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UN / AFRICA PEACE AND SECURITY
STORY: AFRICA PEACE AND SECURITY
TRT: 2:44
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 19 JULY 2017, NEW YORK CITY
RECENT
1. Wide shot, UN Headquarters
19 JULY 2017, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, Guterres at the table
4. Wide shot, meeting
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations:
“I firmly believe the international community needs to change the narrative about Africa and to establish a higher platform of cooperation that recognizes Africa’s enormous potential and promise. In the area of peace and security, the African Union and United Nations have a shared interest in strengthening mechanisms to defuse conflicts before they escalate, and to manage them effectively when they occur.”
6. Cutaway, delegates
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations:
“It is my deep belief that with enhanced support to AMISOM, the African Union Force, and predictable funding – along with a coordinated effort to build the Somali National Army and Police Forces – Al Shabaab can be defeated. This will pave the way for a more peaceful future for the people of Somalia and beyond.”
8. Cuataway, delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations:
“In Mali, we need to intensify our collective engagement to further support the peace process, with a focus on the restoration and extension of State authority. I welcome the initiative by the G5 Sahel to create a Joint Force. I hope the Security Council recognizes the importance of a strong mandate and credible funding for this Force.”
10. Cutaway, delegates
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations:
“In the Lake Chad Basin, we must continue supporting African Union and the Multinational Joint Task Force efforts against Boko Haram and other regional initiatives to counter terrorism and violent extremism, ideally with a more effective support.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Smaïl Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security, African Union:
“The United Nations and the international community should promote greater strategic cooperation and coherence in the prevention of conflicts in Africa. Conflict prevention remains the most cost effective conflict management tools but yet the least resourced. I would therefore like to recommend to Council that both the African Union Commission and the United Nations Secretariat should establish an institutional approach that will allow for real-time consultations, joint assessments, and joint analysis with a view to recommend coherent options to our respective policy organs that will allow for timely prevention of conflicts including but not limited to preventive diplomacy.”
14. Wide shot, Security Council meeting
Briefing the Security Council on their strengthened collaboration, top officials from the African Union (AU) and the United Nations highlighted their joint work on peace and security in the continent and urged adequate, timely and predictable funding.
Addressing an open debate of the Council in New York today (19 Jul), Secretary-General António Guterres said, “the international community needs to change the narrative about Africa and to establish a higher platform of cooperation that recognizes its enormous potential and promise.”
He noted that the AU and the UN have a shared interest in strengthening mechanisms to defuse conflicts before they escalate, and to manage them effectively when they occur.
On Somalia, the Secretary-General said he believes that Al Shabaab can be defeated “with enhanced support to AMISOM, the African Union Force, and predictable funding – along with a coordinated effort to build the Somali National Army and Police Forces.”
Guterres highlighted a landmark framework signed between the UN and the AU in April to strengthen partnership between the two organizations on peace and security pillars, as well as their organization's commitment to further institutionalize and build on the partnership.
The Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security includes four key action areas: preventing and mediating conflict and sustaining peace; responding to conflict; addressing the root causes; and the continuous review and enhancement of the partnership.
One of the main points raised by Guterres, as well as Smail Chergui, the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the AU, who also addressed the Council, was the question of financial resources, equipment and technology.
In his address, Chergui urged Council members for political leadership and guidance to help the AU and the UN deliver on their mandates.
Chergui said “the United Nations and the international community should promote greater strategic cooperation and coherence in the prevention of conflicts in Africa.”
He also recommended that “both the African Union Commission and the United Nations Secretariat should establish an institutional approach that will allow for real-time consultations, joint assessments, and joint analysis with a view to recommend coherent options to our respective policy organs that will allow for timely prevention of conflicts including but not limited to preventive diplomacy.”
Chergui said that financing of peace support operations “remains a perennial issue,” and given that the AU is not able to fund peace initiatives on its own, looks forward to a possible decision by the Security Council this September on a dedicated mechanism from the UN to support Council-mandated African peace support operations.
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