(Note: Complete coverage of today's meeting will be available after its conclusion.)
The partnership between the United Nations and African Union has never been more critical, several senior officials told the Security Council today, as they laid out the myriad challenges facing the continent from the world's largest forced displacement crisis and numerous instances of political instability to territorial disputes and climate-change-driven insecurity.
"As the Council is aware, several African countries and sub-regions continue to face significant challenges to achieving lasting peace, security and sustainable development," Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union, told the 15-member body.
The first of three briefers to outline developments on the ground in Africa and describe in detail what issues and challenges the UN-African Union collaboration was taking on, Mr. Onanga-Anyanga said the Secretary-General's latest report (document S/2024/629) underscores the strategic importance of and need for the two organizations - including the work of his Office - to closely coordinate efforts to help address complex political transitions.
In the Horn of Africa, political instability, territorial disputes and an ever-worsening humanitarian situation are driving several destabilizing conflicts, he said. The conflict in Sudan has caused a grave humanitarian emergency, leading to the largest forced displacement crisis in the world, involving over 10 million people. In the Sahel region, political instability and violence have intensified, while uncertainty characterizes transition processes in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger. And in the Great Lake region, the 30 July ceasefire agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, facilitated by Angola, has translated into a reduction of fighting, but concerns remain. "All groups must lay down their weapons and disarm," he stressed.
The commitment of the member States of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to support peace efforts through the deployment of a mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is commendable, he continued. However, the link between climate change and peace and security is "a reality that cannot be denied in Africa", he said, adding that the impact of climate change is putting to the test the resilience of States. Welcoming the recent adoption of the Pact of the Future, he said that accord calls for stronger cooperation between the UN and regional organizations, and underscores Africa's key role in promoting an effective and inclusive multilateral system.
Also briefing the Council today was Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations, who commended the African Union for utilizing its capacity to prevent and resolve conflicts while tapping into the UN's political legitimacy, experience, and support to achieve its peace and security goals. "The collaboration between the two institutions is founded on the principle of complementarity, recognizing that no single entity can fully tackle current and future security challenges alone," she said.
"Given the evolving security landscape in Africa, and instances where United Nations peacekeeping missions may not be suitable, it is critical to recognize how African Union-led peace support operations, including enforcement actions, contribute to both regional and global peace and security efforts," she added. The Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission should identify countries where Council resolution 2719 (2023) - on financing African Union-led peace support operations - can serve as the financing framework for peace-building efforts, thereby enhancing national capacity to consolidate the achievements of such operations. She pointed out how the African Union-United Nations Joint Framework on Human Rights explicitly highlights the need to promote women's full and equal participation in political, economic and social life, and recognizes the critical role of young people in promoting peace, development and human rights.
Prioritizing Africa in the reform of the Security Council is crucial, she said. She also called for collective efforts to address the conflicts in Sudan and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, consolidate gains in Mozambique and Somalia, and combat the spread of violent extremism in the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin and West Africa. Equally critical is the need to tackle the ongoing threat of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and take action to support countries facing both climate change and conflict. "The time has come for our two institutions to take bold, coordinated action to achieve our critical shared objectives in Africa," she said.
Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, said since the adoption of Council resolution 2719 (2023), which "marked a major milestone" in the UN-African Union partnership, the United Nations Secretariat has intensified its collaboration with the African Union Commission. "As a result, significant progress has already been achieved towards the operationalization of the resolution," she said, citing the need for close working relations between the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council to ensure smooth joint planning.
The text's implementation will present complex challenges, specifically on peace enforcement missions due to the inherent risks, she said. A possible first test case for the implementation of the c framework is currently being discussed, based on Security Council resolution 2748 (2024), adopted in August. The African Union Commission and the UN Secretariat in consultation with Somalia's Government and relevant international and regional stakeholders are jointly planning for the successor of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). "As requested by the council, we are preparing a report that articulates clearly a range of options for financing it," she added.
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