This consultation is now closed. Read the consultation report: A report of the Conversations between the United Nations and Women and Youth of the Sahel Thank you for participating in the Sahel conversations. Please visit the discussion room to view the comments. It was open 11 Oct - 8 Nov 2021. |


Welcome!
Dear Participants,
This conversation platform is an open consultation between the United Nations system and the people of the Sahel through which the audience have the opportunity to provide diverse views and contributions relating to the United Nations interventions in the Sahel region.
In 2021, the UNISS Steering committee adopted a revitalized communication plan, aimed at changing the narrative on the Sahel in many ways including ensuring that the voices of the people of the Sahel are fully captured in the development discourse such that no one is left behind in the realization of UNISS and the UNSP priorities. A core component of these priorities is youth and women. For the UN to meaningfully engage and support the people of the Sahel, it would be ideal to hear them talk about their problems themselves, to hear their suggestions and ensure their participation in finding solutions. Engaging affected populations, particularly youth and women, in finding sustainable solutions can only be achieved through direct exchanges and consultations.
In this regard, you are invited to join the conversation.
Contributions and views will be made in accordance with the laid down guidelines for each conversation topic. In general, the consultations will focus on the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) and the United Nations Support Plan (UNSP) priority areas as well as other critical areas of development concern, in particular the role of young people and women.
Specifically, participants during the entire conversations, will be expected in the discussion room, to give their remarks/comments/feedback and recommendations about the following:
- What priorities of the UN Sahel Plan are the most relevant to your context and why?
- How can young people, including women, contribute to a peaceful and prosperous Sahel?
- How can the UN and young people work together to change the negative narrative on the Sahel?
- How can youth, women and governments partner in the areas of development, resilience and peacebuilding in the Sahel?
The overarching purpose of the Sahel Conversations initiative is to generate a transformational shift through active engagement of the United Nations System with the people of the Sahel region as part of the overarching goals on Changing the Narrative of the Sahel. The Platform is also an opportunity to share the work and programme of the United Nations during the conversations in order for the Sahelians to know what the United Nations plans to do and why, what it is doing and why, where, how and for whom?

Audience
The audience of these Conversations fit the larger picture of the Sahelians, in particular, youth and women, from across the 10 UNISS countries, (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, The Gambia and Senegal), regional/sub-regional organizations, Representatives from the Governments of the 10 Member States, non-profit and civil society organizations, Academia, and other non-state actors working on youth and gender-related issues.

Impact
Overall, it is aimed that the Sahelian voices would significantly guide the United Nations’ response and interventions in the Sahel towards implementing the UNISS and UNSP. For the purpose of this first conversation focusing on the role of youth and women,, views and contributions will go a long way to inform Generation Unlimited (Gen-U) Sahel but will also be presented during the next meeting of the UNISS Steering Committee.

For more information
- Contact Ashu Hailshamy: ashu.hailshamy@undp.org or Elodie Atsou: elodie.atsou@undp.org
- Visit https://unis-sahel.org/
- Consultation partners are the entire UN Offices, Agencies, Funds and Programmes operating in the Sahel
