Sahel : l’heure est grave!

June 19, 2023

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Sahel: the situation is serious!

“Sahel: this is a serious time! As violence still haunts the Sahel, the UN estimates that one in three people are in need of humanitarian aid and protection in Burkina Faso, northern Cameroon, Mali, Niger and northeastern Nigeria. For these 34.5 million people, time is running out…” TV5 MONDE

The different interventions by:

Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel,
Mr. Charles Bernimolin, Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for West and Central Africa as well as,
Mr. Alexander Le Cuziat, Program Emergencies Manager for the Regional Office of the World Food Program (WFP) for West and Central Africa.

“We must have the courage to say that the Sahel belongs to all of us… what is happening in the #Sahel is much bigger… it is a denial of human rights to the Sahelian population. When a humanitarian crisis continues and becomes structural and recurrent, there is something that is not normal” ” Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye,

Watch the video here:

https://revoir.tv5monde.com/toutes-les-videos/info-societe/wari-sahel-l-heure-est-grave

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative – EITI 2013 Global Conference – Transparency in Transition – Déclaration de M. Abdoulaye Mar DIEYE

June 14, 2023

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Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative – EITI 2013 Global Conference – Transparency in Transition – Statement by Mr. Abdoulaye Mar DIEYE

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative – EITI 2013 Global Conference

Transparency in Transition

Statement by Mr. Abdoulaye Mar DIEYE

United Nations Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel

Dakar Senegal, Tuesday June 13, 2023.

*****************

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would first like to salute the spirit of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative – EITI which, twenty years ago, almost to the day, was put in place to establish a framework for concrete actions, to contribute substantially to ensuring that profits from the mining and energy sectors are used to support development.

Twenty later, in a world in continuous convulsion, a world which has crossed the majority of planetary limits, including in particular climate change, the integrity of the biosphere, the disruption of the biochemical cycles of nitrogen and phosphorus, modifications of land use and the introduction of new entities into the environment, it is certain that our future is increasingly uncertain. Continuing to irrationally extract the bowels of the earth could be an invitation to the apocalypse.

We must therefore make a transition towards responsible collective action for a more rational use of these resources, which are not renewable; and therefore, ward off a possible or even probable apocalypse.

In this perspective, and to give a framework to our discussions, I would like to suggest 3 areas of reflection and action

First of all, how to get out of the paradox that many countries, despite the abundance of extractive resources, are still in poor development and poverty. There is, and it is sad, for the least developed countries, a strong correlation between the existence of an abundance of extractive resources and poverty. Certainly, this correlation is not causation; However, it warns of the mismanagement of natural resources, and challenges us to the imperative to escape from this trap, which is often called “the curse of natural resources” or “the paradox of abundance”

I don’t believe in curses; such an idea promotes a determinism which, in my opinion, should not even be on our thinking radar, because it risks anesthetizing our actions. I am convinced that we can escape from this unacceptable paradox if we pursue a fair and effective extractive policy, that is to say:

If the extractives chain is managed, in its entirety, with citizen and community participation; and with transparency, in particular with perfect traceability of the resources generated, including to bank accounts, even off-shore, where the resources generated are deposited.
If we minimize the disruptive effects of extractive activities on their physical and human environment, and which are observed in periods of strong economic growth, and therefore of expansion of these activities.
If we put in place effective macroeconomic management of extractive rent, which makes it possible to avoid the famous Dutch Disease ; which manifests itself in an appreciation of the real exchange rate which could penalize local industry subject to international competition.
If the energy transition, which must be fair, promotes the energy mix, avoids the specter of the devaluation of assets linked to extractives (Stranded Assets) ; and is part of a broader economic transition, which promotes the structural transformation of economies, including the substantial increase in the internal retention rate in value chains, and the accentuated promotion of local content.

I believe, however, that managing the effective sustainability of extractive rent will require appropriate, adequate and transparent governance; and this is the second axis of my framing.

But I would like to extricate myself from the classic, but no less fair, discourse on the imperative of good governance at the country level, particularly those which are candidates for the EITI Initiative. I think that we do not place enough emphasis on governance with a global dimension where ethics is not often the rule, and which sees predators of all kinds exercising a terrifying holdup, and that is the word , on resources from countries with weak governance. And this is increasingly the case in our world today where we are observing tectonic upheavals in global geopolitics, with strong destabilizing resonances in areas of increased fragility such as the Sahel region.

