(As delivered)

 

Statement by H.E. Mr. Yoshifumi Okamura

Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations

At the Briefing of the United Nations Security Council

On “Peace and Security in Africa: challenges in the Sahel Region”

26 May 2016

 

 

Mr. President,

 

          I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation for the initiative of Egypt and Spain in convening this briefing. Allow me also to join others in thanking the four briefers. Je voudrais notamment remercier Madame Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim d’avoir transmis la voix du peuple de la région directement au Conseil de Sécurité. Japan looks forward to the acceleration of the UN’s actions in the Sahel under the leadership of Mr. Chambas as head of the integrated UNOWAS.

 

Mr. President,

 

          The Sahel faces many major challenges today. Peace and security remain fragile. The spread of terrorism from the Sahel to the rest of West Africa is worrisome. I saw the reality with my own eyes in the north of Mali, where, due to the absence of State authority, the local population has no choice but to co-exist with terrorists and to depend on an informal economy.

    

          Despite all the challenges, there remains hope. Some countries are growing resilience to the threats. Building resilient societies in the Sahel is an achievable goal. The United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) is a valuable tool to this end. One of the key elements overarching the UNISS’ Strategic Goals is the importance of institution and capacity building. Japan fully supports this. Indeed, Japan’s commitments toward institution and capacity building in Africa, made at the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), have already been translated into concrete actions. This includes capacity building support for some 2,000 people in the Sahel, aimed at enhancing counter-terrorism capacity, as announced by Prime Minister Abe at the TICAD V Thematic Session dedicated to the Sahel.

 

          The role of the G5 Sahel in promoting the UNISS should also be commended. They have made efforts to foster regional capacities through the establishment of sub-regional training schools in the field of security and defense. We fully support such actions.

 

          Countries which have more or less successfully implemented the UNISS, including through inclusive governance and social cohesion, show greater resilience to terrorism, organized crimes, drought and other threats to peace and security. That was the case in Burkina Faso and Niger, where I was accredited as Ambassador.

 

          In Burkina Faso, local communities have been constructing more than 1,400 reservoirs for irrigation and in anticipation of future droughts. Their society exemplifies a model of people combining their efforts not only to prepare for the worst but also to reinforce the foundations of their livelihoods.

 

          In Niger, various ethnic communities are politically represented and integrated into the central government. This ensures effective and responsive governance throughout the country, despite its vast territory and great diversity.

 

Mr. President,

 

          In order to create societies resilient to threats, I believe there are two keys: “ownership” and a “consideration of local context”.

 

          When Japan was implementing a project of technology transfer to counter desertification in Burkina Faso, we recognized the potential difficulty of ensuring sustainable maintenance, as well as the practical difficulties of applying advanced technologies to local conditions. We drew two lessons from this experience. The first was that it is important to make full use of traditional knowledge and customary procedures. Second was that in order to ensure ownership, it is necessary to promote decision-making at the community level through their own traditional system. The efforts of the United Nations and other international partners in the Sahel should be guided by the principles of “ownership” and a “consideration of local context”.

 

 

Mr. President,

 

 

          “Ownership” is one of the core principles guiding the Japan-led, multi-stakeholder TICAD process for more than two decades. This August the next TICAD will be held in Africa at the summit level for the first time in its history. We look forward to the active participation of countries from the Sahel region as well as the G5 Sahel.

 

          I thank you very much.