The European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to the Sahel region at the 5th General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance, held in Berlin on Tuesday 16 July.
“Our engagement is tailored to the different political context – the EU enjoys a solid partnership with Mauritania, promotes an inclusive transition in Chad and is committed to rediscuss ways to remain engaged with the three countries of the central Sahel”, the Commissioner said, introducing a panel devoted to empowering young people through education and skills development.
Ms Urpilainen also announced the launch of a new European Flagship Initiative for Youth in the Sahel.
“This will be our compass for empowering young people, as individuals via scholarships and tailored trainings, as groups, further establishing or strengthening Youth Sounding Boards and boosting youth-led organisations, and finally creating an enabling environment”, she said. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)