S/PV.7911 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Cameroon to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2017/270, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Ethiopia, France, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2349 (2017). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

The delegation of Senegal welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2349 (2017) — the first of its kind on the Lake Chad basin. We thank the delegation of the United Kingdom for making it a priority of its presidency of the Council, which is coming to an end today. There is no doubt that the resolution attests to the Council’s strong and firm resolve to support the efforts of the countries of the Lake Chad basin to combat the Boko Haram terrorist movement and, in so doing, to resolve the humanitarian crisis and address the underlying causes of the situation in the region, which is particularly dire. The adoption of the resolution comes on the heels of the Council’s visit to Cameroon, Chad, the Niger and Nigeria from 2 to 7 March and of the open briefing held two days after the end of the mission, which was launched at the initiative of the United Kingdom delegation and which Senegal had the honour of leading alongside France. The resolution places, in a timely manner, the crisis facing these countries at the top of the international community’s agenda. Since the Boko Haram terrorist movement uprising, in 2009, the region has been facing a dual crisis, both security and humanitarian. I need not mention all the figures, as the Oslo conference dwelt at length on the statistics in relation to the humanitarian crisis ravaging the countries of Lake Chad basin countries. Our resolution, which represents a response to this situation, calls for continued action against Boko Haram through, inter alia, the Multinational Joint Task Force, which was created by and is composed of personnel of countries of the region and deployed by the African Union, so as to help create conditions conducive to stabilizing the region and to the delivery of humanitarian assistance. In that respect, it calls on multilateral and bilateral partners to strengthen their support for the Force so as to boost its operational capacity, especially in the areas of logistics, mobility, communication, equipment and intelligence. States are also called upon to contribute generously to the African Union Trust Fund. The resolution also welcomes the $458 million in humanitarian assistance pledged at the Oslo conference for 2017 and urges swift disbursement of these funds, especially since the countries of the region have already dipped into their own pockets. Even more important is the interest that the resolution shows in the development dimension, recognizing the indivisibility between peace, security, development and human rights and their importance to the concept of sustainable peace. The resolution also points to the pressing need for the countries in the region to resolve political, economic and gender inequalities, as well as environmental challenges, and encourages the Governments concerned to step up the coordination of their efforts in implementing their respective programmes. It also invites international partners to lend assistance. Likewise, it calls on the Economic Community of West African States and the Economic Community of Central African States, along with the Lake Chad Basin Commission, to devise a holistic and effective joint strategy to address the root causes that contributed to the advent of Boko Haram. In conclusion, I should like to express the wish that the report that the resolution requests the Secretary- General to produce within five months will provide an in-depth understanding of the progress made with respect to the measures that have been adopted.

My country voted in favour of draft resolution 2349 (2017) following extensive negotiations between the African members of the Council and the countries of the Lake Chad basin. Following these negotiations, substantive amendments were made to the draft, which resulted in a text that is in line with the purposes and goals of the Council’s visit to the region earlier this month. The resolution stresses the sovereignty of these States while remaining within the bounds of the mandate of the Council under the Charter of the United Nations. The resolution also expresses the Council’s solidarity with the countries of the region in their efforts to combat the terrorist Boko Haram movement despite their limited capacity, the complex military environment and the gravity of the humanitarian crisis in the region. Negotiations on the draft resolution on the Lake Chad basin have shown the imperative to improve the working methods of the Council, especially in the area of consulting on its draft resolutions. We stress once again the need to uphold the principles of transparency and of the full and effective participation of all members of the Council, whether permanent or non-permanent, in such negotiations, notably the African members of the Council, in discussions on issues related to the African continent. The Council must maintain channels of serious, effective and transparent communication with all of the countries concerned by any draft resolution under negotiation, in order to take into consideration their opinions, concerns and proposals, in order to strengthen the credibility of the Council, to prevent any unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of Members of the United Nations and to address the realities on the ground.

