Abuja: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)/United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) have signed an Addendum to the 2009 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 21, 2026, at the ECOWAS Commission’s headquarters. This marks a step towards strengthening cooperation on disarmament, arms control, non-proliferation, and armed conflict prevention in the ECOWAS region.
According to African Press Organization, the Addendum was signed after the ECOWAS-UNODA Strategic Dialogue on Enhancing Cooperation Between ECOWAS Commission and UNODA/UNREC on Regional Disarmament, Peace and Security. The dialogue brought together senior officials and technical experts from ECOWAS, UNODA, and UNREC to consider the evolving regional security environment and identify opportunities for enhanced cooperation.
The signing builds upon the longstanding partnership established under the 2009 MoU and provides an updated framework for addressing contemporary and emerging disarmament and arms-control challenges. It reflects the commitment of the two institutions to deepen collaboration in response to changes in the regional and global peace and security environment since the original MoU.
Through the Addendum, ECOWAS and UNODA/UNREC reaffirmed their commitment to translate their institutional partnership into practical cooperation. This includes technical assistance, capacity-building, policy development, knowledge generation and exchange, regional consultations, information-sharing, joint programming, and resource mobilization.
The ECOWAS Commission and UNODA/UNREC remain determined to continue working together towards a safer and more peaceful ECOWAS region through effective disarmament, arms control, non-proliferation, conflict prevention, and strengthened regional cooperation.