Sahel Alliance: at the 3rd General Assembly, the members strengthen and adapt their commitments to the benefit of the people of the Sahel
The representatives of the Alliance and of its partners met in Madrid on 4 April 2022, on the occasion of the 3rd General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance, chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares. Profoundly concerned over the deterioration of the political and security situation, the escalation of the crisis and the worsening food situation in several G5 Sahel countries, the members have taken certain decisions, by mutual agreement, to reinforce and provide continuity in their interventions to the benefit of the people of the Sahel.
During his inauguration speech, Minister Albares underlined that, “Coordination by the main development agents is more necessary now than ever. Now is the time for us, the partners, to renew our commitment to the development and stability of the Sahel, to the benefit of its people. This General Assembly is an exceptional opportunity in this regard”.
The Sahel is a land of both opportunities and challenges. Although the region has abundant human, cultural and natural resources that offer great potential for growth and development, the profoundly entrenched challenges it faces seriously affect peace and prosperity. Many areas of the G5 Sahel countries are suffering from an escalation of conflicts and tensions. Around 2.5 million people have fled their homes over the course of the last decade. Some 6.7 million people need urgent food aid – a figure that could reach 10.5 million people unless urgent measures are taken. The unprecedented impact of the war in Ukraine and the global cereal and fertiliser market to supply countries and aid for people suffering from food insecurity further exacerbates this already critical situation. Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the fragile economic, health and nutritional situation people are already suffering from.
“In light of this situation, it needs to be understood that although we – the Sahel countries – are responsible for the future of our States in our role as leaders, we continue to depend on the international political, economic and financial environment that we have little influence over. Accordingly, the security situation in our countries reminds us of the pressing need to promote development, and our particular responsibility in this matter”, recalled Mahamat Hamid Koua, President of the Council of Ministers of the G5 Sahel, in his opening speech.
The members of the Sahel Alliance reiterate their intention to remain fully committed to the people of the G5 Sahel: since the Alliance was formed in 2017, the number of projects it finances has tripled, and the funds committed have risen from 7.3 billion euros to 23 billion at present.
A State presence and the provision of essential services in all the territories of the countries of the G5 Sahel, along with the re-establishment of social cohesion and the trust of citizens in their public institutions continue to be absolute priorities. The members of the Alliance have mobilised a great deal as a result of the start-up of the Emergency Development Programme (EDP) of the G5 Sahel, aimed at fragile border regions and fully contribute to these aims. The EDP has already provided quick and tangible results: 1,080,000 beneficiaries now have better access to water; 125,000 people have benefitted from food supplies; 1,572 structures have been created that contribute to conflict prevention and social cohesion, and 414,000 people have been trained in conflict dialogue, administration and mediation. New phases of financed projects are currently being processed or implemented, which means the amount initially mobilised by the members of the Alliance to the benefit of this programme has now almost doubled (514 million euros at today’s date).
The Sahel will not enjoy peace or stability without a far-reaching qualitative change in the living conditions of the people of the Sahel. Over the coming months, the Sahel Alliance will continue to step up its efforts, in agreement with its partners in the Sahel, to contribute to this change. It may soon be able to count on three new full members: Canada, the United States and Sweden. These new members reflect greater representativity of the Alliance and strengthen its membership.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SAHEL ALLIANCE AT ITS 3rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
- To maintain and adapt support to the benefit of the people of the G5 Sahel in a context of growing instability and insecurity, so that the achievements made in relation to its development are not compromised. Reiterate the need to respect human rights, humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law, including the defence and security forces.
- Reiterate support for the G5 Sahel – a priority partner for cooperation in the Sahel, without losing sight of the challenges this institution currently faces.
- Provide a coordinated response to the people in the region that rises to the challenges of the serious food crisis facing the countries of the G5 Sahel.
- Continue efforts in the most fragile areas, while extending actions to prevention zones to fight the deep-rooted causes of instability and limit the expansion of conflicts and crises.
- Strengthen collective support for the most fragile outlying zones located between the countries of the G5 Sahel and coastal States in the Gulf of Guinea, with a remit of prevention.
- Intensify support for reinforced socioeconomic inclusion and greater participation from young people and women in political life.
- Strengthen synergies through the Great Green Wall initiative to combat environmental and climate challenges that debilitate vulnerable people in the Sahel.
About the 3rd General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance
The 3rd General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance, chaired by José Manuel Albares Bueno, the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation was held in Madrid on 4 April 2022, with the high-level participation of its partners: Mahamat Hamid Koua, the Minister for Economy, Development Planning and International Cooperation of Chad, and the current President of the Council of Ministers of the G5 Sahel, Hassoumi Massaoudou, Nigerien Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, African Integration and Nigeriens Abroad, Ousmane Mamoudou Kane, Mauritanian Minister for Economic Affairs and Promotion of Productive Sectors, General Francis Behanzin, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of ECOWAS, Eric Tiaré, Executive Secretary of the G5 Sahel, Maman Sidikou, High Representative of the African Union for Mali and the Sahel, and Djimé Adoum, High Representative of the Coalition for the Sahel.
On behalf of its members, the following took part in the General Assembly: Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary-General of Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, Spanish State Secretary for International Cooperation, Antón Leis, Director of Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Marina Sereni, Italian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antoine Chevrier, Canadian Assistant Deputy Minister for Sub-Saharan Africa, Ousmane Diagana, Vice-President of the World Bank Group for West and Central Africa, Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, United Nations Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel, Emanuela Del Re, Special Representative of the European Union for the Sahel, Georges Ternes, Ambassador and Special Envoy of Luxembourg for the Sahel, Jun Shimmi, Ambassador for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), Sari Rautio, Finnish Ambassador in Spain, Kenneth Thompson, Irish Special Envoy for the Sahel, Kristian Edinger, Danish Special Envoy for the Sahel, Rigmor Elianne Koti, Norwegian Special Envoy for the Sahel, Moazzam Malik, British Director General, Africa, of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Rémy Rioux, Director-General of the French Development Agency, Birgitta Tazelaar, Deputy Director-General for International Cooperation at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Christoph Rauh, Director for Africa of the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and Chairman of the Operational Steering Committee of the Sahel Alliance, Maria Shaw-Barragan, Director of Operations in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific of the European Investment Bank, Yero Baldeh, Director of the Coordination Office of Transition States at the African Development Bank, Fredrik Folkunger, Director and Deputy Head of the Africa Department at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Claudio Tognola, Head of the West Africa Division at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Hazel Onkelinx, Head of the Sahel, North Africa and Occupied Palestinian Territories Department of the Belgian Federal Public Service for Foreign Affairs, Maggie Janes-Lucas, Regional Director for the Sahel of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and Alejandro Álvarez de la Campa, Director of the Africa Council Service of the IFC.
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