16 July 2024 Speech by Federal Minister Svenja Schulze at the opening of the fifth General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance

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Minister Saleh,
Vice-President Diagana,
Commissioner Urpilainen,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome to the fifth General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance!

Thank you – members, observers and partners of the Alliance – for accepting our invitation and coming to Berlin. In politically challenging times like these, it is especially important to continue our dialogue. To engage in a critical and trust-based discussion on the current developments in the Sahel. And to explore together how we can support the people in the Sahel even better than before.

Since the fourth General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance, held in Nouakchott last July, the region has seen profound political changes. The regional alliance of the G5 Sahel has been dissolved; the Alliance des Etats du Sahel has been formed; and its members Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS.

These developments have put our partnerships to a difficult test. They have been a challenge not just for the people in the Sahel but also for us at the Sahel Alliance. Not least, because the Alliance lost its former counterpart when the G5 was dissolved.

This makes it all the more important that we have a conversation about these challenges at today’s General Assembly. And that we develop solutions together to put our cooperation on a solid foundation.

That is why I would like to especially appreciate our partners from the Sahel for attending today’s Assembly. Partnerships rely on open and honest dialogue – both about the things that unite us and the things that separate us. They rely on joint exchange. And they rely on listening to each other. That is exactly what today is all about.

Last year, I took on the Presidency of the Sahel Alliance at the General Assembly in Nouakchott. It was – and still is – a great honour for me that you, the members of the Sahel Alliance, placed your trust in me.

I want to continue to pay back this trust. That is why I am ready to serve a second term as the President of the Sahel Alliance. To me, teamwork is especially important. That is why, dear Ousmane Diagana, I wish to continue the successful cooperation with you as the Chairman of the Operational Steering Committee.

I want to continue to work with you all for the people in the Sahel. To counter poverty and hunger, the consequences of climate change, and terrorism. For peace and security, for stability and social justice.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As Sahel partners and development partners we are all united in the desire to improve the living conditions for the people in the Sahel. With a view to achieving that goal, the first year of my Presidency was guided by three principles: “Deliver better”, “Coordinate stronger” and “Communicate jointly”.

Together as the Sahel Alliance we have brought these three principles to life. For example, during a visit to Burkina Faso this March together with you, dear Ousmane Diagana.

In our conversations with government representatives there, we sent a joint message from the entire Sahel Alliance: The political differences notwithstanding, we will remain engaged in the Sahel. We will not leave the people in the region alone.

During my meetings in the region I was able to see for myself the effect the measures taken by the Sahel Alliance are having for the people there. One example is Françoise Ouédraogo. She is a young farmer whom I met in Burkina Faso.

To escape the terrorists, she and her family fled from the North of the country to the region of Ouagadougou. She is now taking part in a training programme there, learning about climate-resilient cultivation methods to improve her vegetable production. She is learning how to optimise her harvests without depleting the soil. This enables her not only to feed her family but also to generate an additional profit. She is fighting hunger and defying the lack of prospects on which terrorism feeds.

There are many other good examples like Ms Ouédraogo. And we hope many more will follow. That is why the Sahel Alliance has initiated a number of Joint Initiatives. They are pooling the engagement of the Sahel Alliance members so as to deliver even better support for the people in the Sahel.

One example is yesterday’s launch of the Sahel Resilience Partnership in cooperation with the World Food Programme and UNICEF.

And today, Ousmane Diagana and I will be launching RELANCE, the Joint Initiative in the education sector, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding.

I will also take this cause to Brazil next week at the G20 meeting and link the Sahel to Brazil’s focus topic on hunger eradication and to the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.

So you can see that, despite difficult circumstances, the Sahel Alliance has moved a lot forward over the last year. And together with you I want to build on that.

If you honour me with your trust for another year as the President of the Sahel Alliance, I will continue to work towards our common goal of improving education and training for young people in the Sahel. They need reliable incomes and prospects for the future.

I will continue to work towards our common goals of strengthening food security and expanding social protection. So that societies become more resilient against crises and climate-related shocks such as droughts and flooding.

And I will continue to work towards our common goals of strengthening municipal capacities. So that people are provided with reliable services that offer them the essentials they need to survive – such as water, energy and health care.

It is clear that this requires a coordinated and cross-border approach. Because the challenges in the Sahel – such as climate change and terrorism – do not stop at national borders.

Spillover effects of conflicts need to be prevented. So that they do not spread to stable parts of the Sahel countries and to West African coastal nations. It is good and important that we have a chance today to discuss how these spillover effects can be contained.

In all these efforts it is essential that civil society and local actors are involved. Because they contribute significantly to peaceful conflict resolution and to strengthening social cohesion. Their perspective is also important for us as the Sahel Alliance. It is very important to me to strengthen the exchange with civil society. Our event this afternoon marks the start of this. And I invite you all once more to attend.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am convinced that in an increasingly complex world, we will only achieve our goals by cooperating. By working together, and not against one another. By holding out a hand, not by pointing an accusing finger.

We need partnerships that serve the interests and needs of both sides. Let this be the spirit with which we begin our General Assembly today and engage in our future cooperation. Thank you.