S/PV.8006Reprise1 Security Council

The President (spoke in Chinese): I wish to remind all speakers to limit their statements to no more than four minutes in order to enable the Council to carry out its work expeditiously. Delegations with lengthy statements are kindly requested to circulate their texts in writing and to deliver a condensed version when speaking in the Chamber. I now call on the Minister for Food, Forestry and Horticulture of Ireland.

Mr. Doyle (Ireland): I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for having convened today's important debate. Ireland aligns itself with the statement made by the observer of the European Union (EU) this morning. Drawing from the concept note (S/2017/574, annex), I will briefly outline the areas we see as particularly important in enhancing the international community's support for African capabilities in the area of peace and security. First, I turn to the many calls made for closer United Nations-African Union (AU) partnership for action. The foundation for an enhanced partnership is well established. The three peace and security reviews of 2015 underscored the need for a deeper strategic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. Over the past two years, the Security Council has dealt with the issue, both through its reviews of individual peacekeeping missions and through broader thematic initiatives, such as resolution 2320 (2016), on United Nations-AU cooperation, and the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. Moreover, we have two major agreements adopted unanimously by all States Members of the United Nations - the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the sustaining peace resolutions - which call on us collectively to see partnerships as the core of our work. We must take steps to turn this well-established foundation into action. We must ensure that United Nations-AU partnership is something that occurs at an operational level, on a daily basis. That requires ongoing review and cooperation, particularly in the areas of planning and decision-making. We welcome today's debate as an opportunity in that respect. Secondly, we must learn from the mechanisms we already have. Cooperation between the international community and Africa in the field of peace and security is already ongoing. We have seen it in the evolving engagement between the African Union Mission in Somalia and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur and the efforts of the Peacebuilding Commission to establish closer links with the AU. We must look beyond that. For example, the work of the EU's African Peace Facility, to which Ireland is glad to contribute, could help inform United Nations support for the operations and priorities of the AU. The engagement of EU regional offices with the AU and African sub-regional organizations should offer some valuable lessons in that regard. In assessments ofjoint United Nations-AU peacekeeping missions, we must also focus on recording and adapting best practices. Thirdly, we must explore financing options from within - but also beyond - the budget of the United Nations. It is clear that the current United Nations funding structure for African-led peace operations is in need of reform. The role of the regular budget of the United Nations warrants discussion. The Secretary-General's recent report (S/2017/574) is a first step towards some financing options. There is also the broader question - how can the international community best support Africa to finance its own initiatives for peace and security? Neither the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development nor the AU Agenda 2063 is directly linked to peace operations. However, if properly implemented and supported, those frameworks can substantially enhance Africa's capacity to self-fund programmes and operations for peace. The AU has already committed to funding 25 per cent of its peace operations by 2020. Additionally, if African States receive the right support for their development efforts, the resulting economic growth could well allow the AU to far surpass this 25 per cent marker in the longer term. Successful development will also contribute to eradicating the root causes of conflict. If we invest in that development, Africa's capacity to fund peace operations will increase, while the need for such operations will decrease. Fourthly, we must identify mutual opportunities and challenges. African priorities in the area of peace and security are also the priorities of the international community. Implementation of the women and peace and security agenda, the empowerment of youth as actors of peace, sustainable security sector reform, and more effective conflict prevention are just some of those shared priorities. Stronger partnerships in those areas will therefore be mutually beneficial. The same is true in respect of mutual challenges. As noted earlier by the EU observer, the Secretary General's report highlights the importance of compliance and oversight, particularly in the areas of human rights and conduct and discipline. Those are critical concerns in all peace operations, and ones we, as a troop-contributing country, take extremely seriously. Finally, we welcome the AU's efforts to put in place effective mechanisms to ensure the respect for human rights in all of its missions and encourage further progress in their implementation. Joint standards for reporting, accountability and protection are critical to ensuring robust oversight of missions. I thank you again, Mr. President, for holding today's debate and for giving me the opportunity to participate in the discussion on this important issue by sharing Ireland's perspective.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of New Zealand.

