Today, Maria Tripodi, the Italian Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, met the UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel, Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, at the Farnesina.
The discussions revolved around the UN action within the framework of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) and the role played by Italy in the region, which includes several activities, among which: tackling terrorism, providing humanitarian aid, supporting local development, and cooperating on migratory issues. These actions are also part of the broader Italian strategy on Africa and the Mattei Plan, currently being drafted, and promote cooperation and partnership in the region by deploying public and private resources.
Undersecretary Tripodi stressed the strategic importance of that area for Italy and reminded the three embassies which have been opened over the last eight years (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which also host an Italian Military base) as well as the future opening in Mauritania. Against the backdrop of worsened security and greater instability in the Sahel region, now even more critical due to the lack of food supplies resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Wagner Group in the area, the Undersecretary has confirmed that Italy is committed to an approach that combines stability, development and open dialogue on migratory issues with origin and transit Countries.