The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) held the third edition of its Université d'été des volontaires in Niamey from September 28 to 30, 2026, under the theme "Le volontariat, une force pour la construction des États de la Confédération AES" (Volunteering, a force for building the states of the AES Confederation). The gathering, held at the Palais des Congrès, brought together roughly 300 young volunteers from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, according to Niger's state news agency ANP and the government portals gouv.ne and interieur.gouv.ne.
The opening ceremony was held under the high patronage of Niger's head of state, General Abdourahamane Tiani, and was presided over by Defence Minister General Salifou Mody (rendered as Modi in some government reports), standing in for Interior Minister General Mohamed Toumba. In his opening remarks, Mody said the three days of panels, workshops, practical training and field activities were meant to showcase volunteers' role in building more just and supportive societies. He said organizers hoped the session would produce "des recommandations concrètes, réalistes et mesurables" on mutual recognition of volunteer status, mobility of volunteers between the three countries, and follow-up on recommendations from previous editions.
Closing the gathering on September 30, participants put forward a list of recommendations reported by ANP, including the creation of a confederal volunteering agency, acceleration of a reciprocal volunteering scheme referencing accords signed in Ouagadougou on August 30, 2026, a sovereign fund to support volunteering, a shared digital platform and secure database for managing AES volunteers, a confederal skills-certification system, post-volunteering support measures, and proposals for health insurance and a biometric card for volunteers.
These are recommendations put forward by participants rather than formally adopted institutional decisions, and reporting reviewed does not indicate they have yet been enacted by AES member governments. Attendance also reportedly included diplomatic corps representatives, international organizations and national volunteering agency officials, according to the Niger Interior Ministry's account of the opening.