GENEVA - A UN expert has called for a robust, proactive and fully engaged United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) with a reinforced human rights component, ahead of a Security Council decision on the renewal of its mandate.
"Strengthening MINUSCA's human rights mandate is essential to sustaining the fight against impunity and ensuring effective human rights monitoring, investigation and reporting," said Yao Agbetse, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic (CAR).
"Human rights due diligence must be integrated across all MINUSCA operations, including the Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Repatriation (DDRR) process and the vetting of security personnel," Agbetse said.
He called for continued technical support and capacity-building for national institutions committed to good governance, democracy, rule of law, and human rights. The Human Rights Division of MINUSCA, Agbetse said, plays a vital role in supporting civil society organisations, safeguarding civic space, promoting accountability and addressing barriers to justice.
"In the current social, political, and security context, the renewal of MINUSCA's mandate is imperative," Agbetse said. "But it must also be accompanied by a strengthened and holistic approach to peacebuilding, grounded in the complementarity of the three United Nations pillars: peace and security, development, and human rights."
The expert said human rights are not a peripheral concern but a central pillar of MINUSCA's mandate in the Central African Republic. "Peace and security without development remain fragile; peace and development without human rights likely give rise to injustice, exclusion, and enduring instability, and ultimately sow the seeds of future conflict," Agbetse warned.
He urged the UN Security Council to ensure full and effective human rights mainstreaming across the entire UN system in the CAR, support the country in forging a credible and sustainable path toward peace, democracy, and the realisation of human rights for all.
