"Together, we can build a better future"

West Africa and the Sahel are two important geographical areas in Africa that have the human and economic potential to play a leading role in the development of the continent. However, the two regions remain mired in recurrent problems that hinder their development.

Beyond the challenges of climate change, demographics and lack of development infrastructure, the West Africa and Sahel regions are today confronted with issues as complex as cross-border insecurity, mass migration, multifaceted violence, including violent extremism.

Aware of this reality, the countries of West Africa and the Sahel have taken and continue to take significant actions to overcome these problems and provide decent living conditions to their populations. However, it must be recognized that one country alone cannot solve this kind of challenges. There is a need for a shared vision: solutions will only come through coordinated mobilization of all actors.

It is against this background that the merger of the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) and the Office of the Special Envoy of the United Nations for the Sahel (OSES) took place in January,  resulting in the establishment of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
In coordination with the countries of the region, UNOWAS intends to play a key role in contributing effectively to the actions of regional and international stakeholders.

The organization last month in Dakar, in partnership with IPI (International Peace Institute) and the Swiss-government, of a high-level conference on the need to invest in peace and the prevention of violence in West Africa and the Sahel; the recent visit to the G5 Sahel and the support provided during various electoral processes, are testimonies to the will of the United Nations and UNOWAS in particular, to work for peace and prosperity in the two regions.
The task is certainly difficult, but not insurmountable. Together we can build a better future for the people of West Africa and the Sahel.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas

Special Representative of the Secretary-General
and Head of the UN Office for Africa West and the Sahel