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7705th Security Council Meeting: Cooperation Between UN and Regional Organizations
United Nations Cooperation with Regional Bodies Critical, Speakers Stress.
In a conflictual world characterized by scattered power, global peace and security would only stand a chance only if nations and regions united against common threats transcending their borders, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy told the Security Council today, amid calls for greater cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations.
In her second briefing to the Council, High Representative Federica Mogherini recalled the common efforts she had carried out with various United Nations agencies around the world in different multilateral formats. Multilateralism would be among the core principles in the European Union’s new global strategy for foreign and security policy, which she would present in the coming weeks. “In times like these, we need each other,” she said. “We need the United Nations.”
Providing an overview of European Union priorities, she urged renewed efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, recalling that the regional bloc had pushed to revitalize the Middle East Quartet in 2015, and held several meetings where Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the League of Arab States had joined the discussions.
Last November, the European Union had met with the newly formed International Syria Support Group in Vienna, where all regional and international actors had gathered around the same table for the first time since the outbreak of the war in Syria. Unity was also central for Libya, and the European Union had begun to mobilize a €100 million package to help restart the country.
She went on to say that the European Union had launched its Operation Sophia naval initiative against trafficking networks in the Mediterranean Sea, asking the Council to adopt a resolution authorizing it to enforce the United Nations arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya. As for Ukraine, she said the Minsk agreements must be fully implemented, emphasizing that the European Union did not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol.
Describing migration and displacement as “one of the great challenges of our era”, she said that she would be in Strasbourg, France, on 7 June to present a plan for a “new migration partnership”. Going forward, the European Union would seek to reinforce old ties and create new ones in bilateral, regional and global relations, she said, adding that while formats could change, the bloc would always return to the United Nations and the stubborn idea of a cooperative world order.
In the ensuing debate, speakers praised the European Union’s cooperation with the United Nations, especially in matters of peace and security, with some singling out its diplomatic efforts on the Iranian nuclear file, its peacekeeping work in Africa, and broader initiatives to combat human trafficking, terrorism and violent extremism. Concern expressed by Venezuela’s representative about the need to respect principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter was echoed by his counterpart from China, who emphasized the importance of upholding sovereignty and independence, as well as non-interference in domestic affairs, among other values.
Other speakers struck a more cautious tone, with the Russian Federation’s representative expressing regret that the quest for a political settlement in Syria had led European partners to take destructive and unilateral actions, engaging in propaganda rather than patient, joint efforts. Likewise in Ukraine, Brussels had played an “unseemly role” in that country’s ongoing crisis, he said, expressing hope that the European Union would insist that Kyiv follow through on its obligations under the Minsk agreements.
On that point, Ukraine’s representative expressed hope that the new European Union Global Security Strategy would reflect the root cause of instability in his country. Its dedication to protecting universal principles of international law was particularly relevant in light of the attempted illegal annexation of Crimea and the Russian Federation’s ongoing military aggression in eastern Ukraine, he said.
Malaysia’s representative said he would like to see the European Union play a more active role as a broker within the Middle East Quartet, given the absence of efforts by the Security Council to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The regional body could use available tools to end decades of impunity, he said, stressing that those involved must move from managing the conflict to addressing its root causes.
Egypt’s delegate expressed hope that the European Union would play an effective role in pushing for greater efforts to support Libya’s Government of National Accord, warning that any delay in that regard could result in the failure of the political process there, strengthening terrorist groups and exacerbating the situation of migrants and refugees.
Also speaking today were representatives of Senegal, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Spain, Uruguay, United States, Angola and France.
The meeting began at 10:05 a.m. and ended at 12:40 p.m.
