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The African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) today  published the latest issue of the Mission’s magazine, Voices of Darfur, which includes an extensive interview with Acting Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator, a.i., Aichatou Mindaoudou. In the interview, the Acting Head discusses the Mission’s revamped protection strategy.

“In response to the increase in the number and severity of incidents of violence across Darfur in 2012, we have revised and updated our protection of civilians strategy,” says Ms. Mindaoudou. “It is now multidimensional and community-based, with a revamped early-warning mechanism designed to address the needs of populations under threats by reaching them quickly through the rapid formation of response teams.”

In the interview, Ms. Mindaoudou discusses progress in several other objectives the Mission has been working to achieve and also discusses the need, particularly in light of the upcoming Doha Donor Conference, for the media to focus on building a better understanding of UNAMID’s mandate, its operational limitations and its real successes.

“It is critically important for the international media, particularly as we move toward the Doha Donor Conference, to pay special attention to our revamped protection strategies, our newly reformed early-warning mechanisms, and the broad variety of work we’ve undertaken in early recovery and development,” she says.

UNAMID's magazine (see attached) contains news, features and interviews about aspects of life in Darfur, as well as UNAMID’s ongoing efforts to facilitate peace in the region. The magazine is distributed globally via United Nations Information Centres, via social media and through the Mission’s official website at http://unamid.unmissions.org