G5 Sahel adopts border management declaration
On 11 and 12 March in Bamako, member states of the G5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) jointly organised with UNDP and Japan, and in partnership with the government of Mali, an international conference on border management and border communities in the Sahel. Focused on the security and development of communities in the border areas of the Sahel region, the discussions sought to build consensus within the G5 Sahel on what approach to take to improve the management of these areas, some of which are experiencing an increase in radicalism and violent extremism. A joint statement dubbed the "Bamako Declaration" was adopted at the end of the meeting. Under the Declaration, the five Sahelian countries commit to strengthen decentralised local security structures at borders (through the development of legal frameworks) and to strengthen assistance to border communities in the areas of development and conflict prevention. The declaration also highlights the need for a regional dimension, calling for enhanced co-operation with development partners and regional organisations. As next step, the G5 Sahel will develop a regional action plan for 2016-18, to support border communities and prevent radicalisation and violent extremism; member states also will engage in actions for advocacy and mobilisation of resources from regional organisations and development partners, with UNDP support.
