Which institutional reforms can bring stability to Guinea-Bissau?

The country and its international partners must prioritise short, medium and long-term reforms.

Date: 2018-06-13

Time: 09:00 to 12:00

Venue: Conference room, ISS Dakar

To download the full event report in French, click here

Parliamentary elections scheduled for November in Guinea-Bissau are the focus of national and global attention. However the country's stakeholders and their regional and international partners must not lose sight of the institutional reforms which are essential to end the recurring crisis and stabilise the country. These long overdue reforms, set out in the 2016 Conakry Agreements, were analysed in policy briefs developed by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Dakar at the request of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS).

This seminar gathered together various diplomatic representatives as well as researchers and experts based in Dakar. It was an opportunity to discuss the reforms that are needed to overcome the major shortcomings in the Guinea-Bissau’s government institutions and the means of their implementation.

The recommendations made at the seminar emphasise that the country cannot afford for mistakes to be made in the process to exit the current crisis. The main area of focus must not merely be on holding elections, but on starting the implementation of the reforms. Only priority reforms, especially those related to some conflicting articles of the Constitution, can help prevent the country from spiraling into a new institutional crisis after the election.

It is therefore necessary to find consensus among the stakeholders about the next steps for exiting the crisis. Discussions on the adoption of a Stability Pact provide an opportunity to reflect on a stabilisation process that includes reforms. The coupling of elections in 2019 – an option that would allow for better organisation of elections and which allows more time for necessary reforms – should not be ruled out. This would allow stakeholders to seize the opportunity provided by the current transition period to begin the reform process.

Due to legal, technical and financial constraints, this process should be organised in an inclusive and sequential manner based on an identification of priorities, assessing the extent of reforms on the basis of available time, and existing consensus. The identification of priority reforms that can be implemented before the elections to prevent a new crisis, remains essential. This would require a concerted effort from the country, with the support of Guinea-Bissau regional and international partners who should tailor their action to a long-term vision of stabilisation of the country.

Chair: Dr Lori-Anne Théroux-Bénoni, Director, ISS Dakar

Speakers:

Gilles O Yabi, Consultant

Paulin Maurice Toupane, Researcher, ISS Dakar

Ansumane Sanhá, Director, Office of the President of the National Assembly

Picture: UNIOGBIS