Resolution on the peace and security situation in the Sahel region

Jurisdiction
African Regional Bodies · African Union (AU)
Regional Body / Author
Pan-African Parliament
Date
17 October 2019
Language
Type
Resolution
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African Union

Resolution on the peace and security situation in the Sahel region

THE PAN-AFRICAN PARLIAMENT,CONSIDERING Article 17 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union establishing the Pan-African Parliament to ensure the "full participation of the African people in the development and economic integration of the continent";CONSIDERING Article 17 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union establishing the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to ensure the "full participation of the African people in the development and economic integration of the continent";CONSIDERING ALSO Article 3 (a), (f) and (k) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union outlining the objectives of the Union to achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African countries and the people of Africa, to promote peace, security and stability on the continent and to promote co-operation in all fields of human activities to raise the living standards of African peoples;CONSIDERING FURTHER that Article 3 of the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to the Pan-African Parliament, which facilitates the effective implementation of the policies and objectives of the African Union; the promotion of the principles of human rights and democracy in Africa; and promotes peace, security and stability;RECALLING Article 20 of the Constitutive Act also referred to as Article 9 of the Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act 2003; and Article 2 of the 2002 Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union as "the standing decision-making organ for prevention, management and resolution of conflicts’;RECALLING Aspiration 4 of Agenda 2063, which envisages a fully functional and operational African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) for the preservation of peace, security and stability in Africa;NOTING that climate change is one of the major challenges faced by countries in the Sahel with an estimate of 80 percent of agricultural areas in the Sahel belt affected by climate change thereby impacting on the socio-economic livelihood of the people in the Region;NOTING WITH CONCERN that the rise in temperature in the Sahel is one and a half times faster than the global average which has a great impact on the availability of water in the Sahel region causing the transitional semi-arid eco-region to face major and persistent challenges including adverse climate change effects, regular rainfall patterns and recurrent droughts that have resulted in reduced harvests and that the impact of depleting water resources due to high temperatures in the region impacts the environment negatively;NOTING ALSO WITH CONCERN that terrorism and radicalisation continue to be fuelled by illicit proliferation, circulation and trafficking of small arms and light weapons, which threatens peace and security in the continent and undermines efforts to improve the living standards of African peoples;NOTING ALSO the complex and multifaceted factors contributing to illegal migration, human trafficking and constant terrorist attacks by AQIM, Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the Sahel region;NOTING FURTHER the number of small arms circulating within the Sahel region; and the effects to peace and stability posed by outbreaks of repeated violent conflicts, terrorism and extremist acts on the continent;APPRECIATING the efforts being made by the governments of the Sahel and the role played by the Peace and Security Council in the Region;IN ACCORDANCE WITH Rule 5 (b), (c) and (d) of the Rules of Procedure of the Pan-African Parliament, which empowers the PAP to, inter alia, organize debate, discuss, express an opinion, make recommendations and take resolutions on the objectives and on any matters relating to the African Union and its organs, Regional Economic Communities, Member States and their organs and institutions;
NOW HEREBY RESOLVES TO:UNDERTAKE a fact-finding mission to the Sahel region in order to assess the refugee and humanitarian situation on the ground and their impact to peace, security and stability in the region.Done in Midrand, South Africa17 October 2019
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