The Diplomat
The Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Ángeles Moreno, yesterday called for the promotion of development and the rule of law in the Sahel, at a telematic event on conflict prevention in that region, organised by the World Bank.
Ängeles Moreno participated on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha Gonzáles Laya, who is currently chairing the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance.
The meeting, under the theme “Towards a Resilient Sahel: Working together for conflict prevention”, was co-chaired by the World Bank, the G-5 Sahel and the Sahel Alliance and, according to a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the panellists addressed the main challenges in Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad, which face major challenges in the areas of security, poverty, climate change, inter-ethnic conflicts and irregular migration flows, problems that affect by their magnitude the performance of the region and that have external repercussions through criminal networks trafficking in people, arms and drugs.
The note adds that the talks focused on conflict prevention and resilience, and that the Secretary of State highlighted the importance of promoting development and the rule of law “to cushion the context of fragility, volatility and insecurity in the region”, and advocated “putting women and young people at the centre of actions, as they are essential in all aspects of prevention”.
Ángeles Moreno highlighted the decisive work of the Sahel Alliance, the main platform for international cooperation in the area, because it favours solutions agreed with the authorities of the five countries.
The Alliance was created in 2017 and counts among its ranks institutions, development banks, the European Union and several countries that work together to address the structural causes of the problems of the Sahel, a territory the size of Western Europe.
Participating ministers from the G5 countries discussed various aspects of prevention, including investment and joint action to provide greater stability, peace and development in the region as a whole.
Representatives of the World Bank Group presented the prospects for investment and partnerships needed to promote social cohesion, education, state maintenance and growth and employment opportunities for the people of the Sahel.
Spain is carrying out 106 projects in the area in which it has invested 107 million euros.
