4 Coordination and partnerships

Previous evaluations of Norwegian efforts in the Sahel have identified a need to strengthen internal and external coordination. Steps will be taken to enhance coordination of Norway’s efforts to implement the strategy, within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and with Norad and relevant ministries. Contact with Norwegian civil society organisations will be strengthened through more frequent use of established mechanisms for information exchange and coordination. The Norwegian civil society organisations are a particularly important channel for support given their close and effective cooperation with local partners that have in-depth insight into and understanding of developments in the region.

The UN is a key actor, in terms of both its normative and its operational role. Cooperation with the UN system will therefore be vital for following up activities in all three priority focus areas in the revised strategy. Moreover, the UN is an important arena for discussions on Sahel-related issues, for example in the Security Council or the Human Rights Council. Norway plays an active role in the UN Peacebuilding Commission and is a key supporter of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Norway has long been at the forefront internationally in implementing UN Security Council resolution 1325 Women, Peace and Security, and worked actively to highlight the importance of the women, peace and security agenda in the context of the UN MINUSMA mission.

The UN system is an important partner in the implementation of specific projects and programmes aimed at assisting the countries in the region in building resilient local communities and in the longer term achieving their sustainable development goals. Cooperation with the World Bank and the African Development Bank is of crucial importance for realising the long-term objectives of the Sahel strategy. Norway will seek to act as a catalyst for mobilising finance by promoting initiatives that can unlock long-term funding from a broader range of sources.

Norway will continue to participate actively in international coordination arenas, such as the Sahel Coalition (political) and the Sahel Alliance (development). The Sahel Alliance focuses on the development dimension and includes key relevant international actors engaged in the Sahel such as the UN family, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. The priorities of the Sahel Alliance are closely aligned with Norway’s priorities, and encompass issues such as food security, job creation, climate action, strengthening of local communities and delivery of basic services. Norway will work to strengthen coordination between the Sahel Alliance and the Sahel Coalition.

Norway participates in the group of Western countries’ Special Representatives for the Sahel, which is chaired by the EU. Cooperation with the EU is of vital importance given the institution’s deep engagement in the broader region. Contact with the EU is also crucial in light of the impact developments in the Sahel have on the European continent in terms of migration and refugee movements and the ongoing security threats posed to Europe by terrorist groups in the Sahel region. Trade in critical raw minerals with the countries in the Sahel is also vital to enabling Europe to achieve its green transition objectives. Coordination with the other Nordic countries is also important, particularly within the framework of the World Bank and the African Development Bank where we belong to the same constituency. Norway has established effective cooperation with the US and the UK on issues relating to the Sahel and West Africa, and this will be continued. In addition, it will be of great importance to maintain constructive dialogue with coastal states such as Nigeria and Ghana and with countries in North Africa to support measures to promote maritime security.

Funding provided by Norway has been used to strengthen the efforts of the AU in the Sahel, and Norway will work to further enhance the organisation’s capacity to implement its overall strategies in the region. Norway will maintain its contact with ECOWAS. Norway will support efforts by the countries in the region to put in place a regional cooperation architecture that supports and complements ECOWAS. It is important that the countries in the region are in the driving seat and have ownership of any such processes.