Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Statement by Mr. Peter Iliichev, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, at the Security Council meeting on peace and security in Africa

May 26, 2016



Russia pays particular attention to the developing situation in the Sahel and has consistently favoured active coordination between the United Nations and the African Union and subregional organizations to normalize it. We wish to recall that terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahel have become increasingly pertinent during recent years.The situation has sharply deteriorated since the situation in Libya was destabilized. The security situation is still negatively affected by porous borders, which enable the trafficking in drugs, weapons and other contraband. Without making progress on a settlement in Libya, it will not be possible to find a lasting solution to terrorism in the Sahel. We are convinced that we should currently focus on rebuilding and strengthening the counter-terrorism potential of the States of the region, as required by the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel. In that regard, we would like to thank the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Mr. Laborde, for his briefing. We highly value the efforts of CTED in assessing the real needs of States in terms of combating terrorism. Russia has always focused on building countries’ capacities and providing bilateral support to train professionals, including law enforcement agents. Furthermore, we consider it crucial to work on implementing resolution 1624 (2005) by highlighting terrorism prevention, by making terrorism less attractive and by countering terrorist ideology and violent extremism.
With regard to the specific problem of desertification in the region, we agree that it undermines the traditional way of life and the economic potential of the countries in the region. At the same time, we believe that natural phenomena, including land and soil degradation caused by natural factors or human activities cannot a priori be regarded as a threat to international peace and security. Drought and land degradation could aggravate the situation in areas of conflict, the causes of which, in our opinion, can still be attributed to ineffective responses by the appropriate political institutions to emerging issues. The main platform for addressing desertification and land degradation is the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. When considering the problem of desertification in a cross-border context, we firmly believe there is a need to find mutually beneficial solutions based on partnership and respect for national sovereignty. We should also focus on fostering technical cooperation and training national staff on land use for countries in need. Naturally, the assistance provided should take into account the countries’ specific national development needs and strategies, as well as regional aspects.
That said, we feel it is inappropriate for the Security Council to be directly involved. It does not have the relevant expertise and the necessary tools in this area. The Council’s involvement could be counterproductive and lead the international community away from a search for practical solutions to combat land degradation. Not one of the briefers mentioned the role of the Security Council in combatting climate change and desertification, and that was not by chance. In New York, real value could be added by holding substantive discussions on this topic in the framework of the specialized Second Committee of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, especially since the importance of addressing desertification and restoring degraded land in order to achieve sustainable development was emphasized in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (resolution 70/1), under Goal 15. We believe that desertification is not the only challenge to food and economic security in the Sahel that might lead to radicalization and make it easier for terrorists to promote their ideologies and recruit adherents from among the hardest-hit segments of the population. We are convinced that the whole range of equally complex problems of the region needs to be addressed through the consistent implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel. This is a useful initiative, which has proved its worth. We have only just begun to tap into its full potential by successfully implementing projects in several areas. We hope that the merging in February of the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sahel with the United Nations Office for West Africa will create the necessary synergy to implement this strategy.