UNOWAS , UNESCO Regional Offoce for West Africa  Engage Resident CoordinaOn Advancing Information Integrity 

AKINSINDE ADEOLA OYINDAMOLA

The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the UNESCO Regional Office for West Africa convened, on 14 September, a virtual session with UN Resident Coordinators from across the region to discuss the implementation of the Regional Action Plan on Information Integrity, adopted at the Regional Conference on Information Integrity held in Praia, Cabo Verde, in September 2025.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, and the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for West Africa, Dimitri Sanga, underscored the importance of information integrity for peace, social cohesion and good governance, noting that disinformation, misinformation and information manipulation can deepen polarization, erode public trust and fuel social tensions. They also highlighted the important role of Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams in strengthening coherence across the UN system and integrating information integrity into efforts related to conflict prevention, peacebuilding, development and governance.

The session provided an opportunity for Resident Coordinators to exchange on priorities and concrete measures to advance the implementation of the Regional Action Plan at the country level, as well as on ways to strengthen cooperation with national and regional partners to translate the Plan into concrete initiatives adapted to national contexts.

The session reaffirmed the commitment of UNOWAS, UNESCO and Resident Coordinators to promoting a reliable, ethical, inclusive and human rights-respecting information environment across West Africa and the Sahel, thereby contributing to resilient societies and sustainable peace.