Intergovernmental Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel

Intergovernmental Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel
Name	Intergovernmental Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel
Abbreviation	CILSS
Formation	1973
Founders	Organisation of African Unity; United Nations agencies; African Development Bank
Type	Intergovernmental organization
Headquarters	Ouagadougou
Region served	Sahel
Membership	Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Chad, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau
Leader title	Executive Secretary

Intergovernmental Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel is a regional organization created in response to the 1970s Sahel drought that coordinates policy, research, and operations among Sahelian states and international partners. It links national ministries, multilateral institutions, and technical agencies to address desertification, food insecurity, and water management across the Sahel region. Founded with the involvement of bodies such as the Organisation of African Unity and the United Nations Development Programme, it operates from a headquarters in Ouagadougou and maintains relations with development banks and humanitarian organizations.

History and Origins

The organization emerged after the severe 1968–1974 Sahel drought that affected Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau, prompting diplomatic exchanges at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and within the Organisation of African Unity. Early meetings involved the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Bank, catalyzing a multilateral framework influenced by precedents like the Green Revolution debates and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Founding instruments were negotiated alongside emergency relief efforts led by UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and shaped by technical studies from the International Livestock Research Institute and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics.

Mandate and Objectives

The committee’s mandate centers on coordinating national drought control strategies, promoting sustainable land management, and reducing vulnerability to climate shocks through policies aligned with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Objectives include facilitating cross-border natural resource management among member states, supporting agricultural resilience similar to projects by the World Food Programme, enhancing hydrological monitoring akin to the work of the Global Water Partnership, and advising finance mechanisms used by the African Development Bank and the European Union. It also liaises with scientific bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and capacity-building initiatives from United Nations Development Programme offices.

Organizational Structure and Membership

Governance follows an intergovernmental council model with representatives from member states and a secretariat led by an Executive Secretary, mirroring structures used by the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union. Technical committees engage specialists from institutions like the International Fund for Agricultural Development, CIRAD, and the Centre for International Forestry Research. Membership comprises Sahelian states including Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau, and the body maintains observer relationships with the United Nations, the European Commission, and bilateral partners such as France and the United States Department of State. Collaborative links extend to research institutes including AGRHYMET Regional Center and regional economic communities like ECOWAS.

Programs and Initiatives

Programmatic work spans sustainable land management, early warning systems, and livelihood restoration, implemented with partners such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, and Food and Agriculture Organization. Initiatives have included regional drought monitoring modeled on the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, reforestation and agroforestry campaigns comparable to the Great Green Wall (Africa) concept, and pastoral mobility frameworks developed with the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel and the Sahelian States (CILSS) constituency. Projects also target market access and value chains with technical assistance from International Trade Centre and climate adaptation financed through instruments like the Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding combines member-state contributions, multilateral financing from the World Bank and the African Development Bank, and bilateral aid from partners such as France, United States Agency for International Development, and the European Union. Partnerships extend to United Nations agencies including the United Nations Development Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and UNICEF, and to research collaborations with International Institute for Environment and Development, International Food Policy Research Institute, and universities across the region such as University of Ouagadougou and Cheikh Anta Diop University. Private sector engagements and philanthropic contributions from foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have supported specific agriculture and health components.

Impact, Criticism, and Evaluations

Evaluations cite advances in regional coordination, improved early warning capacity, and uptake of sustainable land practices mirroring successes documented by the World Bank and United Nations Environment Programme. Measured impacts include strengthened transboundary data sharing with agencies like ECOWAS and modest increases in resilience in project areas reported by FAO studies. Criticisms focus on limited financial resources compared with needs highlighted in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, governance challenges similar to those debated within the African Union, and variable implementation at national levels analogous to critiques of multilateral programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Independent audits and program reviews by entities such as the International Monetary Fund and external evaluators have recommended deeper integration with regional economic plans and enhanced monitoring in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13 and Sustainable Development Goal 2 targets.

Category:International environmental organizations Category:Sahel