Japan welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2349 (2017) and thanks the United Kingdom for its leadership. Japan is pleased to have co-sponsored the resolution. The resolution represents a milestone in the Security Council’s increased attention to the Lake Chad basin. It also represents a test for us in terms of taking a truly integrated approach to the region’s multidimensional challenges. The issues facing the Lake Chad Basin, which range from terrorism and trafficking to food insecurity and climate change, cannot be solved individually. The resolution reflects the fact that security gains must be paired with support for development, livelihoods, human rights and other efforts to address the root causes of instability. We must build on this foundation resolution on the Lake Chad basin by using a variety of tools to achieve these aims, including through the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa, the Peacebuilding Commission, subregional and regional organizations, and bilateral and multilateral support mechanisms. Japan stresses the importance of implementing this resolution, which clearly requires a comprehensive approach. Japan looks forward to working with Council members and many other actors to help sustain peace in the Lake Chad basin.

Once again, we welcome the unanimous adoption of resolution 2349 (2017) as a follow-up to the Security Council mission to the countries of the Lake Chad basin from 2 to 7 March 2017. There is no doubt that negotiations on the draft required some work. We worked as a trio, together with the countries of the region and the penholder, to reflect the objective of the visit and the sentiments expressed by the Council during the series of meetings with a number of stakeholders, including the leadership at the highest level of some of those countries. Before proceeding further, I should like to pay tribute to the co-leaders of the mission, the United Kingdom and Senegal, for the success of the mission, which was aided by the meticulous preparation that was done in advance. They deserve commendation. We believe that the resolution in its current form conveys the right message; that is why we decided to co-sponsor it. We are also happy that the countries in the region are here with us, and it is good that the Council had the opportunity to listen to their views. I am sure that Council members will agree that we were unanimous in our appreciation of the interrelated nature of the security and climate-change-induced environmental challenges that the countries of the Lake Chad basin region are facing and the major impact that the fall in the price of commodities has had on their economies. It was also very clear to us that there was no sufficient realization within the international community of the magnitude of the serious challenge faced by the region. We therefore expressed our firm solidarity and support for countries in the region in overcoming their challenges and underscored the need for a comprehensive and holistic solution through intervention oriented towards long-term development. It is therefore only appropriate that the resolution remain true to that sentiment, and that is what we tried to do during the negotiations. That is also precisely what countries of the region that enthusiastically welcomed us during the visit — for which we must be grateful  — expected from the Council. We hope that the resolution will live up to that expectation. I must conclude by applauding the cooperation and coordination among the four countries of the region in combating Boko Haram, as exemplified in the activities of the Multinational Joint Task Force.

The Russian delegation voted in favour of resolution 2349 (2017), on the situation in the Lake Chad basin, owing to the importance of maintaining consensus in the Security Council and given that the language of the document was acceptable to the representatives of the region. However, we believe that it is necessary to stress that not all of our comments and arguments were incorporated into the text of the resolution. First of all, we believe that is inaccurate to consider the situation in the Lake Chad basin a conflict. Boko Haram was included in the Security Council’s list of terrorist organizations. In March 2015, the group proclaimed its allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. That means that combating the group is, above all, a counter-terrorism operation. We regret that the authors of the draft resolution did not refer to that well-founded description of the situation. Moreover, one of the important causes behind the deterioration of the situation and the rampant terrorism in the States of the region was not mentioned, namely, the irresponsible policy of interfering in the internal affairs of neighbouring States, in particular Libya. Like others, we have repeatedly asked our United Kingdom colleagues not to rush the adoption of the resolution simply because the mandate of their presidency was ending, but they did not listen to us. The final document is therefore partially unfinished and unbalanced. We hope that our comments will be taken into consideration with regard to future work.

