Chair, honorable Minister
Norway commends Mauritania for coming to the Commission to present its National Prevention and Social Cohesion Strategy.
Adopting such a strategy is a major achievement to strategically address and mitigate conflict drivers and promote national peace and development. It demonstrates national ownership, which is crucial for successful peacebuilding.
Many countries – Norway included – has a lot to learn from you.
Chair,
Allow me to emphasize three points.
First, I want to commend Mauritania’s prevention and peacebuilding efforts. It has come a long way and represents a pillar of stability in a very volatile region. It is imperative to prevent negative spill-over from the broader neighborhood.
The most effective way to achieve this is by strengthening the resilience of Mauritanian society.
Second, we recognize Mauritania’s commitment to conflict prevention. Building and consolidating peace in line with the Strategy’s five pillars, alongside inclusive and democratic governance, constitute important preventive measures.
We particularly value efforts towards women’s economic empowerment, youth engagement, community-led mechanisms and addressing concerns of populations affected by displacement.
Third, the development of Mauritania’s prevention strategy illustrates the importance of international support accompanied by strong national ownership.
The emphasis on partnerships, such as leveraging the UN to align national peacebuilding priorities with international financing instruments through the UN-IFI Partnership Facility, is exemplary.
This is also a textbook example of genuine, concrete synergies between the UN and IFIs.
We hope that this partnership continues in the implementation phase.
Chair,
Let me end by underlining the seriousness of the challenges in Mauritania’s surrounding region.
We are deeply worried that the fragility of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso can severely impact the coastal states of Western Africa.
We appreciate that the Commission has been able to discuss broader issues in the Sahel region. We encourage continued PBC attention on these matters - in close cooperation with the region itself and based on the PBC’s mandate of offering support and advice.
Thank you.