1. H.E. Prof Robert DUSSEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad met on February 10, 2021 in New York with H.E. Mr. António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations.
   
2. During their exchanges, the Secretary-General, António Guterres congratulated Togo for its various diplomatic initiatives, including the sub-regional and interregional strategy to combat terrorism and preserve peace in the Sahel made public on September 28, 2021 in Lomé which contribute to the establishment of a climate of peace and security in the Sahel and in the West African region.
   
3. Minister Robert DUSSEY, for his part, thanked the Secretary General for his kind words towards his country and took the opportunity to congratulate him for his report on the Organization’s activities and his “five urgent priorities” for 2022 that will determine the fate of people and the planet for decades to come. In this regard, he stressed that the Togolese government shares the urgency of its priorities which relate to the fight against the COVID19 pandemic, the reform of the global financial system, the fight against the climate crisis, the placement of humanity in the center of the digital world and technologies and the assurance of lasting peace.
   
4. The Togolese Minister also presented to the Secretary-General the Togolese initiative to organize, in April 2022 in Lomé, a high-level conference on political transitions and the fight against terrorism in the Sahel and in West Africa.
   
5. This Conference will be an opportunity for Togo, under the leadership of the President of the Republic, HE Mr Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE, the Secretary General of the United Nations, HE Mr António Guterres, regional and international actors as well as the various stakeholders, to to examine recent trends and developments in the Sahel region and West African countries plagued by violent extremism and terrorism and to reflect on ways, strategies and means that can help contain the spread of the terrorist threat and to remain mobilized in a sustained manner in the face of this danger during and after political transitions.
   
6. It will also make it possible to reflect on possible reforms of the mandates and actions of peacekeeping operations and/or counter-terrorism operations to better adapt them to the real needs of the populations and the security challenges of the region. of the Sahel, to define appropriate actions that can effectively impact the social life of populations and local communities in the countries of the Sahel and West Africa, and to create a strong alliance of African and international partners around the need to securing the Sahel and the West African region.
   
7. For Minister DUSSEY, this Lomé initiative not only responds to an urgent concern of the day, but also falls within the framework of Togo’s sub-regional and inter-regional strategy for the fight against terrorism and the preservation of peace in the Sahel. In particular, it will make it possible to better understand the evolution of security dynamics and logics in the Sahelian region and West Africa and to develop a realistic approach to supporting political transitions in an area structurally under threat. In this regard, he requested the sponsorship of this conference by the United Nations.
   
8. Reacting to the remarks of Minister DUSSEY, the Secretary-General, António Guterres praised Togo’s proactivity on this topical subject and reassured it of the support of the United Nations, which is increasingly concerned about the serious issues of terrorism, criminality and coups d’etat which are shaking the West African region and certain countries of the Sahel.
   
9. While thanking Minister DUSSEY for this mission entrusted to him by the Togolese Head of State, Secretary General António Guterres asked him to convey to President Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE his sincere greetings.

Done in New York, February 10, 2022