The Plurinational State of Bolivia thanks the delegation of the United Kingdom for having taken the initiative of introducing resolution 2349 (2017), which was adopted unanimously, thereby showing the Security Council’s commitment to combating terrorism. In that regard, we would like to highlight the goal of the resolution, which is to show support for the Governments of Cameroon, Chad, the Niger and Nigeria in their struggle against Boko Haram. We appreciate the efforts that have been made by those countries in developing action plans to combat terrorism, which is a fight that they are waging on behalf of all of us. Accordingly, we call on the Council to maintain a unified front with regard to that issue, while respecting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of those countries. However, we support and share the concerns expressed by other delegations with regard to the working methods concerned. We believe that, in this instance, the time allotted to negotiations was insufficient, which meant that some of the delegations’ observations were not reflected as optimally as they could have been in the resolution. We believe that, had it been possible, we could have planned for additional negotiations starting where we left off, or postponed putting the draft resolution to the vote.

China welcomes the establishment of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) by countries in the region — such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, the Niger and Benin, as well as the positive progress that they have achieved in combating terrorism. We appreciate the unwavering determination and tireless efforts of countries in the region in combating terrorism. We support countries in the region to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, the Economic Community of Central African States and the Lake Chad Basin Commission. While respecting the principles of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of countries in the region, the international community should vigorously help those countries to step up their counter-terrorism capabilities and support the MNJTF in carrying out operations effectively so as to improve the humanitarian situation therein. The Security Council should concentrate on sending a positive message pledging the international community’s support for the efforts of the countries in the region in combating terrorism and mitigating the humanitarian situation. China has always believed that, if members of the Security Council have concerns about a draft resolution, full attention should be given to all such concerns and they should be reflected in the relevant text so as to make the maximum effort to achieve consensus on a draft resolution.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2349 (2017). I am grateful that that consensus was achieved, and I would like to thank Senegal in particular and all members of the Security Council for their work on those issues and support for this important text. The adoption marks the beginning of the next chapter of our work on the Lake Chad basin. Seeing a crisis first-hand is a good start, but it is not enough on its own. It is not enough just to bring attention to its situation. We will fail the people of the region if we do not respond to what we saw and do not take tangible action to bring real relief and respite to the suffering, the hunger and the instability. Through today’s resolution, we have made clear what action needs to be taken. First and foremost, we need the countries in the region, the international community and the United Nations urgently to scale up their response to the humanitarian crisis. If we act now, famine can be avoided. But that means quickly dispersing money pledged at Oslo — every single dollar of the $458 million pledged by donors, and of the $1 billion pledged by the Government of Nigeria. It means supporting the regional Governments to lead a comprehensive and effective response to the crisis while building on the leadership that they have already shown. It means that all in the region — including the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and the Economic Community of Central African States  — address the root causes of the crisis and economic inequalities, counter violent extremism and empower women. Boko Haram exploits the poverty of the north-east. It exploits the men who view women as no more than objects, wives and cooks without the prospect of a future. That is unacceptable. We also must avoid a protracted crisis by better bridging the divide between humanitarian and development programming. The United Kingdom is leading by example. We were one of the earliest contributors to the response. We are supporting the regional Governments. And we are expanding our development programming, even as humanitarian aid continues to be delivered. If we are to bring a conclusion to the crisis, we must also commend and support the countries in the region with regard to their efforts to combating Boko Haram, including through the Multinational Joint Task Force. They must sustain their momentum to defeat Boko Haram and Da’esh. But, as they do so, all parties and countries must comply with human rights, especially during counter-terrorism operations. You cannot defeat terror or build peace if you commit or condone the abuse of civilians. We all must hold ourselves to a higher standard than that. We therefore hope to see the deployment of United Nations human rights officers to help in that regard. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I now give the floor to the representative of Cameroon.

