Burkina Faso: The NGO Terre des hommes Lausanne and its partners contribute to social cohesion

From 13 to 15 April 2021, Ouagadougou is hosting a workshop to capitalize on the UTF-Social Cohesion Programme: results, good practices and challenges. After nearly a year of implementation, the NGO Terre des hommes Lausanne and its partners have already recorded results on the ground.

In recent years, Burkina Faso has experienced terrorist acts that have undermined its social cohesion. To help solve this problem, the non-governmental organisation Terres des hommes Lausanne and its partners, including the European Union, have developed and are implementing the UTF (Emergency Trust Fund) Social Cohesion Programme.

This Tuesday, April 13, the time has come for a mid-term review for the actors. The meeting will consist in analysing the results, good practices and challenges.

Eight consortia as actors on the ground

The implementation of the program is expected to last 30 months and is funded at more than 4 billion CFA francs. The programme aims to promote peace, dialogues, governance and monitoring of conflicts and radicalization, and natural resource management and pastoralism.

The actions are implemented by eight consortia in the East, Sahel, Centre-North, North, Boucle du Mouhoun, Hauts-Bassins and Centre regions.
After more than a year of implementation, results have already been recorded. The project has registered 125,897 participants and trained 5,394 people in 11 communes.

Funding is provided by the European Union, which wants to contribute to the return of social cohesion in Burkina Faso. "We want Burkina Faso to regain stability, peace, a situation that will allow the country to develop economically and socially," said José Luis Sanchez Alegre, representative of the European Union.

The return of social cohesion depends on the return of peace. "We also know that the security situation and its impact on social cohesion is an element that must be resolved. That is why the European Union supports social cohesion through several sectors. It is a challenge and we believe that we will be able to meet it together. We are now very happy to have a ministry fully dedicated to this issue so that we can join forces to succeed", added José Luis Sanchez Alegre.

Present at the opening ceremony of the workshop, the Minister of State for National Reconciliation and Social Cohesion, Zephirin Diabre, welcomed the achievements of the Programme and the objectives pursued. He promised in the coming days the creation of a framework for dialogue for the various actors involved in the field of national reconciliation.

Source: lefaso.net