Security Council Resolution 2349 (2017) [on the Situation in the Lake Chad Basin Region]

Encourages Governments in the Region to sustain momentum, further enhance regional military cooperation and coordination, comply with obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, secure the conditions to enable safe, timely and unhindered humanitarian access, facilitate the restoration of civilian security and the rule of law in areas restored to Government control, and guarantee free movement of goods and persons; and further encourages regional collaboration on the implementation of the 2016 Abuja Regional Security Summit conclusions and strengthened cooperation under the auspices of a third Regional Security Summit in 2018, including with respect to post-conflict stabilisation and recovery;

Calls upon the countries of the Region to prevent, criminalize, investigate, prosecute and ensure accountability of those who engage in transnational organized crime, in particular in arms trafficking and trafficking in persons;

Calls upon relevant United Nations entities, including UNOCA, UNOWAS, and the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) to redouble their support for Governments in the Region, as well as sub-regional and regional organizations, to address the impact of Boko Haram and ISIL violence on the peace and stability of the Region, including by addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, and violent extremism that can be conducive to terrorism, in line with the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and to conduct and gather gender-sensitive research and data collection on the drivers of radicalization for women, and the impacts of counter-terrorism strategies on women’s human rights and women’s organizations, in order to develop targeted and evidence-based policy and programming responses;

Calls upon Member States to ensure that any measures taken to counter terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular, international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law; and further encourages Governments in the Region to consider, in discussion with communities, the potential impact of operations against and security responses to Boko Haram and ISIL on people’s livelihoods, and freedom of movement;

Urges Governments in the Region to ensure women’s full and equal participation in national institutions and mechanisms for the prevention and resolution of conflicts, including in the development of strategies to counter Boko Haram and ISIL, welcomes initial efforts in the Region to address women’s representation such as the 25% quota for elected offices in Niger, and strongly encourages the further development, implementation and funding of National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security by Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria; and encourages all regional organizations engaged in peace and security efforts in the Region to ensure that gender analysis and women’s participation are integrated into their assessments, planning, and operations;

Urges all parties to the conflict to ensure respect for and protection of humanitarian personnel, facilities, and their means of transport and equipment, and to facilitate safe, timely and unhindered access for humanitarian organisations to deliver lifesaving aid to affected people, and in particular in the case of Governments, where applicable, through facilitating bureaucratic and administrative procedures such as the expediting of outstanding registrations, and importation of humanitarian supplies, and further calls upon Governments in the Region to increase collaboration with United Nations partners including through more effective civilian-military coordination mechanisms;

Urges relevant national and through them local authorities to ensure that resources dedicated to the humanitarian effort are directed to those most in need;

Calls upon Governments in the Region to ensure that the return of refugees and IDPs to their areas of origin is voluntary, based on informed decisions, and in safety and dignity; urges relevant national and local authorities to work cooperatively with displaced persons and host communities, to prevent secondary displacement of affected populations, and to take all necessary steps to respond to the humanitarian needs of host communities, and encourages the international community to extend its support in this regard; welcomes the signing by the Governments of Nigeria and Cameroon, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, of the tripartite agreement on 2 March 2017 on the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees, and urges its swift and complete implementation;

Calls upon the Governments in the Region to take further measures to address social, political, economic and gender inequalities, and environmental challenges, and to develop strategies to counter the violent extremist narrative that can incite terrorist acts, and address the conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism, which can be conducive to terrorism, including by empowering youth, families, women, religious, cultural and education leaders, in order to help address the conditions which have enabled the emergence and survival of Boko Haram and ISIL;

Calls upon Governments in the Region, including through the support of the international community, to support early recovery activities and long-term investment in vital services such as health care and education, agriculture, infrastructure such as the safe trade corridor and livelihoods, social cohesion, good governance, and the rule of law, to enhance longer-term recovery and resilience of populations, particularly for the areas with the most pressing need;

Encourages the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), together with the LCBC, to develop a comprehensive and common strategy that effectively addresses the drivers that contributed to the emergence of Boko Haram and ISIL, with a particular focus on longer term development needs; and further urges the two sub-regional organisations to convene their planned summit on Boko Haram to adopt a common strategy and develop active cooperation and coordination mechanisms;

Calls upon the United Nations and its partners to make further progress towards the implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) in order to address comprehensively the security, political, and developmental challenges and the underlying root causes and drivers of instability and conflicts in the Sahel region;

Encourages Governments in the Region, in collaboration with regional and sub-regional organisations, relevant United Nations entities and other relevant stakeholders, and, in the context of this resolution, to develop and implement a regional and coordinated strategy that encompasses transparent, inclusive, human rights-compliant disarmament, demobilisation, de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration initiatives, in line with strategies for prosecution, where appropriate, for persons associated with Boko Haram and ISIL, drawing upon regional and international best practice and lessons learned; and urges relevant national and through them local actors, to develop and implement appropriate plans for the disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration, and where appropriate prosecution of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and other community-based security groups;

Urges Governments in the Region to develop and implement consistent policies for promoting defections from Boko Haram and ISIL and for deradicalising and reintegrating those who do defect, and to ensure that there is no impunity for those responsible for terrorist acts, and abuses and violations of international human rights and violations of humanitarian law; and invites the international community to extend its support to the Governments in the Region in developing and implementing their disarmament, demobilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration strategies and policies;

Calls upon concerned governments to urgently develop and implement, consistent with international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law as applicable, vetting criteria and processes allowing for the prompt assessment of all persons who have been associated with Boko Haram and ISIL in the custody of authorities, including persons captured or surrendered to authorities, or who are found in refugee or IDP camps, and to ensure that children are treated in accordance with international law; and encourages Governments in the Region, within the context of this resolution, to prosecute those responsible for terrorist acts, where appropriate, and to develop both rehabilitation programmes in custodial settings for detained terrorist suspects and sentenced persons, and reintegration programmes to assist persons either released from custody having served their sentence or those who have completed a rehabilitation programme in an alternative setting, in order to facilitate reintegration into their communities;

Encourages the Secretary-General, with a view to enhancing collaboration and responsibility among relevant entities and mobilising resources for the region, to make a high level visit to the Region, and invites him to consider undertaking a joint visit with the World Bank, Chairperson of the AU Commission, the President of the World Bank Group, and the President of the African Development Bank, to strengthen the focus on and commitment to the Region of the international community;

Requests the Secretary-General to produce a written report within five months on the United Nations’ assessment of the situation in the Lake Chad Basin Region as it relates to elements of this resolution, particularly regarding the progress made and remaining challenges, and possible measures for consideration, including with respect to achieving greater coherence of efforts in the context of overlapping regional strategies, and thereafter to include these elements in regular reporting by UNOCA and UNOWAS.