The ECOWAS Commission sent a delegation to the 81st UN General Assembly in New York from 22 to 27 September 2026, meeting UN, African and European officials.
The delegation was led by General Biram Diop, Chairperson of the Commission.
Its other members were Francess Piagie Alghali, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Kinza Jawara-Njai, Permanent Observer to the United Nations; Jérôme Boa, Director of External Relations; Babatunde Tolu Afolabi, Director of Political Affairs; and Esther Daramola, Political Adviser to the Observer Mission to the United Nations.
In a report from the Economic Community of West African States, the Commission said the delegation’s main aim at the session was to promote regional unity, ensure political stability and foster greater economic integration through high-level meetings and consultations.
Among the encounters listed were discussions with Amina Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General; a meeting with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations; a working session with Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacebuilding; and discussions with Ahunna Eziakonwa, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa.
The delegation also met Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Ezechiel Nibigira, Chairperson of the ECCAS Commission; Leonardo Simao, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for West Africa and the Sahel; Mamadou Tangara, Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union for the Sahel; Jozef Sikela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships; and Elizabeth Spehar, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office.
The delegation was also received by Kashim Shettima, Vice-President of Nigeria, who urged the new ECOWAS leadership to prioritise unity and regional integration.
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