At the High-level Conference on Strengthening International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Simão calls on to put in place a regional cooperation mechanism to support the countries of the Central Sahel to successfully fight terrorism

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, participated in the High-level Conference on Strengthening International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation and Building Agile Border Security Mechanisms, held on 4-5 November in Kuwait.

Co-organized by the State of Kuwait, the Republic of Tajikistan and the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism (UNOCT), the conference aimed at promoting regional and international cooperation on various border security and management issues outlined in the eighth review resolution of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by the General Assembly in July 2023.

Speaking at the ministerial session on how to “leverage Multilateralism to Achieve Enhanced Counter-Terrorism Cooperation around the World”, the Special Representative Simão underscored that due to geopolitical reasons, the Sahel has become a forgotten region, in comparison to other conflict-affected regions of the world, although it is now characterized as the terrorism hotspot of the world. “If the Sahel countries do not receive enough support to fight and defeat terrorism, there is the risk that some parts of this Region will become safe sanctuaries from where terrorists can plan attacks on other countries and continents, including spillover to the Gulf of Guinea states,” he warned.

Mr. Simão called on all the participants of the conference to put in place, as a matter of urgency, a regional cooperation mechanism to support the countries of the Central Sahel, namely Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, to successfully fight terrorism. He also expressed UNOWAS readiness to embrace the necessary partnerships towards the full implementation of the Global Counterterrorism Strategy and its Action Plan in collaboration with member states and all stakeholders in the region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).