Senegal - Foreign Relations
Senegal's foreign policy is based on constant principles, some of which are enshrined in the Constitution, while others derive from international legal instruments to which Senegal is a party. For Senegal, peace is conceived as the establishment among all States of relations of confidence perceived by each State as safeguarding its own security in the same way as that of the others. This conception of peace is at the basis of its bilateral relations. It also guides its action in multilateral fora where it advocates the reform of international institutions, in particular the Security Council, for better global governance.
Since the eve of African independence, Senegal has consistently advocated African integration. For Senegal, this integration is not only a remedy for the balkanisation of the continent, but also a means of maximizing Africa's economic assets, with a view to creating real internal markets. Senegal's action in the search for negotiated solutions to conflicts between States is multifaceted. The Pan-African orientation defined by the Head of State makes Africa the top priority of his diplomacy; With the objective of achieving the African Union, which will be the only regional integration framework capable of meeting the challenge of globalization. Its initiatives for the realization of the United States of Africa are part of this framework. In a realistic and gradual approach, Senegalese diplomacy has invested in subregional and regional integration, which is a prerequisite for continental integration.
The importance that Senegal attaches to human rights has earned it since its inception the presidency of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. At the African level, Senegal's role in the drafting, adoption and entry into force of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and its current struggle for women African. A striking success was achieved with the adoption, on a proposal by Senegal, of the principle of parity within the African Union Commission.
Senegal pursues an active foreign policy and aspires to represent Africa on the UN Security Council. While France is a close ally for historical reasons, Senegal has also sought allies as far apart as the Middle East and China, and enjoys good relations with the United States, where a large Senegalese community resides. Senegal recognised China in 2005. President Bush included a brief visit to Senegal at the start of his Africa tour in 2003. A number of Senegalese hold high positions in international organisations.
Senegal has a prominent role in Africa. President Wade was instrumental in creating the NEPAD agenda - a plan for the regeneration of the African continent adopted by the African Union in 2001. Although he has criticised it for not doing enough, he remains a key supporter of the project. He has played an important role in promoting that agenda in the wider international community, including at meetings with G8 countries. Senegal has contributed troops to numerous international peacekeeping operations, with significant force presences in Liberia, DR Congo, Darfur and Cote d’Ivoire. Senior Senegalese military are respected across the continent for their role in political and military interventions.
President Senghor advocated close relations with France and negotiation and compromise as the best means of resolving international differences. To a large extent, the two succeeding Presidents have carried on Senghor's policies and philosophies. Senegal has long supported functional integration among French-speaking West African states through the West African Economic and Monetary Union. Senegal has a high profile in many international organizations and was a member of the UN Security Council in 1988-89. It was elected to the UN Commission on Human Rights in 1997. Friendly to the West, especially to France and to the United States, Senegal also is a vigorous proponent of more assistance from developed countries to the Third World.
Senegal enjoys mostly cordial relations with its neighbors. Progress has been made on many fronts with Mauritania to include border security, resource management, economic integration, and the return of an estimated 30,000 Afro-Mauritanian refugees living in Senegal.
Relations with The Gambia have suffered due to disputes over cross-border access. Relations with Guinea-Bissau have improved since the death of former Junta leader Ansumane Mane in 1999, who was thought to have aided the Casamance rebels. The two countries now cooperate closely in dealing with the Casamance rebels.
Senegal is among the 15 member countries of the ECOWAS, an organization promoting integration and economic cooperation in West Africa that was founded in 1975 through the Lagos Treaty. On May 19, 2015 President Macky Sall took office while the Organization faced several great challenges including Boko Haram’s progress in Nigeria and neighboring countries and the terrorist attacks in Bamako and Ouagadougou. He acted as President of the ECOWAS organization from May 2015 to May 2016.
Highly committed to economic issues, President Macky Sall dedicated his mandate to integration. His priorities to strengthen regional integration include free movement of people and goods. On June 4, 2016, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2011, succeeds President Macky Sall to the ECOWAS Presidency. Senegal is the 4th economy of the ECOWAS area in terms of absolute value, the 4th largest population, as well as the 4th ranked in the HDI (Human Development Index) ranking.
Senegal enjoys good relations with international donors, and reached HIPC completion point in April 2004, which has since led to debt alleviation measures by bilateral and multilateral donors. Senegal's IMF negotiated Poverty Reduction and Growth facility loan package expired in April 2006. Senegal has now negotiated a financial monitoring arrangement with the IMF (a Policy Support Instrument) which provides technical support for its domestic poverty reduction program.
Senegal and the UK enjoy good relations including frequent consultations on pan-African issues. There is a community of many thousands of Senegalese in the UK There is a growing level of military training cooperation. A significant Royal Marines exercise took place in Senegal in 2005. A UK naval and amphibious exercise took place in Senegal and other West African countries in Autumn 2006. Dakar was used as the Forward Mounting Base for British deployment to Sierra Leone in 2000 and was the evacuation point for British and other foreign nationals. Each year the UK sponsors a small number of scholarships for postgraduate courses in the UK.
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