We will therefore have to fight for more justice, equity and balance in global governance. This will not just be a battle of the states; but also a battle of parliaments, which must, in the name of the people, always validate and if necessary reopen contracts when they are judged unfair, a battle of citizens, in organized coalitions. In short, a battle of good consciences. I would like to take this opportunity to salute the excellent work of the African Union Coalition for Dialogue in Africa (CODA), which also provides the secretariat of the High Level Group on Illicit Financial Flows. I would like to recommend greater synergy of reflection and actions between the EITI Initiative, and CODA, and other structures that have congruent mandates. In this complex issue of extractives, the federation of good consciences will be our strength.

My third axis is therefore quite naturally a result of the first two, in the sense that it is a recommendation to the EITI Initiative, to consider moving to a new generation of the battery of Norms or Standards, by integrating a certain number of what could be perceived as intangibles but which are realities, such as ethics, social justice, intergenerational balance, the need to protect our Planet and securing our future.

Because our world is increasingly systemic, sovereign ratings, i.e. those focusing exclusively on countries, are increasingly losing their relevance. Norms or standards should rather address the ecosystem of actors; national and international actors; public and private actors. The EITI, which has earned its reputation and is well read by the market, could be a pioneer in this reinvention of standards. I invite him to it. The large Credit Rating Agencies should then follow.

Thank you.

********

Statement by Mr. Abdoulaye Mar DIEYE, UN Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel, at the UNDP Led High-Level Methodology Workshop for Envisioning an Alternative Narrative on Farmers-Herders Dynamics in Africa, Abuja Nigeria, 08 February 2023

February 8, 2023

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Statement by Mr. Abdoulaye Mar DIEYE, UN Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel, at the UNDP Led High-Level Methodology Workshop for Envisioning an Alternative Narrative on Farmers-Herders Dynamics in Africa, Abuja Nigeria, 08 February 2023

Colleagues and friends

The subject we are reviewing during this workshop is certainly one of the most complex political and developmental issues the Sahel region and other parts in Africa, including the Horn & Central Africa, are facing today.
When one observes the various trends in the region one would see that the herders – farmers tension is one of the most exploding trends; recent statistics of ACLED (The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) shows a rate of increase of registered tensions by 7 % per year since 2012, in the Sahel countries.
It is out of frustration of “no-effective global & durable solution in sight” that UN Senior Management has called for a critical strategic review of the way we are addressing the issue, using multiple & collective expertise, to pause, take stock, reflect, and guide, all actors, towards a sustainable exit out of the “tensions” we are seeing in (Read more…)

The International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF)- The Sahel and West Africa Club ( SWAC)

April 20, 2022

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The International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF)- The Sahel and West Africa Club ( SWAC)

joint session on Natural resource governance (NRG) and fragility in the Sahel

Remarks by M. Abdoulaye Mar DIEYE

United Nations Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel

Virtual session, 20 April 2022, 13.30 CET

Dear colleagues and partners,

I would like to start by thanking INCAF and SWAC for this very timely meeting: natural resources are both a critical challenge and opportunity in the Sahel. On one hand, the effects of climate change are further exacerbating conflicts and impacting structural root causes of conflicts linked to the access, management and use of natural resources. At the same time, the Sahel is endowed with more potential for renewable energy such as solar and wind, than other regions of the world. Renewable energy technologies provide a unique opportunity to increase access to reliable, affordable and sustainable clean energy and boost socio-economic growth in the Sahel through innovative livelihood opportunities. The growth of rural economies, the resilience of the populations against climate change and insecurity, are critical for the stability of the region. We also need to harness the abundant natural resources available in the Sahel (such as oil, natural gas, gold, phosphates, diamonds, copper, iron ore, bauxite, biological diversity and precious woods, among many other assets).

The crisis in Ukraine is sending all of us a critical reminder of our interdependence to critical grains and cooking oils and has had a great impact on the Sahel countries. It has shown us the need for strengthened governance and diversified economies in the region.

As the report clearly states, natural resources in the Sahel face mounting pressures.

While the population is projected to go from the current level of 91 million to 196 million by 2050, environmental degradation and climate change have had a significant impact on ecosystems, leaving fragility take over in many areas, especially in vulnerable zones and at the borders.

Many countries continue to suffer from poor governance, including governance of renewable resources, especially in those areas.

