The G5 Sahel, has decided to focus on diversity and inclusiveness to achieve its mandate in a context undermined by multifaceted crises, particularly violent extremism and radicalization.

Mr Maman Sidikou Sambo, Executive Secretary of G5 Sahel, said security issues in the sub-region, due to their complex and multidimensional nature, required inclusive responses that took into account the contribution of all parts of the population.

"For this reason, the G5 Sahel has placed gender as a cross-cutting issue at the heart of its mandate," Mr Sambo said this in video message at the Regional Conference on Women, Peace and Security in Accra.

The Conference on the theme, "Our Stories, Lessons and Marching Forward", was organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Partnership for Peace (P4P) Project and the G5 Sahel Secretariat.

It seeks to create a platform to exchange and share knowledge on progress made in the implementation of the WPS Agenda within the West African region.

Mr Sambo said in recent years, the G5 Sahel had made significant progress in gender mainstreaming at both institutional and programmatic levels.

"I can mention, among others, the important programme for the integration of uniformed women, the capacity building for staff on gender issues, the discussion forums between defence forces and women's organisations, the important advocacy for the effective implementation of the women, peace and security agenda, not forgetting the creation of the G5 Sahel women's platform," he said.

"These important developments should not, however, make us complacent."

He noted that there was still a lot to achieve, particularly in terms of women's involvement in decision-making processes on peace and security.

He expressed gratitude to the American Government which had, through the P4P programme, not only funded the G5 Sahel gender advisor position since 2018, but also financially supported several institutional processes as well as economic development projects in favour of women in the region.

Mr Sambo further commended the KAIPTC for the significant work done in providing training for defence and security forces and for also contributing to many organisations of the forum.

G5 Sahel, is an institutional framework for coordination of regional cooperation in development policies and security matters in West Africa.

G5 Sahel member countries are Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.

The purpose of G5 Sahel is to strengthen the bond between economic development and security, and together battle the threat of jihadist organizations operating in the region.