April 3, 2025
Thank you Special Representative, for your briefing as well as the efforts undertaken by your office.
Thank you Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi for your briefing and for your commitment to promoting the rights of girls and women around the world, and in West Africa in particular.
France has been closely following the situation in West Africa and the Sahel. Everyone is aware of the historical and cultural ties, as well as the human ties, that link my country to this region, for example through an active and dynamic diaspora on both sides.
This region is characterized by the youth of its population, its dynamism and its legitimate aspiration. It is all the more necessary that it be able to surmont the challenges standing in the way of its development, and today we are discussing the challenges that require follow-up by this Council.
Firstly, France remains concerned about the development of the security situation, particularly in the Sahel and the Lake Chad basin, where terrorist attacks and intercommunal violence have reached an alarming level. The local branches of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State continue to expend their territories under their control. As the Secretary-General’s report emphasizes, these conflicts have devastating humanitarian consequences, particularly in Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Niger, where the number of people in need of food assistance, internally displaced persons, refugees and victims of sexual and gender-based violence is constantly rising. France is concerned about the risk of these conflicts spreading to coastal countries.
Amid these crises, it is up to us to work collectively, with the African Union and regional organizations, placing the preservation of fundamental rights and freedoms and the strengthening of governance structures and the rule of law at the core of our efforts. France calls for respect for international humanitarian law and human rights throughout the region.
Improving the situation will require a stable political environment and effective regional cooperation. France supports the efforts made by UNOWAS in this direction, in support of the action of ECOWAS. France will continue to provide support to the populations, while respecting the sovereignty of the countries concerned. The Peacebuilding Commission also plays an important role in supporting national prevention efforts, as it does in Liberia and Mauritania.
Conflicts and security crises are fueled and aggravated by arms trafficking, particularly small arms and light weapons, which are responsible for the majority of the victims in conflicts. In this respect, I would like to thank Sierra Leone for organizing an Arria-formula meeting on the control of these weapons, and assure it of France’s support.
Another challenge is the consolidation of democratic practices. The United Nations has a key role to play in supporting a return to constitutional order in the countries concerned and in accompanying electoral processes to come. The organization of elections in 2024 that led to peaceful political changeovers in Ghana and Senegal is an example to be followed by the entire region.
Women, in the same way as men, are actors in sustainable development and the proper functioning of societies, their representation must be promoted and their rights apalled. The consolidation of democracy requires better participation of women in political life, in the spirit of CEDAW’s RG40.
West Africa, already facing significant ecological and economic challenges, needs peace and stability to overcome them. Its potential is immense. France will continue to collaborate with all partners in the region who wish to do so, within a framework that respects international law.
Thank you.