Conclusions of Ministerial Consultative Meeting on Malian Peace Process, Implementation of Peace Agreement, at Headquarters on 1 October 2015

On 1 October 2015, the United Nations convened, on the margins of the general debate of the seventieth session of the General Assembly, a Ministerial Consultative Meeting on the Malian Peace Process and the Implementation of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali.  The meeting was opened by the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Jan Eliasson, and co-chaired by the Minister of State, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Algeria, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra; the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mali, Mr. Abdoulaye Diop; and the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Hervé Ladsous.  The event brought together the members of the international mediation — Algeria, the African Union, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union, Mauritania, Niger, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations — the members of the Security Council, as well as the Government of Mali, in an effort to take stock of the progress and challenges surrounding the implementation of the Agreement.  The meeting was also attended by several troop- and police-contributing countries to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), who participated as observers.

The participants acknowledged that Mali had reached a critical moment in its history, following the signing of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Bamako by the Government of Mali and the Platform on 15 May 2015 and by the Coordination of the Movements of Azawad (CMA) on 20 June 2015.  They commended the Malian parties, and in particular President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, for their renewed commitment to achieving lasting peace in Mali.  The participants thanked the international mediation, notably Algeria, for supporting the peace talks in Algiers.  They emphasized that the signing of the Agreement constituted a key opportunity towards the restoration of stability and security, the improvement of the living conditions of the population, and local and national reconciliation in Mali.  They expressed serious concern that a series of challenges was impeding progress on the implementation of the Agreement, despite broad support for it throughout Mali.

The participants condemned in that context the recent violations of the Agreement and ceasefire arrangements by the signatory political-military movements and urged them to fully and sincerely implement the Agreement.  They also strongly condemned the continuing attacks, especially by terrorist groups, against humanitarian personnel, the Malian Defence and Security Forces, MINUSMA and the French forces.  They expressed serious concern about the extension of terrorist activities to the central and southern parts of Mali.

The participants urged the Platform and the Coordination political-military movements to immediately adhere to the ceasefire arrangements and fully carry out their commitments under the Agreement.  They also urged the Platform and Coordination political-military movements to immediately cease hostilities and withdraw to the positions they occupied at the signing of the Agreement and to fully cooperate with MINUSMA.  They took note, in that context, of the Security Council’s readiness, in its resolution 2227 (2015), to consider targeted sanctions against those obstructing or threatening the implementation of the Agreement and violating the ceasefire.

The participants acknowledged the leadership role played by President Keita and his Government in the implementation of the Agreement and called on them to continue their efforts with all the signatory parties to rapidly implement all its provisions.  They urged all the parties in Mali to cooperate fully with MINUSMA in its efforts to carry out its mandate, in particular to support the implementation of the Agreement and to support, monitor and supervise the implementation of the ceasefire arrangements and confidence-building measures by the signatories of the Agreement.  The participants recalled that the United Nations Security Council, pursuant to its resolution 2227 (2015), authorized MINUSMA to take all necessary means to carry out its mandate, within its capabilities and its areas of deployment, including, in support of the Malian authorities, to stabilize the key population centres and other areas where civilians are at risk, notably in the north of Mali, and in this context, to deter threats and take active steps to prevent the return of armed elements to those areas.  They also recalled the Security Council’s request to the Secretary-General to enable MINUSMA to reach its full operational capacity without further delay.  They recalled the Security Council’s request for MINUSMA to further enhance its interaction with the civilian population, as well as its communication with the Malian Defence and Security Forces, to raise awareness and understanding about its mandate and activities.

They participants called on Member States and the United Nations Secretariat to continue to provide MINUSMA with the support necessary to effectively carry out its mandate.  They stressed the urgent need to implement the provisions in the Agreement related to the defence and security, including the cantonment, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of the armed groups, the progressive redeployment of the reconstituted Malian defence and security institutions throughout Mali’s national territory and broader security sector reform, the immediate launch of the joint patrols to enhance confidence among the parties and the full establishment of the implementation follow-up mechanisms.

The participants emphasized the key role the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali and MINUSMA should continue to play to support and oversee the implementation of the Agreement by the Government of Mali, the Platform and the Coordination, notably by playing a lead role in the coordination of the implementation of the Agreement and by heading the Secretariat of the Comité de suivi de l’Accord and to assist the Malian parties in identifying and prioritizing implementation of the Agreement.

The participants noted the importance of broad participation in the peace process and its follow-up mechanisms, in particular of civil society organizations, including women and youth groups, as well as traditional chiefs.  They called for enhancing the participation of all relevant stakeholders in the peace process in order to strengthen the ownership of the process by the population.  They stressed in particular the need to ensure greater participation by women in the follow-up and monitoring mechanisms provided for in the Agreement.  They also called on the Government of Mali, with the support of the international partners, to rapidly contribute to creating a climate propitious to long-term national and local reconciliation, including through the development and implementation of the reforms provided for in the Agreement, notably in the areas of decentralization, justice, education and security, and to accelerate the delivery of tangible peace dividends to the populations, in particular in the northern regions.  They further called on the Malian authorities to continue to combat impunity.

Finally, in light of the security threats confronting the wider Sahel region, the participants noted the efforts of the countries of the region, including through the Group of Five for the Sahel and the Nouakchott process on the enhancement of the security cooperation, to enhance cooperation to combat recurrent threats in the Sahel, including terrorism, as well as transnational organized crime.