New York, July 17, 2013 (MAP)
The UN Security Council adopted on Tuesday a new presidential declaration, sponsored by Morocco, on the Sahel region.
In the statement, read out by during a formal meeting by Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo of the United States, which holds the 15-member body’s presidency for the month, the council stresses the “role played by Morocco and other Maghreb countries in the success” of the UN integrated strategy for the Sahel.
This declaration, that follows suit to another Moroccan initiative taken during Morocco’s presidency of the Council in December 2012, renews its call “for increased cooperation between countries in the Sahel, West Africa and the Maghreb to combat the growing threat posed by terrorist groups, transnational crime and drug trafficking throughout the Sahel region” and develop “inclusive and effective strategies” to combat these threats in “a comprehensive and integrated manner.”
Expressing concern over the alarming situation in the Sahel, where terrorist organizations, including Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, the UN Council reiterated its “strong condemnation” of recent terrorist attacks perpetrated in the region and welcomed the deployment of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), following the transfer of authority from the African-led International Support Mission in Mali to MINUSMA on 1 July.
Council members also welcomed the proposal put forward by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Sahel, Romano Prodi, to partner with relevant international and regional financial institutions to promote innovative approaches for the region and requested the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA) to establish an effective and detailed coordination mechanism to prioritize activities and to ensure coordinated implementation by the UN system of the UN Strategy.
Inclusive economic and social development is necessary, along with stronger States institutions to ensure long-term security, development and stability in the Sahel, the statement said, underscoring the importance of a comprehensive and coordinated approach encompassing governance, security, humanitarian, human rights and development aspects to address the root causes of challenges to peace and security, and welcomed the development of the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, which focuses on addressing extremism, poverty and drought in the region.
It also welcomed the UN Secretary General plans to hold a high-level meeting on the Sahel on the sidelines of the General Assembly and to visit the region, together with the World Bank President, next fall.
