S/PV.7103 Security Council

In comformity with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of the Central African Republic to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite His Excellency Mr. Thomas Mayr-Harting, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2014/54, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Australia, Chad, Chile, France, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. I should like to draw the attention of the Council to document S/2013/787, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Central African Republic. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2134 (2014). I shall now give the floor to the member of the Council who wishes to make a statement following the adoption of the resolution.

Given the urgent need to scale up the peacekeeping presence in the Central African Republic, we supported the adoption of resolution 2134 (2014), which, inter alia, approves the deployment of a European Union operation in support of the African Union (AU) International Support Mission. We hope that the European mission will be effective in strengthening the international community’s contribution to stabilizing the political and social situation and protecting civilians in the country. Given the leading role of the AU peacekeeping contingent, which has already received the approval of the Security Council, we think it would have been suitable and logical for Brussels to have entered into a formal agreement with the AU before the adoption of resolution 2134 (2014). Unfortunately, that did not take place. Indeed, in the preparation of such decisions, the Security Council has to have all the relevant information on the parameters of the future cooperation and division of labour between the peacekeeping operations and the Central African Republic. The resolution of those issues will have a great impact on the effectiveness of the AU’s activities and the normalization of the situation in the country. Accordingly, we hope that Brussels will conclude all the necessary agreements and procedures and draw up the practical aspects of cooperation with the AU before the deployment of its own operations.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Thomas Mayr-Harting, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations.

It is my honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU). I would like to thank the Security Council for having invited me to take part in today’s important Council meeting. Allow me to begin by congratulating the Security Council on its unanimous adoption of resolution 2134 (2014), on the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA), which also contains a mandate for a European Union military operation in that country in crisis. The European Union commends the activities of the African Union through the swift deployment of the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic (MISCA) and the support provided to it by the France’s Operation Sangaris, pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013). Those efforts together have allowed for progress on the security front to shore up the conditions necessary for a return to stability in the country. In that context, the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union indicated its political agreement on 20 January 2014 on the prospects of a military operation in the Central African Republic in support of MISCA and the French forces and approved the concept of operations to put an end to the crisis. The authorization for the operation by the Security Council in the resolution adopted today will allow for the swift establishment and deployment of that operation. The end goal of the EU operation will be to make a contribution with MISCA to the regional and international efforts to protect the most vulnerable populations and to facilitate the movement of civilian stakeholders. That will create conditions conducive to providing humanitarian assistance to those in need. By contributing to security in Bangui, the EU operation will allow for MISCA and the French troops to be gradually deployed to the provinces. That goal takes fully into account resolution 2127 (2013) and MISCA’s mandate. The European Union highlights the need for close cooperation with partners, in particular with the authorities of the Central African Republic, the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States, the United Nations and France, so as to ensure high quality cooperation and complementarity in the efforts undertaken to restore stability in the Central African Republic. The European Union would urge the international community to continue to mobilize in favour of the Central African Republic, in particular in the context of the donor conference on MISCA to place in Addis Ababa on 1 February upon invitation of the African Union. All of the European Union’s activities in the Central African Republic are in step with its comprehensive approach to the situation on the humanitarian, security and development aid fronts. Accordingly, the high- level meeting jointly organized by Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva and Assistant Secretary-General Valerie Amos mobilized more than $500 million for humanitarian activities in the Central African Republic. Moreover, the European Union has already bilaterally pledged €50 million for the financing of MISCA. As the leading contributor to official development assistance in the Central African Republic, the European Union is committed to swiftly reviewing, in coordination with international financial institutions, all the measures that would allow for rebuilding the State and prevent an exacerbation of the effects of the crisis on the civilian population. The European Union undertakes to start considering right away modalities for cooperation in the areas of the rule of law and security sector reform. The EU is also planning to resume its cooperation projects as soon as security conditions allow it, in order to fully play a role in the rebuilding of the Central African Republic. The European Union would urge the international community to provide a substantial response to the basic needs of the Central Africa population, using a comprehensive approach that clearly sets out emergency aid and development aid and coordinates players in development with the international financial institutions.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.