The President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. General Birame Diop, received a United Nations delegation led by Ambassador Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), on a courtesy visit to the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja, 3 November 2026, where both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation on counter-terrorism, conflict prevention and sustainable peace.

Discussions focused on strengthening collaboration between ECOWAS and UNOWAS through the development of effective frameworks to address terrorism, insecurity and conflict across West Africa and the Sahel. Both parties also emphasized the need for improved communication, regular consultations and stronger channels of engagement between the two institutions to enhance coordination and ensure a more effective regional response to emerging challenges.

The meeting also underscored the importance of closer cooperation between ECOWAS and UNOWAS, given their complementary mandates and shared commitment to peace, security and development. In this regard, the parties highlighted the need to ensure UNOWAS’s continued engagement in high-level meetings and strategic discussions to promote policy alignment and coordinated interventions.

Other issues discussed included irregular migration, particularly its impact on African youth; growing insecurity and terrorism; and boundary demarcation as a means of improving cross-border relations. The discussions further addressed water resource management for human consumption, livestock and agricultural development.

Both institutions called for increased advocacy, public awareness and citizen sensitization on peacebuilding, conflict prevention and resilience-building, recognizing the critical role of communities in sustaining peace and stability.

The visit reaffirmed the shared resolve of ECOWAS and the United Nations to deepen institutional cooperation and advance collective efforts towards a peaceful, secure and prosperous West Africa and the Sahel.