H.E. Robert Beugré Mambé, Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire, and H.E. Josephine Mayuma Kala, Special Representative of the AU Commission Chairperson to Côte d'Ivoire, on behalf of the Chairperson, will jointly launch the 2024 edition of the Abidjan Border Forum, at 3:00 pm GMT on 10 September 2024 at the auditorium of the prime minister's office in Abidjan.
The launch ceremony will promote and set the scene for the upcoming Abidjan Border Forum (ABF), which will be held from 23 to 25 October 2024 at the Parc des Expositions in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on the theme "Green Borders: Between Shared Natural Resources and Security Challenges." The Forum will facilitate discussions, reflections, and concrete actions among border stakeholders on border governance in Africa.
This is in line with the decision of the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU, in which the Assembly "[saluted] the holding of the Border Forum in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, in October 2022; [welcomed] the decision to hold the Forum biennially and [called on] the AU Commission to consider co-hosting the second edition of the Abidjan Border Forum". These efforts aim to foster cross-border cooperation between member states to pool resources and interventions to ensure peace, security and sustainable development in the border areas. Therefore, the Abidjan Border Forum is an innovative pan-African platform offering opportunities for exchange and interaction among state, non-state, national and international border stakeholders every two years.
As a result, from 15 to 16 July 2024, Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, PhD, AU Director of Conflict Management, led a delegation to Côte d'Ivoire, where he met with senior government officials, including the Minister of Interior and Security, the Secretary-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Executive Secretary of the National Border Commission of Côte d'Ivoire (CNFCI) and his team, which continues to work very closely with the AU Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department to organise the Forum.
Over 5,000 participants are expected to attend the second edition of the Abidjan Border Forum in October 2024, including delegations from regional, sub-regional, and national structures in charge of border governance from all African countries. It will feature panels, high-level round tables, B-to-B meetings, and cultural activities centred around the theme "green borders."
The launch ceremony will be broadcast online through the following link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563001973855&mibextid=LQQJ4d
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For more information, please contact:
Ms Haifa Aboubaker, Coordinator I African Union Border Program I Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department I African Union Commission I E-mail: AboubakerH@africa-union.org
Mr Paschal Chem-Langhee I Communications Coordinator I Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department I African Union Commission I Email: chem-langheep@africa-union.org
Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Web: au.int | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
