African Manager website said that the "One Desert" initiative was signed between the European Union, Libya and the Sahel region in Tunisia on Thursday, following a regional conference on cross-border cooperation between Libya and the Sahel countries, organized by the European Union Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM), in cooperation with the European Union Special Representative for the Sahel region.
The EU Special Representative for the Sahel (EUSR), Emanuela Del Re, said "One Desert” was developed by the EU Mission based on contributions made during the conference in Tunisia regarding cross-border cooperation between Libya and the Sahel states as well as the relevant actors in the Sahel region and Libya, while the Head of the EUBAM in Libya, Natalina Cea, said that Tunisia's initiative ended with the signing of a joint declaration clarifying the importance of cross-border cooperation between Libya and the Sahel region.
Meanwhile, representatives of Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania and Niger indicated that they are aware of the importance of sharing lessons and best practices in cross-border cooperation in order to strengthen border management and security, and recommended the formation of a committee composed of representatives and partners to ensure follow-up and implementation of the decisions.
EUBAM in Libya said in a tweet that the regional conference in Tunisia represented a great opportunity to share lessons and best practices in cross-border cooperation and management, including the valuable contribution that local communities and technology can make to enhance border management and security.
It underscored that its delegates and conference participants welcomed the opportunity to meet in Tunisia to discuss this important issue, and that the representatives of Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania and Niger agreed in a joint declaration to continue to actively participate in this critical issue.