Italy is attending the Berlin Conference, on 3 and 4 September, on the Lake Chad crisis where the water, has shrunk 90% over the last few years and whose shores are experiencing a resurgence of the violent extremism of Boko Haram. Italy will confirm the allocation of 15 million euros in 2019 for emergency measures and development programmes for the people of the countries around the basin, in addition to its commitment to improve the region’s safety. The conference aims to tackle the serious humanitarian crisis affecting more than 10 million people in the area and the issues of climate change and sustainable development and their impact on the countries’ security. The region has been hit by a severe crisis caused by political, economic, and humanitarian factors, all linked to the tragic shrinking of the lake, which provides a livelihood for millions of people. The level of Lake Chad, which is the seventh largest lake in the world but has no outlets, dropped four metres between 1962 and 2014. This has degraded the area, causing economic marginalisation, and serious security concerns. According to the UN, these negative factors hit 45 million people and have exposed the population, especially young people, to the risk of being enlisted as a soldier or becoming a victim of a violent extremism such as that of Boko Haram.
The aim of the conference is to go beyond the merely humanitarian dimension of the 2017 Oslo Conference and to promote the long term stability and sustainable development of the region. The agenda includes: strengthening the multi-sectorial and coordinated approach to face the root causes of the regional crisis; supporting the governments affected and strengthening cooperation at regional and international level; mobilising international resources to address short and long-term humanitarian needs, particularly of the most vulnerable groups; defending the principles of humanitarian aid, specifically the right to access and the protection of civilians; strengthening resilience, stability and sustainable development, to meet the short and long-term needs of the population. Particular attention will be paid to gender issues. Italy will not only reiterate its commitment to allocate some funds, as promised at the Oslo, February 2017, and Paris, December 2017, conferences, but it will also emphasise a feasibility study, partly funded by the Ministry for the Environment, on diverting water from the Congo River Basin to Lake Chad.
