The African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Said Djinnit, and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Head of MONUSCO, Maman Sidikou, met on 9 November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to review the political and security situation in Burundi, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and the DRC. The meeting took place following the Eighth High-Level meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the region held on 19 October, on Brazzaville, Republic of Congo and in the context of the United Nations – African Union Framework Agreement for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security signed by the Secretary General and Chairperson of the Commission on 19 April 2017.

With respect to the DRC in particular, the representatives of the two Organisations:

• Welcomed the publication of the electoral calendar on 5 November for the holding of combined presidential, legislative and provincial elections on 23 December 2018;
• Urged all stakeholders to forge a consensus on the electoral process in order to ensure the holding of timely, peaceful and credible elections in line with the 31 December 2016 agreement and in this regard:
  • Urged the Congolese Authorities and all the relevant institutions to take all the necessary measures, including the adoption of the required electoral legislation, to ensure the provision of the financial and logistical resources, as well as security throughout the country;
  • Stressed the urgency to fully implement the confidence-building measures, as stipulated in the 31 December 2016 Agreement;
• Reaffirmed the determination of the UN and the AU to continue to support the ongoing process especially through the provision of logistical and other support by MONUSCO as mandated by the UN Security Council as well as enhanced engagement with the countries of the region and other African countries; and
• Called on the international community to provide adequate support to the electoral process in the DRC.

The representatives of the AU and the UN agreed to engage the ICGLR and the SADC with a view to convening a consultative meeting of the Guarantors of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework of the DRC and the region as soon as possible.