Eight Governors of the most Boko Haram affected areas in the Lake Chad Basin region have adopted key recommendations aimed at restoring hope to the affected population by stabilising the region and setting the foundations for sustainable development.

These recommendations are contained in the final Communique of the second Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum for Regional Cooperation on Stabilization, Peacebuilding and Sustainable Development in the region affected by Boko Haram which took place in Niamey, Niger from 16-18 July 2019.

One of the high points of the forum was the launch of the Regional Stabilization Facility for Lake Chad, an ambitious multi-million-dollar fund to scale up the range of stabilization interventions in areas of Lake Chad Basin.

Speaking of the potentially far-reaching impact of the Facility during the opening ceremony of the 2nd Meeting of the Lake Chad Governors’ Forum, UNDP Regional Director for Africa Ms. AhunnaEziakonwa said: “With the Regional Stabilization Facility, we have a unique and time-bound opportunity and a collective obligation to restore hope to affected populations, especially women and youth who have been most affected by this scourge.

If we respond appropriately to grievances and end the spiral of insecurity, forced displacements and conflict, the situation in the Lake Chad Basin can be stabilized, and the foundations of recovery and development established.”

Hosted by the Government of Niger, the Governors’ Forum was organized by the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), with technical support from the African Union, UNDP, and Crisis Management Initiative, and financial support from the German Foreign Office.