Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2905 of 18 November 2024 appointing the European Union Special Representative for the Sahel

Mr João CRAVINHO is hereby appointed as the European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the Sahel from 1 December 2024 to 31 August 2026. The Council may decide that the mandate of the EUSR be extended or terminated earlier, on the basis of an assessment by the Political and Security Committee (PSC) and a proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR).

For the purposes of the EUSR’s mandate, the Sahel is defined as comprising Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The EUSR shall also engage, as appropriate, with the countries of the Lake Chad Basin and other countries and regional or international entities in and beyond the Sahel, including the Maghreb and the Gulf of Guinea and, in particular, with the neighbouring countries that are affected by the dynamics of the Sahel.

On the basis of the policy objectives of the European Union’s Integrated Strategy in the Sahel as adopted by Council conclusions on 16 April 2021 (the ‘Strategy’), and in view of the adaptation of the Union’s approach as discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council of 11 December 2023 and of 19 February 2024 and the work on a renewed approach to the Sahel region, the EUSR’s mandate shall be to contribute actively and give priority to regional and international efforts to achieve lasting peace, security, stability and sustainable development in the region. The EUSR shall furthermore aim to enhance the quality, impact and visibility of the Union’s multi-faceted engagement in the Sahel. In line with the orientations of the Council and with the strategic objectives, interests and values of the Union, the EUSR shall assist the HR in defining a renewed Union approach on the Sahel.

The EUSR shall contribute to developing and implementing the Union’s efforts in the region in an integrated way, including in the political, security and development areas, and to coordinating all relevant instruments and stakeholders for Union actions. The EUSR shall contribute to deepening the Union’s engagement and coordination efforts with national, regional and international mechanisms.

The EUSR shall act in close cooperation and coordination with the European External Action Service (EEAS), Union delegations, the Commission, Member States and other relevant stakeholders, in particular, the United Nations (UN) and African organisations, notably the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

In order to achieve the policy objectives of the Union, the EUSR’s mandate shall be to:

1. actively contribute to the implementation of the Strategy and to the work on a renewed approach to the Sahel region, as appropriate, and coordinate and further develop the Union’s integrated approach in the region, with a view to enhancing the overall coherence and effectiveness of Union activities in the Sahel as well as supporting effective strategic communication;

2. engage, including through shuttle diplomacy, as well as peace agreements, and international mediation and conflict resolution initiatives, with all relevant stakeholders in the region including governments, regional and international organisations, youth, civil society and diasporas, and the countries of the Maghreb, West Africa and the Lake Chad Basin, with a view to furthering the Union’s objectives and interests and contributing to a better understanding and positive image of the role of the Union in the Sahel and its vicinity;

3. represent and promote the interests and visibility of the Union in relevant regional and international fora and in any other processes relevant for the stability of the region;

4. facilitate fully coordinated and integrated Union action in the region drawing on all relevant instruments, including development cooperation, the European Peace Facility, and Member States’ activities and Union support to crisis management and conflict prevention through Union common security and defence policy (CSDP) actions and regional and national stabilisation efforts, including those on security sector reform and disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants, and cultural heritage in conflict and crisis;

5. maintain close cooperation with the UN, in particular the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, the Special Coordinator for development in the Sahel, the AU, ECOWAS, and other leading national, regional and international stakeholders, including other Special Envoys for the Sahel;

6. closely follow, analyse and report on the impact of the root causes of instability and long-term trends in the region, including climate change, biodiversity loss, pastoralism, food insecurity, access to natural resources, in particular land and water, as well as promote sustainable management of, and cooperation with regard to, natural resources that reinforce stability, and support efforts to limit the spread of instability, by paying particular attention to the most vulnerable regions;

7. closely follow other regional and trans-boundary dimensions of the challenges the region is facing, including pandemics, terrorism, radicalisation, violent extremism, organised crime, inter-communal violence, hybrid and cyber-threats, arms smuggling, trafficking in human beings and smuggling, drug trafficking, maritime insecurity, refugee and migration flows and related illicit financial flows;

8. closely follow the humanitarian, political, security and development consequences of large scale refugee and migration flows, including internally displaced persons, and, as appropriate, engage in dialogues on migration with relevant authorities and stakeholders and contribute more generally to the Union’s policy on migration and refugees with respect to the region, in line with the Union’s objectives, interests and values in order to promote fruitful cooperation in the areas of migration with a comprehensive whole-of-route approach;

9. in close cooperation with the EEAS, the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator and the Commission, contribute to the implementation of the relevant Council conclusions on preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism, maintain regular high-level political contacts with the countries affected by terrorism and international organised crime and ensure the Union’s key role in the efforts to fight terrorism, violent extremism and international organised crime;

10. closely follow the political, security and development consequences of humanitarian crises in the region, taking into account the peace-humanitarian-development nexus and promoting long-term regional solutions to crises and conflicts;

11. contribute, in cooperation with the EUSR for Human Rights, to the implementation of the Union’s human rights policy in the region, in line with the Union Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, the Union Guidelines on human rights, in particular the Union Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict, as well as on violence against women and girls and combating all forms of discrimination against them, and the Union’s policy on Women, Peace and Security in line with the Union Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2019-2024, promote inclusiveness and gender equality in the state building process, in line with UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) and subsequent UNSCRs on Women, Peace and Security, including UNSCR 2242 (2015), and support the implementation of UNSCR 2250 (2015) on youth, peace and security;

12. continue to observe the justice sector as a whole, and accountability mechanisms that can be used to fight impunity, including formulating recommendations and maintaining regular contacts with the relevant authorities in the region, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and engaging with the human rights defenders and observers in the region;

13. deepen the Union’s knowledge on local expectations and local contexts through frequent contacts in the region, including with local actors. Based on a thorough and continuous analysis of the situation, facilitate reflection and contribute to the early response, the adaptation, and the strategic and long-term vision of the Union in the Sahel.

For the purposes of the fulfilment of the EUSR’s mandate, the EUSR shall, inter alia:

1. advise and report on the formulation of Union positions in regional and international fora, as appropriate, in order to proactively promote diplomatic contacts and actions that strengthen the Union’s integrated approach towards the Sahel;

2. contribute to maintaining an overview of all Union activities and cooperate closely with relevant Union delegations and Member States.

The EUSR shall be responsible for the implementation of the mandate, acting under the authority of the HR.

The PSC shall maintain a privileged link with the EUSR and shall be the EUSR’s primary point of contact with the Council. The PSC shall provide the EUSR with strategic guidance and political direction within the framework of the mandate, without prejudice to the powers of the HR.

The EUSR shall cooperate and work in close coordination with the European External Action Service (EEAS) and its relevant departments.