COMMISSION DE CONSOLIDATION DE LA PAIX - Sahel

Africa’s Sahel must be a top priority for UN peacebuilding efforts, says commission

Kensuke Matsueda — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 22:15:00 +0000

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29 July 2018, New York - The vast Sahel region of Africa, which is facing multiple threats and challenges – including destructive climate change, drought, terrorism and organized crime – must continue to be a top priority for United Nations peacebuilding efforts, the Security Council heard on Friday.

The mutually-supportive relationship with the UN Peacebuilding Commission was highlighted by Cho Tae-yul, its former chair, speaking first, saying that “the Council emphasized the importance” of its “convening role” with the Commission, to mobilize support in collaboration with UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS). He said it was vital to continue advancing the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, known as UNISS.

The Sahel extends from Senegal in the west, to Sudan in the east, below the arid Sahara desert, including Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad.

Mr. Cho also noted other countries in Africa, where cooperation with the Council had proved effective, citing Burundi’s socio-economic development, and the Commission’s role helping to develop a peacebuilding plan for Liberia as the UN Mission there prepared to withdraw earlier this year.

He also noted that the Commission’s convening role has also created space to engage with civil society organizations.

“Last year, in the discussions on Colombia, Solomon Islands and Sri Lanka, local civil society representatives contributed to the Commission's deliberations by sharing their views on what peacebuilding and sustaining peace, mean in practice,” he added.

Additionally, the former chair elaborated that the Commission has been increasingly taking a more regional view of its work, “as the challenges faced by certain countries are intertwined with that of other countries in the region, making it increasingly important to address the issues with a regional, cross-border approach.”

Taking the floor, the current chair, Ion Jinga, stressed that the Sahel remained a clear priority for the Commission moving forward, saying that it would be the exclusive focus of the Annual Session later in the year.

“The purpose of this important event will be to discuss ways of mobilizing deeper commitments and partnerships in support of efforts to build and sustain peace in the Sahel under the umbrella of the UN s Sahel Strategy, he said.

He also underscored the importance of synchronizing its calendar with that of the Security Council, flagging that early preparation is “key” to provide strategic advice.

Established in 2005 as part of the UN reform, the Peacebuilding Commission advises both the General Assembly and the Security Council. In 2016, twin resolutions were adopted on reviewing the peacebuilding architecture.

This article was originally published in UN News.

Peace and security challenges in Africa’s Sahel region require ‘holistic approach’, says UN official

Kensuke Matsueda — Wed, 23 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

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A “holistic approach” is needed to the address peace and security challenges in Africa’s vast Sahel region, a senior United Nations peacekeeping official told the Security Council on Wednesday, calling for more investment in better government, social services and youth opportunities.

Briefing Council members on when the new multinational security force established by five Sahel countries - known as the G5-Sahel Joint Force - might become operational, Bintou Keita, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said that combatting terrorism and transnational organized crime, remained the major challenge.

“Let us not forget those who suffer the most, the local population - civilians - who continue to be intimidated and harassed and live in fear for their lives on a daily basis; who cannot send their children to school or have their most basic needs met, including access to food and nutrition,” he said.

Ms. Keita added that since the authorization of the Joint Force by the African Union last April, and the renewal of its mandate last month, “notable progress” has been made, including the deployment of troops on the ground, and setting up of command posts and sector headquarters.

“Nonetheless, a lot of work remains ahead of us. The operationalization of the Joint Force has incurred delays and has yet to attain full operational capability,” she said, calling on G5 Sahel member States to deploy remaining troops as soon as possible.

She also underlined the importance of addressing recent reports of human rights violations by security forces in the region and called on the countries to establish a human rights and international humanitarian law compliance framework that could be rapidly put into operation.

In her remarks, while Ms. Keita applauded the international community for their support to the Joint Force, she said that keeping it running would require “perpetual resource generation efforts” and that in the medium to long term, it will be challenging to sustain the funding momentum.

“What is more, the United Nations will continue to depend on others, to be able to implement the support measures it has been mandated to provide to the G5-Sahel Joint Force by Security Council Resolution 2391 (2017),” she said.

In that resolution, the Council requested the Secretary‑General to conclude a technical agreement among the UN, the European Union and G5 Sahel States – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – with a view to providing operational and logistical support through the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to the joint force conducting cross‑border counter‑terrorist operations across the region.

This article was originally published in UN News.

PBC Expert-level Meeting on the Sahel

Kensuke Matsueda — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 19:54:00 +0000

Tuesday, 27 February 2018 - 3:00pm

Briefing by UNODC

tags:

Sahel

Categories:

PBC - Event

Ending Vicious Cycle of Sahel Terrorism, Crisis Hinges on Mobilizing Joint Action, Resources, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Peacebuilding Commission

Kensuke Matsueda — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 17:00:00 +0000

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13 DECEMBER 2017

Ending Vicious Cycle of Sahel Terrorism, Crisis Hinges on Mobilizing Joint Action, Resources, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Peacebuilding Commission

Following are UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohammed’s remarks to the Peacebuilding Commission meeting on the Sahel, in New York today:

The Sahel region continues to face increasing challenges. Violent terrorism, armed conflict, extreme poverty and underdevelopment, climate change, displacement and the smuggling of people, drugs and arms are behind staggering levels of vulnerability. Peace, security, development and human rights are intertwined and mutually reinforcing in the Sahel, as everywhere. Unless we address the root causes of these interconnected challenges, their impact will continue to increase and the repercussions will spread.

