Abidjan, 20 October 2022 – The first biennial international forum, the Abidjan Border Forum, held from 18 to 20 October 2022 in Abidjan-Plateau, on the initiative of the Executive Secretariat of the Côte d’Ivoire National Borders Commission (CNFCI), closed its doors with a series of strong recommendations to States, the African Union (AU), sub-regional organisations, technical and financial partners (TFP) and structures in charge of borders for better governance of border areas.
The meeting took place on Thursday 20 October 2022 in Abidjan-Plateau, in the presence of the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Amadou Coulibaly, representing Prime Minister Patrick Achi.
The participants unanimously recommended that governments give priority to diplomacy and negotiation in settling border disputes, and that they strengthen the participation of women and young people in the mechanisms for establishing a climate of peace in border areas.
In addition to raising awareness among AU member states of the need for rapid ratification of the AU Convention on cross-border cooperation, the participants in the Abidjan Border Forum called on states to invest more in border areas in order to make up for infrastructure deficits and strengthen the presence of the state and the sense of belonging of the populations living there.
The harmonisation of socio-economic development policies between neighbouring states in border areas, particularly with regard to agricultural policies, through cross-border cooperation, the development of digital infrastructures in border areas and the inclusion of border law courses in university curricula are among these recommendations.
As for the African Union, it was urged to play the role of mediator between member states in the event of border disputes and to strengthen coordination between itself, sub-regional organisations and states.
The sub-regional organisations were invited to make the necessary resources available to States for the effective implementation of the African Union’s delimitation/demarcation programmes, and to work together with the structures in charge of border management in the implementation of border and cross-border cooperation projects.
The participants asked technical and financial partners (TFPs) to respect the principle of subsidiarity in the implementation of border projects.
Finally, the structures in charge of borders were encouraged to include cyberspace in border governance and to build the capacity of border actors in the area of cybercrime.
They were called upon to involve ICT specialists and technicians in discussions and guidelines on border management policy, and to create areas of excellence for a better understanding of border law.
The establishment of networks of professional border journalists and networks of experts in the fight against cyber-security was also called for.
Under the theme of ‘Borders and Collective Security’, the Abidjan Border Forum hosted eminent scientists, practitioners and researchers from Africa and Europe, as well as conferences, panels, papers, exhibitions and stand displays, and B-to-B meetings, over three days at Abidjan-Plateau. The next edition is scheduled for 2024.
Source: Abidjan.net
