Dakar, 12 September 2023 – The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simao, hosted, on 12 September 2023 in Dakar, Senegal, the 38th. Meeting of the Heads of the United Nations Missions.

The objective of the meeting was to take stock of political and security situation, as well as development and governance-related issues and trends across the Sahel, West and Central
Africa regions. The meeting particularly aimed to agree on ways to recalibrate the UN approach and review its strategic engagement to better address the multifaceted challenges, and safeguard principles of democratic governance, rule of law and restoration of confidence in Governments, including in the context of relevant African instruments adopted by the African Union and other Regional economic communities/regional mechanisms. The meeting also provided an opportunity to exchange views on the principle of subsidiarity, complementarity and comparative advantages, to allow more appropriate responses to crisis between the UN and the regional organisations..