The Sahel region has been at the center of international discourse for many years, in the areas of peace, security and development.
Though it represents one of the most fragile regions of the world, the Sahel is replete with opportunities, both natural and manmade.
With an enlightened youthful population (standing at 65%) great potential exists for the growth of Sahelian countries in specialized sectors like knowledge management,technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
The UN system in the Sahel desires to support an alternative path that emphasizes direct interaction and consultation with Sahelians to re-orient and re-engineer its development, humanitarian, peace, and security interventions in the region. This will better inform present and future actions on design, planning and execution going forward.

Voices from the Sahel Conversations: Vision and Solutions with women and youth of the Sahel was a successful
four-week event which allowed for direct interaction between the UN and Sahelians. Concomitantly, the information garnered provide further evidence that UNISS strategic goals and the UNSP priorities are in harmony with the desired change which women and young people are thirsty for. Therefore, the conversations were timely and
achieved the desired outputs as women and youth spoke of their several concerns and proffered recommendations to guide the UN.
Participants recommended that similar conversations be organized in the future on a regular basis. Through this request, The UN can use this medium to organize thematic discussions on salient policy planning especially those that directly affect the peoples of the region.
In ending, the production of this ‘Ask the Sahelians’ publication is to ensure the documentation of this initial
effort of voices from and of the Sahel for posterity and to serve as a constant reminder to use the ideas contained
therein to inform the humanitarian, development and peace and security interventions as stated in the United
Nations Strategy for Development in the Sahel (UNISS).