The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism (UNOCT), and INTERPOL launched the “Integrated Border Stability Mechanism (IBSM)” aimed at strengthening cooperative border governance and security in areas strategically relevant for regional stability.
While instability has been a recurring theme in the Sahel and West Africa, violent events have become more frequent and deadly in recent years and their underlying dynamics, including different forms of transnational organized crime and terrorism, have grown increasingly complex.
In this context, the establishment of IBSM as a multilateral coordination platform will contribute to strengthening cooperation between actors involved in governance and border security in West Africa. The initiative will also facilitate the development and implementation of regional and national strategies as well as policy frameworks, to improve governance and integrated border management to ensure better border stability and that adequate responses are put in place to address the root causes of instability in the region, such as illicit flows and the risk of radicalization. The stakeholders involved in this new integrated governance mechanism will benefit from a structured framework for sharing information and building capacities in immigration and border governance.
This initiative is in line with the African Union Strategy for a Better Integrated Border Governance (2020) which stresses the positive potential of “borders as vectors to promote peace, security and stability, and to improve and accelerate integration through effective governance of borders while facilitating easy movement of people, goods, services and capital among AU Member States” and recognizes the necessity of “prevention and elimination of cross-border security threats such as terrorism, violent extremism and other transnational crimes” to enhance border governance in the region.
It is in this perspective that General Touré Seydou, Diplomatic Advisor to the Ministry of Interior and Security, on behalf of the General Vagondo Diomandé, Minister of the Interior and Security of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, declared: “As you know, Côte d'Ivoire, like other sister countries in the subregion, is facing attacks in its northern part. You will therefore understand that any initiative relating to improving the management and security of our borders is important to us. I sincerely hope that the work will result in relevant resolutions that will guarantee stability on the borders of the countries of our subregion.”
The inaugural meeting shed light on the need for a joint and comprehensive response based on the AU's Integrated Border Governance strategy, the ECOWAS[CB1] [KN2] , and other regional and national policy frameworks. “The complexity of the threats posed by transnational organized crime, the intrinsic difficulties of securing borders - including their management and use as an engine for development - and the highly cross-border nature of these challenges mean that no country, international organization, or other actor can tackle them alone. Promoting partnerships between governments, civil society, development, and humanitarian partners, as well as donors, including international financial institutions, is essential and fundamental to ensuring holistic and coordinated responses that address the specificities of the challenges facing our region.” highlighted Dr. Amado Philip de Andrés, Regional Representative of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for West and Central Africa (UNODC).
“To our West African partners: The IBSM is the response to your rightful demands for a better coordinated international support to strengthen border security and border management capacities. It is your capacity building coordination mechanism” added Tobias Grothe, Head of Section Security Sector Reform, German Federal Foreign Office.
The establishment of the IBSM was made possible thanks to the financial contribution of the German Federal Government made through the Federal Foreign Office and the support of the Italian ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
