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Report of the Secretary-General on cross-border issues in West Africa (S/2007/143)

Attachments

I. Introduction

1. In its presidential statement of 9 August 2006 (S/PRST/2006/38), the Security Council emphasized the regional dimension of peace and security in West Africa and the need to continue coordinating United Nations activities to ensure their improved cohesion and to maximize the use of available resources. The Council stressed the need for enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations in peace consolidation initiatives and requested that I submit a report on cross-border issues, with recommendations on how to strengthen cooperation among United Nations entities, including peacekeeping missions, deployed in the subregion. The present report, submitted pursuant to that request, examines the new security landscape in West Africa and provides recommendations with a view to addressing West African cross-border issues with increased efficiency.

2. While still fragile, the overall security environment in West Africa continues to improve. Significant progress has been made towards sustainable post-conflict recovery in Sierra Leone and Liberia, and there are encouraging developments in Guinea-Bissau. In Togo, the implementation of the Global Political Accord of 20 August 2006, by which the Inter-Togolese dialogue was concluded, is opening new avenues towards sustainable political reform, improved governance and national reconciliation. In Côte d'Ivoire, direct talks between the parties and the proximity of Burkina Faso, facilitator of the talks, are seen as credible assurance for an acceptable settlement of the conflict. Compared to the situation a few years ago, prospects for durable peace appear far more promising in West Africa. The decline in violence, in both scope and intensity, has led to a reduction in the number of casualties and of other groups victimized by warfare: refugees, internally displaced persons and child soldiers.

3. Progress is also noticeable in the area of democratic governance, as evidenced by the increased number of elected and managed Governments now in place. Constitutional and peaceful alternation of power is increasingly becoming the norm throughout the subregion. While the economic situation remains difficult, it is not hopeless. Although low productivity continues to be a concern in a number of countries, more favourable weather conditions have generated good harvests and increased food security, which was severely jeopardized in 2004 by locust invasions.

4. New challenges, including certain long-standing issues not properly addressed in the past, are emerging, and may escalate into major threats to regional stability: massive youth unemployment, rural-urban drift, irregular migration, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and human and drug trafficking. The proliferation of small arms and light weapons continues to be of great concern. Overall, human security, while improving, remains fragile.

5. Regional cross-border issues are addressed more effectively in West Africa when there is strong collaboration and coherence among United Nations entities, including peacekeeping operations, and between them and regional organizations. The role of civil society is also vital. Inter-institutional and inter-mission collaboration is increasingly effective in addressing the main cross-border challenges to peace and security. My reports to the Security Council of 12 March 2004 on ways to combat subregional and cross-border problems in West Africa (S/2004/200) and of 2 March 2005 (S/2005/135) on inter-mission cooperation and possible cross-border operations, between the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and my progress report of 11 February 2005 on the implementation of the Council's recommendations on cross-border issues (S/2005/86) confirm this situation. The consolidation of peace in West Africa could focus on three categories of States: one, democratizing States with stable but fragile institutions and large vulnerable populations; two, States with viable institutions and little or no significant abuse of power that need continued external support; and three, States in an extremely volatile situation, with weakened institutions and deepening social and economic crises, which may be subject to civil unrest and insurrectional violence. From this standpoint, Guinea deserves sustained attention and support in strengthening national dialogue and to relaunching the basic conditions for economic growth. A stable Guinea would constitute a good stabilizing factor for all countries of the Mano River basin.

6. Concerning post-conflict recovery, peacebuilding and the strengthening of regional stability, there are three main challenges: to ensure that societies recovering from conflict do not relapse into violence; to make certain that countries not in conflict but exposed to violence from neighbouring States benefit from appropriate support; and that efforts also be focused on stable countries that, nevertheless, have critical needs in long-term peacebuilding, national reconciliation, good governance and support for equitable distribution of national wealth. In that respect, the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission has begun its work in supporting countries emerging from conflict, with Sierra Leone being one of the first two countries on its agenda.

7. Globalization is taking root in West Africa. Thanks to easy-to-obtain and cheaper access to information and communication technologies, a large number of West Africans, including those living in remote areas, are better informed, and informed in a more timely manner about national and international events. The world revolution in communications empowers people and generates strong networks between them at national and international levels, including among civil society organizations. The new context inevitably changes the way that issues such as human rights, good governance and the fight against corruption are understood by public opinions and addressed by Governments.

8. Against this background and the important work already under way on the implementation of the recommendations made in my aforementioned reports and concurrent Security Council presidential statements (S/PRST/2004/7 and S/PRST/2005/9), the present report recommends a set of priority actions aimed at consolidating the progress achieved thus far, while strengthening collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).