By Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS)
"We, the peoples of the United Nations..." With these words, the Charter signed in 1945 reminds us that the Organization belongs first and foremost to the peoples. On the occasion of United Nations Day, which we are celebrating [today], these words resonate with particular force in West Africa and the Sahel, a region whose peoples carry, every day, the hope of a future of peace, security and prosperity.
That hope is being tested. Terrorism and violent extremism are displacing families, closing schools and undermining entire economies. Transnational organized crime, the effects of climate change and demographic pressure are weighing on already vulnerable communities. These threats know no borders. No country can face them alone, and that is precisely why solidarity remains, now more than ever, our best response.
For more than twenty years, UNOWAS has supported the efforts of States and regional organizations in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and the promotion of good governance. Our good offices have supported political processes and transitions in several countries in the subregion. Our support has contributed to more peaceful elections, the implementation of political agreements and the strengthening of dialogue between national actors. The experience of the peaceful settlement of the border dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria, accompanied by the United Nations, remains a reference for the entire region.
We have also worked with ECOWAS, the African Union and other partners to advance key priorities for the people: the participation of women and young people in peace and decision-making processes, respect for human rights and the fight against impunity, and transitional justice, so that victims can obtain truth, justice and reparation. Through the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, the entire United Nations system is working with the governments concerned to address the root causes of instability: poverty, exclusion, lack of access to basic services and environmental degradation.
These results are those of the States and peoples of the region, with the support of the United Nations. They show what dialogue can accomplish when the political will is there.
It is in this spirit that we are closely following and supporting the dialogue between ECOWAS and the Confederation of Sahel States. The ministerial meeting held in Dakar on 17 October opened a round of discussions on cooperation between the two parties. The United Nations remains fully available to support this process, which can preserve the gains of regional integration, including the free movement of people and goods, and strengthen cooperation in the face of common threats, in the interest of the people.
There is still a long way to go. Security will not be won by arms alone: it also requires justice, employment, education and trust between citizens and their institutions. In a region where the vast majority of the inhabitants are under the age of thirty, it is to young people that we must offer concrete prospects, so that they can become the engines of peace and development.
On this United Nations Day, I renew the commitment of UNOWAS, and that of the entire United Nations family in the sub-region, to stand with governments, regional organizations, civil society and, above all, the people of West Africa and the Sahel. Together, we can make the promise of the Charter a lived reality.