Ms. Roxburgh (New Zealand): Wejoin others today in thanking the Secretary-General and Commissioner Chergui for their briefing. As a member of the Security Council when resolution 2320 (2016) was adopted, New Zealand was strongly supportive of the United Nations and African Union (AU) taking a more structured, complementary and integrated approach to tackling the challenges faced by the continent. We welcome recent developments, including the Secretary-General's May report (S/20l7/454) and will focus today's remarks on two priority areas: making meaningful African Union-United Nations engagement an everyday habit and fixing financing for African-led peace operations. First, while formal engagement between the Council and the AU Peace and Security Council is important, in our view it is through strengthening informal engagement that we will see the greatest value. Regular and constructive exchanges on specific issues would contribute to a deeper understanding of perspectives, a greater unity of purpose and, ultimately, a stronger partnership. Overall, we need to see more cooperation through joint assessment missions, information exchanges, training and secondments, but every Council member can also individually help make this change simply by thinking and acting a little more broadly and strategically. For our part, while New Zealand was on the Council, we supported the inaugural elected ten Peace and Security Council of the African Union meeting in Addis Ababa at the start of 2015. With Spain, we met with the Chair of the AU Council at the start of our presidencies to discuss the joint agendas of each body. During our presidency, after the Council's visit to South Sudan, we co-hosted - with the AU Commission - Council members and senior United Nations officials, including Special Representative Menkerios, at an off-site meeting to discuss the United Nations-African Union strategic framework. Those actions did not require formal Council decisions or consensus. We would urge current Council members, both individually and collectively, to take similar steps and make meaningful engagement with the AU an everyday habit. Secondly, we need to fix the fundamental issue of financing for African-led peace operations. That will not be easy, but we must agree on a new, more predictable financing model. Fragmented, ad hoc arrangements for each new AU-led mission are simply not sustainable. Delays lead to longer, more expensive conflicts, and less effective missions exact a cost in lives. In his report, the Secretary-General laid out pragmatic options for the Council's consideration. We support those options as well as the AU decision to have 25 per cent of the cost of AU-led peace operations financed by African States. We also are supportive of utilizing United Nations assessed contributions to finance AU-led missions in defined circumstances. The Council should also adopt, in principle, the Secretary- General's proposal of an African Union-United Nations jointly developed budget. New Zealand stands ready to assist, including through lending our support to any resolutions that may come to the Fifth Committee, the General Assembly or the Council, but we urge the Council to take action as a matter of priority. In return, the Council will get a strengthened partner to assist in tackling shared challenges - likely at a significantly lower cost than the United Nations - and will make an important and practical, contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security.

The President (Spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of India.

Mr. Akbaruddin (India): I thank you, Sir, for bringing much needed focus to an issue which touches on the ethos and character of how we do business here at the United Nations. As new and diverse forms of threats - some clear and present, others only dimly perceived - test our collective resolve and call into question the validity of existing mechanisms, it is time to assess if we can work together on what is in our collective interest. The briefings today have provided insight in that regard. Africa is unique, as the whole continent is committed to working together on the entire spectrum of issues, including peace and security, through the African Union. Regional and subregional organizations probably enjoy the advantages of language and situational awareness and can respond more quickly as they have a better understanding of the complexities of the situation. Africa's wish to play a leading role in addressing African problems is, therefore, a work in progress and needs to be supported. However, issues of capacity and resource constraints do exist. On the other hand, the maintenance of international peace and security is one of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. It also entails the collective responsibility of Member States to extend mutual support for strengthening capacities and capabilities to address threats to international peace and security. I shall focus on three issues. First of all, it is a well-known fact that despite the deployment of large peacekeeping contingents in Africa, their record of success has been mixed, somewhat reflecting the complexities of geopolitics, political will and the capacities and resources supporting peacekeeping efforts. We should analyse various missions for the important lessons to be drawn from them. India has participated in most peacekeeping operations in Africa and is ready to contribute to any future such operations based on our limited capabilities and capacities. As part of our efforts to share experiences in strengthening the capacities of African peacekeepers, we have focused on human-resources development and capacity-building. India has worked both bilaterally and in tripartite partnerships to build the defence capabilities of several African States. As we speak, as part of our trilateral cooperation with the United States, a United Nations peacekeeping course for African partners based on the concept of training the trainers is ongoing in New Delhi, with the participation of officials from 18 African nations who are deployed in various African peacekeeping training institutions. India is also committed to promoting gender equality and sensitivity. Our l25-member all-women police contingent in Liberia was the first such deployment in a United Nations peacekeeping mission. The presence of a female police unit has inspired several women there to come forward to join the police force and participate in maintaining law and order. We should make such role models essential ingredients of every United Nations peacekeeping operation with police deployments. Secondly, the importance of comprehensive sustainable development, inclusive economic growth and political processes in preventing conflict and implementing effective peacebuilding efforts is broadly recognized. The adoption by the United Nations of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063 represent a recognition of the fact that the key factors for sustaining peace are cross-cutting and interlinked. That requires long- term commitment and sustained investment, including vastly expanded funding. The identical resolutions on the review of the peacebuilding architecture adopted last year by the General Assembly (70/262) and the Security Council (2282 (2016)) defined the concept ofsustaining peace and called for the work of the Peacebuilding Commission to be strengthened. There has been no agreement, alas, on increasing the funding for the Commission to even 1 per cent of the annual total for peacekeeping operations. As a member of the Commission since its inception, India has so far contributed more than $5 million to the Peacebuilding Fund. More substantively, as part of its tradition of South-South solidarity in development cooperation and working within the limits of its capacities and capabilities, India has extended concessional credit worth $10 billion and doubled the numbers of scholarships for African students to 50,000 over a five-year period. India's partnership with Africa is based on a cooperation model that is responsive to African countries' needs. It is demand-driven, free of conditions and provided in a non-prescriptive manner. We firmly believe that a commitment to supporting peacebuilding is crucial to sustainable peace in Africa. Thirdly, the ever-expanding terror networks have endangered peace and security in the African region in unprecedented ways. Time and again, from Boko Haram to Al-Shabaab, they have shown themselves to be ever more connected to other such networks all over the world. They pose a threat to the broader international community in many ways. The United Nations response to such threats continues to be unsatisfactory. The price of such indifference is immeasurable. It is time for a strong, effective and coherent response that reflects the international community's collective commitment to defeating the scourge of terrorism. The complex nature of modern conflicts makes it necessary to respond to the changing needs ofour times. In the African Union, the United Nations has a willing partner. The question that the Council should answer is whether it is ready to do what is required to make a difference where it matters most. I hope that today's discussions lead to specific steps in that direction.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Germany.

