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Foreign Minister Maas on the occasion of the appointment of Volker Perthes as Special Representative of the Secretary General for Sudan and Head of the new UN mission UNITAMS
On the occasion of the appointment of Volker Perthes as Special Representative of the Secretary General for Sudan and Head of the new UN mission UNITAMS, Foreign Minister Maas issued the following statement today (8 January):
I welcome the appointment of Volker Perthes as Special Representative of the Secretary General for Sudan and Head of the new UN mission UNITAMS. Volker Perthes is the ideal candidate for this job thanks to his many years of experience in the service of the United Nations and as he is an outstanding scientific expert on international politics, including the Middle East and Africa. I am grateful that all members of the UN Security Council and the Sudanese Government agree. We will of course actively support Mr Perthes in his important work.
Sudan continues to face major challenges on its path to peace and democracy. It was therefore important to set up the political mission UNITAMS during our membership in the Security Council. Its aim is to support the country during its transition phase. Germany will continue to work towards the success of this political and economic transition. German police officers will take part in the mission. A democratic, prosperous Sudan is good for the people of the country. It can potentially also have a stabilising effect on the region. For this reason, as well, we will continue to work on coordinating international support for Sudan.
Background information:
Germany has been supporting the political transition in Sudan for years in a variety of ways: as the only Western country providing troops to the UNAMID mission in Darfur, as the host of the Sudan Partnership Conference in June 2020 and as co-penholder for Sudan in the Security Council from 2019 to 2020. The UN mission UNITAMS (United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan) is currently being set up. It is the successor to the UNAMID mission, the mandate of which ended on 31 December 2020 and which is currently drawing down.