On the Peace Building Day, delegates discussed the response to organized crime in the Sahel
The PBC, an intergovernmental advisory body launched in 2006, plays a key role in supporting peace efforts in conflict-affected countries.
That’s inside 31 member states elected from the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council, he brought together top donors and countries involved in the war.
Ambassador Ivan Šimonović of Croatia, President of the Council, referred to the latest UN Secretary General’s report, which said that “the security situation in the Sahel continues to be characterized by terrorism and violent extremist groups. always targeting border areas” The situation has worsened this year.
Actively active
The PBC has been actively involved in improving conditions throughout the Sahel, including countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Niger, and Senegal.
It supports regional peacebuilding priorities and assists in the implementation of the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) and its Support Programme. Previous PBC meetings have focused on building climate reform and addressing climate change issues.
With concerns over structural weakness, weak governance, poverty, border security, population growth, mass migration, and climate change, the Commission also focused on prevention and resolution of conflict, violent extremism, and organized crime.
Serious threat
To areas affected by conflict such as the Sahel Organized crime is a major threat to the countryt. Illegal activities there vary from arms sales and drug production to migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that illegal economic activities there generate billions of dollars annuallywhile most residents live on less than $2 per day.
Mar Dieye, who heads UNISS, told UN News in an earlier interview that anti-trafficking and organized crime efforts are issues that have recently been overlooked.
“With the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) threat assessments on organized crime in the country, we have discovered the great economy that is blind between national actors and international partners,” he said.
Peace budget
The leading instrument for investing in peacebuilding is the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund. “Them The Sahel is an area of particular importance to Fundbuilding Peacewith 35 percent of its funds allocated to the region by 2022,” said Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary General for Peace Support.
It highlights the key results achieved by the Fund as well as cross-border initiatives to support national security cooperation and operations to shut down national criminal organizations – between Gambia and Senegal, and between Mali and Guinea – as well as a project in Burkina Faso to combat organized crime and trafficking.
Day of Peace
The meeting convened on Peace Building Day marked annually on 23 June. In a video message Mrs. Spehar spoke about the urgent need to increase efforts address the root causes of conflict we had invest in peace.
He emphasized the importance of the definition of the definition of peace of the UN and stressed the suggestion of the Secretary General A New Plan for PeaceCurrently under development, as the best opportunity to prioritize prevention and peace building.