While it is important to focus on the symptoms, it is crucial to look at fragility dynamics and the role of development to address those challenges.

We need to look at how we can address conflict drivers and climate-related risks with a peacebuilding lens and ensure that all conflict analysis is climate-informed. And articulate and prioritize a strong prevention approach that would identify and address future cross-border hot-spots, where investments are most needed to reverse the negative effects of conflict and climate change on local communities.

Ahead of COP 27, we have a unique opportunity to think and push for synergies and opportunities to address the impact of climate change and peacebuilding objectives together. Beyond short to medium-term focus at the community-level, we need to look at identifying linkages with institutional policies, national and regional frameworks, and strategies to connect local and national levels, with regional and cross-border levels.

Preventing and mitigating fragility is key to making progress towards implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to the international community’s broader efforts to promote peace and prosperity.

Investment priorities should include financing livelihood, climate-resilient income-generating activities, delivery of household supplies and goods, and small-scale basic infrastructure in conflict-affected communities. We need to promote multi-sectoral investments to increase access to socio-economic infrastructure and services, particularly water and sanitation, local economic development interventions, and environmental and natural resource management.

National and regional data and monitoring, as well as regional coordination and collaboration, also need to be supported to pave the way for future regional programming and larger-scale investments.

Effective strategies to improve renewable natural resources governance have focused on land rehabilitation and water management. Projects such as the World Food Programme Cash for Assets in Niger have increased the number of hectares under cultivation in targeted areas. Successful strategies involve local communities and need to be scaled-up to the national or regional level.

To ensure sustainability of any investment, there is a need for strong alignment with regional strategies (UNISS/G5 Sahel/ECOWAS) and partnerships with regional organizations as well as with in-country partners and within the region that can help shape climate-informed interventions (universities, think tanks, youth-led climate activists’ groups).

Climate security projects, such as those aimed to reduce tensions between farmers and herders, should seek to target deeper grievances, such as those related to land governance and marginalization beyond local-level conflict resolution.

Development is key to address the grievances, root causes and prevent crises. This is the objective of the UNISS and its UN Support Plan for the Sahel.

We tend to only focus on security aspects and humanitarian needs while the Sahel is blessed with abundant human, cultural and natural resources, offering tremendous potential for rapid growth.

In terms of natural resources, the Sahel is one of the richest regions in the world, abundant with oil, natural gas, gold, phosphates, diamonds, copper, iron ore, bauxite, biological diversity and precious woods, among many other assets. These natural endowments offer immense value for economic diversification, value-chain development and livelihoods.

However, there are growing concerns about the transparency and governance of other resources such as extractive industries as well as the generation and use of revenues. Extractive resources such as uranium in Niger and oil in Chad, are extremely important export commodities for the countries of the Sahel. It is high time for development cooperation to do more to foster a properly functioning domestic governance regime for Niger’s uranium mines or Chad’s oil sector.

Practitioners, donors and academics have suggested a number of strategies or interventions to improve the effectiveness of extractive resources management. These include improving the flow of information about extractives; greater disclosure of information and compliance with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative; and building the capacity of government staff to monitor compliance with regulations.

Natural resource governance is an important entry point for responses given the centrality of land, water, biomass, and gold in Sahel livelihoods. If these resources are well-managed, it can not only help address fragility, but also deliver significant development pay-offs.

This is why the UN Support Plan for the Sahel (priority 4) aims at: “Building resilience to climate change, improving management of natural resources, and decreasing malnutrition and food insecurity.”

Given the scale of natural resource challenges and the speed of demographic and socioeconomic changes, it is essential to achieve a better shared understanding of natural resource governance issues in relation to fragility.

Sahel countries have already gone a long way in developing natural resource governance frameworks, yet implementation remains challenging. Their deficits have a strong influence on fragility, and are closely connected to other fragility drivers, including food insecurity, poverty, corruption, insecurity and marginalization.

In a context where there are little alternative options to mitigate food insecurity and support livelihoods besides natural resources, adaptation to climate change should be central to any policy that seeks to address conflict in the Sahel.

Unless the effects of climate change on livelihoods are mitigated, the spread of poverty will push increasingly desperate people into the hands of opportunistic groups, such as Jihadists.

