TheCable

Since 2009, the Lake Chad region has been severely impacted by the crisis triggered by the Boko Haram insurgency and the interplay of other root causes, causing massive internal and cross border displacement, destruction of social fabric and properties, human rights abuses, and disruption of government institutions and services. 

To ensure stability, peace, and sustainable development in the region, the governors in the Lake Chad Basin will converge on Niamey, capital of Niger, from July 16-18 to reflect on the progress and challenges since the last governors forum.

The aim of the governors forum is to enhance joint efforts, coordination and regional ownership to resolve the crisis by promoting cross-border dialogue, cooperation and exchange, and to support ongoing national, regional and multilateral efforts towards stabilisation in the Lake Chad Basin (LCB).

The first governors forum meeting constituted a milestone in regional stabilisation efforts in the sense that, for the first time, governors from the LCB region jointly discussed common challenges, and potential measures and policies to resolve them.

Organised by the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) with technical support from the African Union (AU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI).

The overall objective of the second meeting of the governors forum is to further institutionalise the governors forum and give the necessary political endorsement to the Territorial Action Plans (TAPs) as the guiding framework documents for the localisation of the RSS in the eight affected regions – thereby contributing to the development of durable responses to the short, medium and long-term stabilisation needs at the state and regional levels.

Below are the specific agenda for the meeting

• To reflect on the progress and challenges since the last Governors’ Forum;
• To formulate key strategic priorities for each of the eight (8) affected states/regions in the Lake Chad Basin region; and
• To launch the Stabilisation Facility as the mechanism for the financing regional cooperation on stabilisation, recovery and resilience.

Here is the timetable for the second governors forum.

July 16

The first day of the forum will be mainly for registrations, bilateral meetings, preparatory meeting for CSOs and to receive any feedback from governors representatives.

July 17

On day two, the meeting will focus on update on developments and progress since the May 2018 governors forum; Formulation of key Priorities and Understanding of Stabilisation Process; Presentation of Mechanism for Financing of the Stabilisation Effort in the Lake Chad Basin Region, with a special presentation on lessons from Somalia: 10 Years of AMISOM Stabilisation Effort by AU-Special Representative to the Chairperson of the Commission for Somalia.

July 18

On final day, the event starts with a panel discussion on critical role of civil society, women and youth in stabilisation effort; security, cross-border trade and economic interventions and collaborative efforts for stabilization: role of regional mechanisms. The governors forum will close with the presentation and adoption of a communiqué, which will also contain key conclusions and decisions.

PREVIOUS MEETING

The 2018 forum which held in Maiduguri, was hosted by Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno, had in attendance,  governor of Adamawa (Nigeria); governors of Diffa and Zinder (Niger); governors of Lac and Hajder Lamis (Chad); and governors of the North and Extreme North (Cameroon).

It was also attended by civil society representatives from the four LCB countries, donor countries of the Forum and other supporting countries, international and regional organisations, the Nigerian military and the MNTJF.

Photo credit: UNDP