Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, hosted a High-Level Meeting on the Sahel, on the margins of the 31st Summit of the African Union. The meeting, which was held in partnership with the G5 Sahel, was co-chaired by the United Nations. The meeting was used as an occasion to present the new United Nations Support Plan for the Sahel “Sahel: land ofopportunities” and mobilize the support of the international community in favour of the Plan.

Participants welcomed the significant progress made in the Sahel in promoting good governance, economic growth and development, peaceful coexistence conflict resolution and the mitigation of the impact of major climate shocks. Participants emphasized that these progress were made possible by the commitments of the governments, the tenacious efforts of the people of the Sahel and, the cooperation between the States of the region, the UN, the African Union, the G5 Sahel, and other regional and international partners. Participants reaffirmed their commitments to a strong, sustainable and mutually supportive partnership to further the causes for a prosperous and peaceful Sahel.  

It was recognized that despite the progress made, many challenges persist. Participants therefore welcomed the presentation of the new United Nations Support Plan for the Sahel, the overall goal of which is to intensify efforts to accelerate shared prosperity and lasting peace in the Sahel countries. Noting the significant opportunities in the Sahel and its potential for natural resources, energy, tourism, and culture, participants called for a massive increase in public and private investment in win-win partnerships. Investing in the enormous potential of the Sahel could be beneficial while ensuring prosperity, peace and security in a rapidly changing region.

Participants further agreed that the momentum generated by the Nouakchott Process, the creation and authorization of the deployment of the G5 Sahel Joint Force and the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel would result in tangible progress. In this regard, participants encouraged countries in the region to adopt and implement the Support Plan without delay, with the support of international and development partners as well as international financial institutions.