Among the policy orientations for NRG stakeholders listed in the report, we can retain the followings:

scaling up good NRG practices across Sahel territories,
integrating links between NRG and fragility in Humanitarian, Development and Peace (HDP) efforts,
investing in the next generation of NRG mechanisms and increasing support for development and regulation of ASM.

Evidence-based dialogue is essential to improve NRG in the Sahel and prepare for the future of a Sahel in transition. We need more evidence-based research and partnership with local universities, think tanks, and civil society organizations to further land this agenda in countries.

To push more innovation, climate security projects can establish innovation labs to empower young peacebuilders, human rights defenders and climate activists to join forces and co-create bottom-up solutions and advocacy campaigns. Projects can also focus on developing foresight analyses to address upcoming climate-related security risks.

We need to call upon the international community for more knowledge sharing, data and collaboration between Sahelian governments and regional organisations, and across HDP actors.

The United Nations stand ready to accompany governments, local actors and all stakeholders to improve natural resource governance in the Sahel through.

I will now give the floor to Laurent and wish you fruitful discussions on how to support NGR to address the root causes of fragility in the Sahel.

Thank you.

Statement by M. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, United Nations Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel at the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission Meeting

April 20, 2022

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Statement by M. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, United Nations Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel at the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission Meeting

Madame chair

I wanted first to welcome your efforts to bring in all local voices , despite the technical difficulties. As the Ambassador of The Gambia put it, this an illustration of the challenges the region is facing; and the support required especially in digitalisation.

2. This meeting illustrates the imperative that we be driven by 3 powers :

i. The power of context and proximity ; hence the criticality to adequately support the Territorial Action Plan.

ii. The power of the nexus ; calling for greater integration and breaking the silos

iii. The power of solidarity ; articulated around scaled up and predictable funding.

3. This meeting is also an invitation , as eloquently expressed by the Ambassador of Cameroun, that we enter in “ le temps de l’Action ” . In that perspective , I want to give the reassurance that in the framework of the re-invigorated United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, – UNISS , UN agencies will get into the Temps de l’Action and will be driven by the 3 powers I mentioned above.

4. Let me express our appreciation for PBC members recognition of the work of the UN on stabilization , under the leadership of UNDP, with the support of partners including Germany, UK, EU, Sweden , Netherlands, African Deployment Bank .

5. Over the past 2.5 years, thanks to the regional stabilization programme, more than one hundred thousand displaced people have been able to voluntarily return ( with support of LCB governments) to stabilised sites across the LCB Region. But we still have more than 3 million displaced in the region. Stabilization provides a strong bridge between our humanitarian efforts and long term development work.

6. Stabilization allows communities to move from humanitarian needs to recovery and longer-term development and peace. Stabilization creates the conditions for the resumption of economic activity, provision of basic services and extension of state authority.

7. It is then one of the most powerful tool to realize the Civilian surge that Heads of State in the G5 Sahel called for during their 2021 Summit in Ndjamena. I trust the High level Meeting next week on Peace Building will provide avenues to elevate our joint support on stabilization .

Spécialiste résilience au Programme Alimentaire Mondial (PAM), Rama Leclerc alerte sur les défis auxquels font face les pays du Sahel dans le secteur de la sécurité alimentaire et de la protection de l’environnement

March 30, 2022

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Statement of Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye at the Peacebuilding Commission Meeting on climate-related peace and development challenges in the Sahel

“IT IS URGENT TO ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND HELP COMMUNITIES ADAPT

What are currently the most acute challenges in the Sahel in the sector of food security and environmental protection in the Sahel?

The G5 Sahel countries face multiple and interrelated challenges with high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, unequal access to basic services, poorly integrated markets, growing insecurity, an environment threatened by the degradation of soils, recurrent droughts and irregular precipitation.

Climate change is considered a factor aggravating shocks and stressors. For example, the increasingly limited availability of livelihoods, combined with demographic pressure, can disrupt the delicate balance between farmers and herders who share water and pastures. There are indeed a lot of pressures on the earth. The potentially devastating consequences reinforce the urgency to address the root causes of climate change and help communities adapt .

Statement of Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye at the Peacebuilding Commission Meeting on climate-related peace and development challenges in the Sahel

March 22, 2022

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Statement of Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye at the Peacebuilding Commission Meeting on climate-related peace and development challenges in the Sahel

Excellencies,

Dear colleagues,

I am particularly pleased to join you today from Dakar to shed light on the situation in the Sahel.

