High Level Meeting on the Sahel

The European External Action Service will host a High level meeting on the Sahel on 6 February 2014.

Mali is the chair of the international coordination platform for the Sahel established in Bamako on 5 November 2013 during the joint United Nations - Wold Bank - African Union - European Union - African Development Bank high level mission to the Sahel. In this capacity, Prime Minister of Mali HE. Tatam Ly will open the meeting while Minister for National Reconciliation and Development of the Northern Regions HE. Diarrah will chair it.

Why:

Substantial achievements have been made in the stabilization process in Mali. But lasting peace in Mali and the region will not be achieved if the root causes of the crisis in the wider Sahel Sahara region remain unaddressed either at local (north of Mali, south of Libya etc.) or regional level. A long term coordinated international engagement is needed.

The international coordination platform for the Sahel was established in order to review periodically peace and security developments in the region and ensure the effectiveness of the international support to national and regional efforts.

The objective of the High level meeting on the Sahel hosted by the EEAS will be to help operationalize this platform and reflect on ideas and principles that will guide its work.

Who:

More than 25 Ministers from the region and high level representatives of international institutions including the United Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and others will attend the meeting.

International coordination will be at the heart of the discussion and the agenda should include the following discussion items: (i) comparative assessment of existing Sahel strategies (ii) how to enhance collective security in the Sahel-Sahara region? (iii) how to tackle vulnerability and enhance socio-economic development? (iv) how to enhance international coordination?

Where:

The High Level Meeting on the Sahel will take place in the Berlaymont building, meeting room Robert Schuman.

Services for the media

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  Audio visual materials: images of the opening session will be available shortly after the start of the conference on Europe by Satellite website.
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  Press point: at the end of the meeting (18:30 BXL time) in the press corner of the EEAS building. The two speakers will be SEM Cheick Oumar Diarrah, Minister of National Reconciliation and Development of Northern Regions of the Republic of Mali and Michel Dominique Reveyrand-de Menthon, EU Special Representative for the Sahel.
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  Accreditations: the press point is opened to all interested journalists. In order to register to this event please send an email to delphine.lievremont@eeas.europa.eu