As everyone can see, we, the four member States of the Lake Chad basin, are here. My colleagues have asked me to speak on their behalf on this memorable day on which the Security Council, several years after issuing a presidential statement, has now adopted a firm Council resolution  — resolution 2349 (2017). I therefore have the honour to speak on behalf of the countries of the Lake Chad region, that is, Chad, the Niger, Nigeria and, my own country, Cameroon. At the outset, I would like to thank the Security Council for its visit from 2 to 7 March to the countries of the Lake Chad basin, an unprecedented visit by the Council to that part of the world. It allowed Council members to understand the real nature of Boko Haram, which is a nebulous terrorist group, and its actions; the material and human damage it has done; its extremely barbaric methods using young people, women and girls, including the very young, as suicide bombers or common bandits to burn down schools and villages, attack markets, steal livestock and ambush soldiers and civilian populations. The visit was also an opportunity for members to hear at first-hand from the most senior officials of the countries concerned and to see for themselves on the ground the efforts made by our countries and their peoples at the military, security, humanitarian, diplomatic and development levels to counter the Boko Haram. The resolution adopted today, following the Council’s visit, is an important step forward in mobilizing the international community in support of the countries of the subregion in their onerous task of combating that terrorist sect. As representatives have already said, we are fighting against terrorism. We must recall that the shadowy Boko Haram terrorists were linked with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant/Da’esh by the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015), concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities. Given the humanitarian, economic, political, social and military costs of this crisis, the countries of the subregion quickly realized that the military response, while essential for the security of people and property, should be part of a holistic approach. In that connection, the Council saw for itself during its visit that each State concerned had adopted and implemented initiatives aimed not only at tackling the root causes, but also at the disastrous consequences of the current situation. I am pleased that the resolution refers to the many development plans designed by the countries of the region. In the same vein, Cameroon, the Niger, Nigeria and Chad have stepped up their cooperation in several areas to curb and put an end to this situation. This cooperation can also be seen in the framework of regional organizations, such as the Economic Community of Central African States, the Economic Community of West African States and the Lake Chad Basin Commission. One of the key outcomes of this regional cooperation was the establishment of the Multinational Joint Task Force, which enabled us to significantly reduce Boko Haram’s military capabilities. We appreciate the multifaceted support provided by our bilateral and multilateral partners, but as the Council knows, Boko Haram never sleeps. Although roundly defeated on the military front, its capacity to do harm can still be seen in its suicide bombings, abductions and ambushes. We hope that the adoption of this resolution will mark the beginning of more decisive support not only for the Multinational Joint Task Force and regional initiatives, but also for each of the Lake Chad Region countries, which, in order to deal with the multifaceted crises arising from Boko Haram’s terrorist actions, are now forced to reduce their budgetary allocations to other national sectors, such as education and health. Eradicating Boko Haram is a pressing need, both for the countries of the region and for the international community as a whole. We fully appreciate the substance of paragraphs 33 and 34 of resolution 2349 (2017), which invite the Secretary-General to conduct a joint high-level visit to the region with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the President of the World Bank, the President of the African Development Bank and the High Representative of the European Union in order to strengthen the international community’s commitment to implementing the various development programmes being carried out in the region with a view to eradicating poverty and destitution, which are the real deep-seated causes and breeding grounds for Boko Haram. Once the Council has begun to prepare for that visit, we stand ready to welcome Council members with the hospitality that the countries in the Lake Chad basin are known for. Cameroon, the Niger, Nigeria and Chad hope that the report to be submitted by the Secretary-General will be bold and will make it possible to focus on finding the most appropriate solutions not only in terms of security and humanitarian needs, the urgency of which is beyond question, but also in terms of the deficiencies in education and training, in resilience to climate change and in sustainable development, while at the same time keeping in mind the objective of eradicating poverty. Then and only then can we be sure that we can, all together, ensure a decisive victory over the shadowy Boko Haram terrorists. We count on the Security Council, just as the Security Council can fully count on us.

I now give the floor to the representative of Nigeria.