Our response must be regional, inclusive and led by national Governments. We must ensure that the people of the Sahel can escape this vicious cycle of conflict, terrorism, humanitarian crisis and underdevelopment to forge a new path of peace and sustainable development. Only through an integrated, comprehensive and coherent approach can we address the humanitarian-development nexus and its link to peace.

The Secretary-General has made the Sahel one of his top priorities. ��Ϲ�� integrated strategy for the Sahel, conceived in 2013, continues to set our course as we support the Governments of the Sahel to address root causes and offer hope of a more stable and prosperous future. The importance of the integrated strategy was reaffirmed by last week’s Security Council resolution on support to the G5 Sahel Joint Force. The Secretary-General has also strengthened efforts towards implementation by establishing the Executive Committee Working Group on the Sahel.

The strategy has now been recalibrated, centred around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sustaining Peace Agenda, with a view to achieving concrete results and progress in the near future. There is a greater focus on empowering women and girls, on creating job opportunities for youth and including them in political and peace processes. To support implementation of the strategy, the United Nations system is expanding and strengthening its work, while ensuring that our humanitarian, development and peace and security efforts are complementary and reinforce each other.

��Ϲ�� development system has taken forward measures to improve coordination and coherence by mapping the 17 strategies that are currently being implemented by United Nations agencies, funds and programmes. This has enabled us to identify both gaps and opportunities in the short- and long-term. We are now developing an investment plan that will respond to the needs of the revamped integrated strategy for the Sahel. This plan will be closely aligned with the needs and priorities identified by the countries of the Sahel, including the G5 Sahel priority investment plan.

We are working closely with the World Bank, the African Union, the European Union, the Alliance for the Sahel, United Nations Member States and the Governments of the Sahel countries to ensure that our joint response to the crisis is coordinated, coherent, integrated and delivers results. Yesterday, at the One Planet Summit in Paris, we presented a climate-smart agriculture programme that will enhance the resilience of women and young people engaged in small-holder farming. We also expressed our support for the West African coastal erosion initiative, a major investment that will secure livelihoods in the face of rising sea levels, which is supported by the World Bank.

United Nations agencies and partners are also working on a revised support plan for the United Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel, to be launched in March next year. This plan will be evidence-based and risk-informed to meet the priority needs of people and communities in the Sahel. The plan aims to promote alternative and climate-resilient livelihood opportunities, with a special focus on restoring the ecosystems and pastoral livelihoods that are critical to Sahel economies.

It will also enhance nutrition and food security through both early action to meet immediate needs and longer-term investment. And it will contribute to the resilience of communities, increase access to education and learning opportunities, particularly for young people, support respect for human rights, strengthen governance and help to prevent violence and conflict.

The support plan includes measures to strengthen gender equality and support the region’s demographic transition. Key goals are keeping girls in school, delaying their age of marriage and motherhood and increasing their opportunities to participate in the labour force.

All these measures will play a vital part in creating stability in the Sahel, and I urge the support of all Member States. The countries of the Sahel are dealing with violent extremism as they struggle with economic recession and low oil prices. They are powerful examples of the complex and multidimensional challenges that require a system-wide approach from the United Nations. Development aid and security and military responses should complement each other.

The G5 Sahel Joint Force is a concrete demonstration of the region’s determination to join efforts towards tackling these multidimensional challenges. Its development dimension has been strengthened and last week’s Security Council resolution included specific references to respect for human rights. As the Secretary-General has said, the force will require predictable funding, a clear political architecture and a sound political and human rights framework. Measures to ensure accountability and due process are also essential.

At the same time, we are acutely aware of the need to go beyond security measures and to support Governments in implementing the 2030 Agenda. Building peaceful and inclusive societies in the Sahel by strengthening the resilience of communities, shifting from delivering humanitarian aid to ending needs and preventing conflict is our shared responsibility.

We need to join our efforts to sustain peace and achieve sustainable development through a more integrated, coherent and comprehensive approach. I would like to express strong appreciation for the work undertaken by the Peacebuilding Fund in this area.

In August, a cross-border project was launched with the aim of promoting community security and social cohesion in the area shared by Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Through this project, the Peacebuilding Fund, in partnership with our mission, MINUSMA [United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali], is addressing the marginalization of young people, the deficit of trust between citizens and State institutions and conflicts between herders and farmers. It is a perfect example of how development efforts, which are essential in themselves, can also contribute to peace and security.

��Ϲ�� is committed to changing the narrative on the Sahel. We will ensure people with the appropriate skill sets and profiles are available to support countries. We have created momentum. Now we must build on it. We must mobilize our joint efforts and generate interest in this region from a wide range of investors, including the diaspora, the business community and others. We must build partnerships with key international institutions to mobilize attention and resources.

��Ϲ�� will be at the forefront of the international response in the Sahel, through our regional, multidimensional, system-wide approach. We will continue to provide the overarching framework within which other strategies and initiatives can flourish. We count on the continued support of the Peacebuilding Commission and United Nations Member States.

Thank you.

PEACEBUILDING

For information media. Not an official record.