The ECOWAS Permanent Observer Mission to the UN and the ECOWAS Group at the UN developed the ECOWAS Guidelines on Candidatures for representation in Committees, Organs, and Specialized Agencies of the UN to strengthen the candidatures of ECOWAS Member States for representation in Statutory Bodies of the United Nations.
The process of developing the Guidelines included several technical working sessions of the Election Officers of Permanent Missions of ECOWAS Member States to the United Nations and the ECOWAS Permanent Observer Mission, which culminated in an Expert level retreat held in October 2024 to finalize the Draft Guidelines for submission to the ECOWAS Group of Ambassadors for consideration.
As a final phase of the development process, the ECOWAS Permanent Observer Mission organized an Ambassadorial level retreat, on November 25, 2024, where the Guidelines were considered and adopted by the ECOWAS Group of Ambassadors to the UN.
At the December 2024 and End of Year meeting of the ECOWAS Group of Ambassadors to the UN, which was held on December 19, 2024, and the Guidelines endorsed comes into effect from January 1, 2025 with the aim of facilitating the consideration of candidatures for seats allocated to the West Africa region within the Africa Group at the United Nations.