I thank you, Mr. President, for your efficient leadership of the Security Council during this month. I also take this opportunity to thank members of the Security Council for their visit to the Lake Chad basin region, which allowed them to assess the security and humanitarian challenges faced by the Governments in the region. Nigeria fully aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of Cameroon on behalf of countries of the region, and appreciates this opportunity to share one or two remarks as a country at the centre of this insurgency. We welcome today’s unanymous adoption of resolution 2349 (2017), which not only recognizes the complex challenges faced by the region but also encourages regional Governments to sustain their momentum in the fight against Boko Haram and to further enhance regional military cooperation and coordination  — a welcome development. Nigeria’s consistent support for the work of the Security Council is an indication of our appreciation of this foremost United Nations organ, which has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. The robust discussions that members of the Council held with senior officials of the Nigerian Government during their recent visit bears testimony to that assertion. At this critical juncture, after an improvement in the security situation due to recent military gains, it was our expectatio that the Security Council and the international community would continue to engage the Governments in the region in the search for lasting peace, security, protection of civilians and the resolution of the humanitarian crisis that arises from Boko Haram activities. We look to the Security Council to continue to approach the situation constructively, as it has done since the emergence of Boko Haram in the regional crisis. Despite the enormous challenges resulting from the terrorist activities of Boko Haram, the Government of Nigeria remains resolutely committed to combating terrorism and all of its ramifications. We have put in place a robust people-driven counter-terrorism strategy, built on the combination of revamped security operations and a human rights approach, to help lead to rehabilitation, reintegration and reconstruction. In order to achieve that strategic objective, the presidential committee on the north-east intervention has been empowered with a mandate to provide and coordinate synergy, leadership and direction to the various initiatives in the zone. It encompasses Government development partners, private foundations and civil society. We are also accelerating the implementation of existing legal and institutional frameworks to alleviate the suffering of our people and to provide effective humanitarian aid, in the spirit of the May 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, held in Istanbul. In effect, Nigeria is providing food, support, integrated heath care, shelter, psychosocial support and access to water and sanitation amenities for those in need. We are also engaging highly respected community and religious leaders to discourage vulnerable youths from being radicalized. We will continue to accord the highest priority to bolstering the resilience of internally displaced persons and to increasing their participation in vocational training and skill-acquisition programmes. The countries of the Lake Chad basin region now desperately need the support of the United Nations and the international community, if it is to achieve credible implementation of resolution 2349 (2017). It is also time for the Council to focus, once again, on the imperative of providing those countries with comprehensive assistance programmes in a variety of areas related to peacebuilding, including ensuring security, building capacity and generating socioeconomic development. The shrinking of Lake Chad has adversely affected the communities around the basin, thereby exacerbating their hardship. With the scale of the knock-on cross-border effects of the humanitarian crisis, it is increasingly difficult for any single State in the Lake Chad region to independently meet the needs of the vicitims. In spite of our national capacities, we are stretched, especially with the duelling financial resources. All Lake Chad basin countries are making spirited efforts to alleviate human suffering. Nigeria reiterates its call for strong international action in support of the implementation of the the Lake Chad development and climate resilience action plan. It is apparent that we neither lack ideas nor initiative, but resources  — owing to competing demands from all development sectors. We therefore reiterate the urgent imperative for increased global action and active engagement with countries of the Lake Chad basin in order to accelerate recovery efforts. Nigeria reaffirms its commitment to working with the Council and with the international community as a whole. We deeply appreciate the critical assistance of the United Nations system and partners that support us in the north-east intervention and the Lake Chad basin. We urge the Council to continue to work with us to find more structural solutions, with national ownership spearheading the drive for urgent lifesaving and protecion measures. In conclusion, we wish to reiterate that the future of the people of the Lake Chad basin region rests on durable security and sustainability of the resources around the lake. We are confident that building genuine collaboration and forging strong partnerships with the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the African Union will enable us to swiftly tackle that challenge.

Before adjourning this meeting, as this is the last scheduled meeting of the Council for the month of March, I would like to express the sincere appreciation of the delegation of the United Kingdom to the members of the Security Council, especially to my colleagues the Permanent Representatives, their team members and to the secretariat of the Council for all their support. It has been a busy month, with numerous highlights that we will summarize for the whole of the United Nations membership and for civil society at the informal wrap-up session this afternoon, at 3 o’clock. We could not have done any of that alone, or without the hard work, support and constructive contributions of all members of the Security Council and of the secretariat, as well as all of the relevant conference services and the interpreters. In addition to all of those I have thanked, I would also like to express my personal thanks to my excellent team for all that they have done to make this presidency a success. As we end our presidency, I know that I speak on behalf of the Council as a whole in wishing the delegation of the United States all the very best in the month of April.