the floor.

The background:

Emerging from one of the worst conflicts in its history, the Central African Republic has made impressive progress in the last three years; after a difficult political transition, new elections took place peacefully and constitutional order has been restored.

However, significant and urgent challenges remain. With support from the World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union, the Government of the Central African Republic has come up with a Plan for Recovery and Peace-building for the next five years. The conference will be an opportunity for the international community to provide the support needed for the implementation of this plan and the stabilisation of the country.

The European Union itself has already mobilised considerable support for the Central African Republic since 2013, including the EU's first multi-donors Trust Fund (Bêkou) whose activities have benefitted 500.000 people.

The events:

High Representative/Vice-President will co-chair the conference with the President of the Central African Republic, who will present the country's plan for recovery and peace-building. The role of development in a fragile context will be presented by Jan. Walliser, Vice-President of the World Bank*. The United Nations' Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson will present the role of the United Nations in the stabilisation of the Central African Republic. Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica and Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides will also take the floor.

Partners will be invited to pledge additional support to contribute to the implementation of the plan for recovery and peace-building in the Central African Republic.

Two side events - a workshop for civil society and religious platforms and a working lunch with the private sector - will also take place on 16 and 18 November respectively in view of the importance of these stakeholders for the future of the country.

Sources:

Information on the Brussels Conference for CAR: http://www.eeas.europa.eu/rcaconf

Follow the conference on Twitter: #RCAConf

Fact sheet: The European Union's comprehensive approach in the Central African Republic (2013-2016)

CAR Presidency web page: http://presidence.govcf.org/

EU in CAR: https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/central-african-republic_en

ECHO: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/where/sub-saharan-africa/central-african-republic_fr

DEVCO: https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/countries/central-african-republic_en

EUTM RCA: http://eeas.europa.eu/csdp/missions-and-operations/eutm-rca/index_en.htm

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  As updated on 11 November 2016

AGENDA/16/3628