A delegation of the Security Council of the United Nations system paid a working visit to the ECOWAS Commission on 06 March 2017.

During this visit, the first of its kind, the Leader of the UN Delegation, Ambassador Matthew Rycroft and the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, Edward Singhathey, discussed the fight against terrorism, the maintenance of stability in the Gambia, and the actions to be taken to stop women and young radicalization.

Concerning the fight against terrorism, both sides recalled the need to mobilize all the actors in order to fight Boko Haram and the Islamic State. To this end, the forthcoming reactivation of the ECOWAS-ECCAS (Economic Community of Central African States) Strategy for combating Boko Haram was discussed, as well as the deployment of humanitarian actions at the level of the coastal states of Lake Chad.

With regard to the defense of women and youth against radicalization, the aim was to intensify awareness-raising and mobilization efforts to stop women and youth radicalization.

In the case of The Gambia, the Head of the UN delegation commended the remarkable efforts of ECOWAS, which enabled the country to remain in stable and democratic nations. The Vice-Chairman of the ECOWAS Commission said that efforts should be continued to maintain stability in the Gambia.

Several other personalities took part in this meeting. These include the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Edward Kalloum, UNICEF Representative Mohamed Malick Fall, Ambassador Ahmad Allam-Mi, Secretary-General of ECCAS, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the Commission, Mrs Halima Ahmed.