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Introducing CILSS
The Comité Permanent Inter-Etats de Lutte contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel (CILSS) was created on September 12, 1973, following the severe droughts that struck the Sahel in the 1970s. CILSS, born of the farsightedness of its founding fathers in a spirit of active solidarity between peoples, is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its creation this year.
Today, it comprises thirteen member states: 8 coastal states (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, Togo); 4 landlocked states (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad) and 1 island state (Cape Verde). Two states, Sudan and the Central African Republic, are waiting to join. Today, CILSS covers the whole of the ECOWAS region, Mauritania and Chad, i.e. 17 countries.
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Over the past half-century, CILSS has strongly supported its member states and the populations of the Sahel and West Africa, setting up mechanisms, instruments and tools that today enable us to better understand and effectively meet the challenges of sustainable development in the region: drought, the adverse effects of climate change, lack of control over water and energy, malfunctioning of the regional agri-food market, food insecurity, population issues, training, etc. Thanks to CILSS, with the support of technical and financial partners, the region can no longer be surprised by natural disasters (floods and drought). Thanks to CILSS, with the support of technical and financial partners, the region can no longer be surprised by natural disasters (floods and drought).
The celebration of this fiftieth anniversary throughout 2023, through a series of large-scale events, will be a tremendous opportunity for exchange, sharing and communication, to highlight the significant scientific knowledge and achievements of the institution, for the benefit of its member states and their valiant populations.
This celebration will also be an ideal opportunity for CILSS to make a high-level plea to its technical and financial partners to strengthen the strategic partnership with a view to financing its 2023-2027 work plan, based on its 2050 vision for achieving its new mandate.