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8314th Security Council Meeting: Maintenance of International Peace and Security
The complex peace and security issues facing Africa are such that neither the United Nations, nor the African Union can address the challenges on their own, the Security Council was told today as it received its annual briefing on strengthening cooperation between the two organizations.
Stressing that the African Union is the United Nations most important strategic partner, Sahle-Work Zewde, Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union, said that the two organizations have prioritized the development of a systematic, predictable and strategic partnership based on mutual respect, shared values and comparative advantage.
Over the last year, the partnership between the two has been characterized by closer collaboration, a more regular exchange of information and consultations and coordinated actions. The increasing use of joint missions, briefings, reports, statements and press releases demonstrates that both share a common understanding of peace and security issues.
Underlining the critical importance of predictable and sustainable financing for African Union peace support operations authorized by the Security Council, she said that the issue of funding should be framed within the context of a common political strategy, agreed to by the two Councils and informed by joint analysis and assessments of conflict situations.
Recalling that the Union’s partnership with the United Nations received new impetus in April 2017 with the signing of a joint framework, Smaїl Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union said: “This renewed commitment has indeed moved the partnership from an ad hoc approach into a more structured and predictable one.”
Citing evidence of such partnership in decision-making in conflict and post‑conflict situations across the continent, he said challenges nevertheless remain, adding: “Despite their limited resources, African Union member States are committed to assume their share of responsibility.”
He drew attention to several priority areas across the continent, including the need to build on the recent gains in South Sudan to compel the parties to uphold and implement signed peace agreements. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, efforts must focus on addressing challenges ahead of the general elections scheduled for 23 December, while resource mobilization is needed to enable the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to deliver on its mandate. The deteriorating situation in the Central African Republic is also a continuing source of concern, as is the instability in northern Mali which has spilled over into the country’s central region, as well as neighbouring States.
The representative of Equatorial Guinea, also speaking on behalf of Côte d’Ivoire and Ethiopia, said more measures could be undertaken to bring cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union to an even higher level. Such efforts could include more joint field visits, as well as through the development of shared approaches to analysis, planning and evaluation, and the greater exchange of information.
He commended the commitments made by African member States towards peace and security operations on the continent, highlighting that the $45.7 million African States had mobilized is the continent’s largest contribution to the Peace Fund.
The United States’ representative welcomed efforts by African States to increase their self-reliance and said that it hopes to pursue further non-trade financing mechanisms. However, the United States will not consider any further support to African Union-led peace operations until important benchmarks are met in areas including human rights, conduct and discipline compliance and transparency. To do otherwise will risk the credibility of United Nations peacekeeping, he warned.
The representative of the Russian Federation emphasized the leading role of Africans in resolving African problems. Enhancing the predictability of financing for African Union peace support operations is of importance, he said, and his delegation is not opposed to the possibility of increasing the role of the United Nations in such operations, bearing in mind the need to respect the Organization’s processes for examining and approving budgetary requests.
Also speaking were the representatives of Sweden, Netherlands, Bolivia, Kuwait, Peru, China, Poland, United Kingdom, France and Kazakhstan.
The meeting began at 3:40 p.m. and ended at 5:28 p.m.
