On April 8, 2021, RIAC hosted an international webinar "Sahel Region of Africa: Key Challenges and Effective Solutions". The webinar was organized within the framework of RIAC project "Russian Strategy in Africa". Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Moldova partnered RIAC in organizing and conducting the webinar.
Security challenges in the Sahel region remain the focus of attention of the international community. Chronic humanitarian crisis (food shortage, lack of access to learning opportunities, poor medical infrastructure, and shortage of medical equipment and medical products), combined with the challenges of terrorism and climate change, are deteriorating the situation for civilians in the Sahel and make this region one of the most unsafe to live in.
The webinar touched upon two blocks of problems in the region: key challenges for the Sahel countries and the possibilities of implementing balanced long-term international solutions.
Security challenges in the Sahel region remain the focus of attention of the international community. Chronic humanitarian crisis (food shortage, lack of access to learning opportunities, poor medical infrastructure, and shortage of medical equipment and medical products), combined with the challenges of terrorism and climate change, are deteriorating the situation for civilians in the Sahel and make this region one of the most unsafe to live in.
The webinar touched upon two blocks of problems in the region: key challenges for the Sahel countries and the possibilities of implementing balanced long-term international solutions.
The webinar was attended by politicians, experts and researchers from academic institutions, delegates from NGOs and businesses represented in the region. Opening remarks were made by Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General; Ikhtiyar Aslanov, Head of the Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Moldova (ICRC); and Igor Morozov, Member of the Federation Council, Chairman of Coordination Committee for Economic Cooperation with African Countries (AfroCom). Russia’s position in the region was presented by Vladimir Tarabrin, Director of the Department for New Challenges and Threats of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The webinar participants noted that there is no military solution to resolve the situation in the Sahel, and that the solution lies in the field of international cooperation at the state level, active interaction at the UN level, strict observance of international humanitarian law, as well as in the development of a NGO network and public-private partnerships.
RIAC will continue its research on the African vector in the light of the preparations for the Third Russian-African Public Forum and the Second Russia-Africa Summit.