I would like to seize the opportunity to thank the Vice-Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, HE Ambassador Jose Blanco as well as ASG Elizabeth Spehar, who is online with us, and PBSO colleagues, for organizing this timely meeting. I also want to acknowledge my colleagues from IOM , FAO, and UNOWAS ; our civil society briefers from Niger and Mali as well as representatives of the G5 Sahel (ES Eric Tiare), AU (Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed) and EU (Envoy Emanuela Claudia Del Re). The list of briefers today demonstrates the tremendous coordination effort and strong partnerships that are required to ensure positive outcomes in the Sahel.

Excellencies,

These are grave times! The Sahel, object of our discussion today, is going through added stresses, not only at the country and regional level, but also from an international perspective.

On one hand, the recent military transitions in the region have been further restricting democratic and political spaces. The ECOWAS sanctions on Mali, if not backed by a strong humanitarian clause and sturdy mitigating measures will exercise added pressure on an already dire economic and social situation in the entire region.

On the other hand, the current war in Ukraine is already pushing upwards, oil, gas and food prices worldwide and will undoubtedly have a strong impact on the Sahel countries. It will likely create a crowding-out effect on humanitarian funding, singularly for the Sahel, where humanitarian needs are dramatically underfunded to the tune of a low 20-25 % rate.

These alarming facts make this PBC meeting all the more timely and I want to thank you all for your commitment to the Sahel and your leadership in addressing the root causes of the crisis in the region.

The situation calls for uplifting responses and solidarity.

- First, it is crucial to preserve the political unity of the G5 Sahel and reaffirm its central role in addressing the many challenges facing the region. In doing, so we must elevate our programmatic partnership with the G5 Sahel; through a greater alignment of our collective support to its Priority Investment Programme (PIP).

Noting the importance and centrality of the G5 Sahel, I would like to draw your attention to the need to address the Sahel “à geometrie variable”: indeed, we need to look at the region from a wider perspective, by including in the political and security parameters, the Nouakchott Process and the Accra Initiative.

- Second, it is instrumental to intensify our structural funding to Sahel countries in the spirit of Germany’s Marshall Plan with Africa, which aims at promoting innovation and harnessing the potential of Africa’s youth. The drama of the Sahel is that overall investment is chronically low; an average of 16-18 % of GDP; while a minimum floor of 24 % of overall investment ratio would be required.

In that respect, structural investments like the Africa Union Great Green Wall Initiative and the African Development Bank Desert-to-Power initiative will need stronger support for scaled up implementation.

- Third, successful ongoing initiatives implemented under the framework of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) need to be upscaled. Among these, let me mention the joint FAO-IOM initiative on transhumance and conflict prevention supported by the Peacebuilding Fund, the UNDP-led initiative on stabilization in the Lake Chad Basin and recently in the Liptako-Gourma region, the UN Rome based Agencies’ support on resilience in the Sahel. All these initiatives were highly praised by the G5 Sahel Heads of State and Government during the N’Djamena Summit in February 2021.

What we’re learning from these initiatives is that the peacebuilding fund is a helpful tool through which we can test new approaches by putting prevention at the center of the humanitarian/development/peacebuilding nexus and by investing in the meaningful participation and empowerment of women and youth, targeting at-risk groups in the border and cross-border areas which are traditionally neglected.

Excellencies,

We need to act with a sense of urgency and solidarity. Therefore, we need to invest in the most powerful engine that would transform the Sahel to a better and stable version, and that is education. There won’t be any peaceful and prosperous Sahel without our youth, and let’s not forget the importance of investing in young girls. The Sahel needs all hands on deck and in many configurations we have seen how women and girls act as a driving force.

Investing in youth is not only good economies and climate smart; but it is a down payment for a stable, peaceful and most promising future. This then should be at the heart of the Peace Building Fund, singularly in the Sahel.

Thank you.

AfDB Desert to Power initiative powering up across Sahel

February 25, 2022

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AfDB Desert to Power initiative powering up across Sahel

The African Development Bank has approved the Desert to Power G5 Sahel Financing Facility covering Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

Through the facility, the Bank will commit up to $379 million in financing and technical assistance over the next seven years. The Desert to Power G5 Financing Facility is meant to help the five countries adopt a low-emissions power generation pathway by using the region’s abundant solar potential.