Vice Minister Emanuela Del Re participated, via videoconference, in the Ministerial Round Table on the Central Sahel region (Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso), jointly organised by the European Commission, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Germany and Denmark to deepen the humanitarian situation in the region.
In her speech, Vice Minister Del Re highlighted the increasing Italian commitment in the area and in all sectors, as evidenced by her recent official visit to Niger and the future opening of an embassy in Mali. Del Re also shared her vision focused on the interconnection between humanitarian aid, development, and peace.
“The stabilization of the central Sahel is a strategic priority for Italy, given its geographical position linking sub-Saharan Africa to the Mediterranean basin”. – said the Vice Minister – “It is essential that the Sahelian countries, with our help, address the deeply rooted causes of instability with sustainable and long-term interventions, by increasing the confidence of local populations in national institutions, by enforcing the rule of law, human rights and promoting fair access to basic services. Our partnerships are a significant resource in this regard”.
“Over the last decade, the already significant vulnerabilities have further worsened in the central Sahel. This as a result of a fierce interaction between poverty, violent extremism, conflict, the consequences of climate change, now further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, thus deteriorating the humanitarian situation in the area, including in terms of food security” – continued Del Re.
“To address the deeply rooted causes of the humanitarian crisis in the region we must strengthen coherence and complementarity between humanitarian and development response and coordinated action among the different stakeholders, including humanitarian and development actors and the private sector. – concluded the Vice Minister.
