Burkina Faso: The Chair of the Rabat Process organises a national Coordination Meeting

Since the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Rabat Process in May 2018, Burkina Faso fulfils the role of Chair of the Rabat Process Steering Committee for the duration of one year. In this capacity, the Ministry of African Integration and Burkinabè Abroad took the initiative to organise a coordination meeting to actively involve national stakeholders in the activities that Burkina Faso pursues during its chairmanship. To this end, a national coordination meeting will be held in Ouagadougou on 27 September 2018 to widely disseminate information about the Rabat Process.

Around fifty participants from different national institutions are expected to take part in the coordination meeting, including representatives from concerned ministries, local administrations, relevant civil society organisations, and representatives of Burkina Faso’s decentralised public administration.

The presentations and discussions at the meeting aim at informing local stakeholders about different aspects related to the Rabat Process. In particular the strategic framework currently governing the Rabat Process - the Marrakesh Action Plan and the Joint Valletta Action Plan - will be presented, as well as the Khartoum Process and its strategic framework. After sharing information about the dialogue with the participants, the meeting will explore ways to involve local stakeholders in the activities of Burkina Faso’s Chairmanship. At the end of the coordination meeting, recommendations will be issued to guide the activities and priorities pursued by Burkina Faso’s Chairmanship.

By organising the coordination meeting, Burkina Faso sets an important example of how coherence between the dialogue proceeding at the intergovernmental level and the concerns and priorities predominant at the national level can be fostered. In its role as Chair, Burkina Faso will ensure the proper functioning of the Steering Committee and stimulate the political dialogue also in-between dialogue meetings, following the jointly agreed political framework guiding the Rabat Process.