General Assembly Security Council

UNSC briefing on UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS)

[Thursday, 7 July 2022; 1000 hrs.; 1900 IST]

 

India Statement by 

Amb. R. Ravindra, Cd’A

 

Thank you, Mr. President. 

 

Let me begin by thanking SRSG Khatir Mahamat Saleh Annadif for briefing us on the latest developments in West Africa and the Sahel region. I also thank the Chair of the Peace Building Commission Ambassador Rabab Fatima for the presentation. I also thank the civil society briefer Ms Rabia for her insights.

 

2.     The democratic traditions of West Africa and the Sahel have again found resonance in the successful holding of parliamentary and local elections in The Gambia and Senegal respectively. The people in West Africa have consistently reposed their faith in democracy. We also welcome the efforts of governments in the region towards electoral and administrative reforms to address long- standing grievances about political exclusions.  These developments augur well for the next electoral cycle in 2023. 

 

3.    However, the consolidation of democracy has been overshadowed by successive occurrence of coups in Mali, Guinea, and most recently in Burkina Faso. And democratic processes in the region risk being jeopardized by unabated violence inflicted by terrorist and armed groups.

 

4.    Amidst this fragile political and security situation, we commend the leadership of President of Ghana as Chair of ECOWAS. We appreciate the efforts of ECOWAS in consolidating democracy and promoting good governance. We also complement ECOWAS for its continuous engagement with transitional authorities of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea in pursuit of a transitional roadmap. The constructive deliberations and decisions during the ECOWAS Summit in Accra last week, particularly with respect to Mali, are encouraging.

 

5.    Mr President, the violence in the region perpetrated by terrorist groups, affiliated to Al-Qaida and the ISIL, have reached unprecedented levels. We strongly condemn these attacks, including the attack on MINUSMA, two days ago.  This is indicative of some worrisome trends, including aggravation of internal displacement and the humanitarian crisis; southward expansion of terrorism from the central Sahel region, evident from attacks in Benin and Togo; and exploitation of security gaps by armed groups amidst the ongoing reconfiguration of international security forces.

 

6.    In this context, the countries of the region have shown tremendous grit and resilience to fight terrorism individually, and collectively through regional security initiatives. However, some of these mechanisms are handicapped by inadequate political cohesion and lack of resources. We encourage the countries of West Africa and the Sahel to re-energize their security cooperation. We also reiterate our support for calls for sustainable and predictable support to the regional security initiatives, including through the UN’s assessed contributions. 

 

7.    UNOWAS should remain focused on its mandate and work closely with national, regional, and sub-regional stakeholders, particularly ECOWAS. The issue of climate change should be addressed holistically through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UNFCCC, in accordance with its provisions and principles, and the Paris Agreement. We reiterate that no artificial link should be drawn between climate change and security related issues without any firm scientific basis. We are glad to note that the report of the Secretary General has rightly prioritized the growing threat of terrorism over other issues. The humanitarian needs of vulnerable countries in the region also merit attention of the international community. 

 

8.     Mr President, India attaches high importance to its relations with countries in West Africa and the Sahel region. India’s commitment to development partnership has remained steadfast.  So far, India has provided soft loans of more than US$ 3.5 billion for projects in the region in agriculture, irrigation, water supply, energy, solar and health sectors. Under the ambit of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, we have also undertaken significant livelihood projects in nine of partner countries in West Africa. Additionally, we have also extended support through capacity-building of civilians and defense forces as well as through scholarships for higher education. India reiterates its commitment to the people of West Africa and the Sahel in their quest for peace and development. I thank you.

 

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