Mr. Schulz (Germany): I would like to thank China for convening today's important debate. Germany aligns itself with the statement delivered earlier today by the observer of the European Union (EU). I would like pay tribute to African nations' contribution to peacekeeping in Africa in both African- led and United Nations missions. Germany salutes the courage of all the soldiers and police who participate in what are often extremely dangerous missions, whether in Somalia, the Lake Chad region, Central Africa or the Sahel. With regard to the Sahel region, Germany supports the initiative of the Group of Five for the Sahel to deploy ajoint task force in the fight against terrorism. We welcome the progress that our African partners have made in developing and implementing Africa's peace and security architecture. We also support the initiative of the African Union (AU) on increasing the financial independence of its peace operations and strengthening the financial basis of the African Peace Fund. And we were pleased to see the United Nations and AU sign the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. But it is clear that further strengthening the African peace and security architecture and developing the AU-United Nations partnership in the area of peace and security will require great efforts on all sides. They can count on Germany's support during that process. I would like to focus briefly on a few areas Where Germany supports its African partners in the field of peace and security. First, for many years, Germany - bilaterally, in the context of the EU and through the United Nations - has supported African partners in preparing military and police units for peacekeeping tasks. We have worked with the AU and other regional and subregional organizations to address capacity shortages and have provided financial and technical assistance. For instance, we offer training to African peacekeepers through the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre, as well as through tailor- made programmes in areas such as pre-deployment training for specific missions. Secondly, Germany has put a strategic focus on crisis-prevention and stabilization measures aimed at supporting political processes and resolving conflicts by creating a secure environment and improving living conditions. For instance, together with the countries of the Lake Chad region and other partners, including the United Nations, we have launched the Oslo Consultative Group on Stabilization and Prevention, which will identify priorities and coordinate stabilization measures. Its first meeting at the senior official level will take place in Berlin in September. Germany also assists African partners in the areas of early warning, prevention and mediation activities. We are an active partner in mediation efforts conducted under the umbrella of the African Union in, for example, Sudan and South Sudan. We are happy to be supporting the African Union's newly established mediation support unit. In 2017, Germany will spend approximately €100 million on prevention and stabilization measures in Africa. Thirdly, the African Union has shown strong leadership in putting the agenda on women and peace and security into action. Germany is proud to support those efforts, including notably the recent establishment of a network of African women leaders. The network's launch in New York just a few weeks ago brought together a large number of eminent women from Africa's political and public sectors and civil society. We are excited by the momentum that this initiative has developed. We firmly believe that women's access to political leadership, particularly their participation in peace processes, leads to better results. Fourthly, combating the proliferation of small arms and light weapons is a vital ingredient in both national and regional stabilization strategies and should be integrated into United Nations peacekeeping missions from the start. Among others, Germany has started a Group of Seven initiative in the extended Sahel jointly with the African Union, with the aim of promoting comprehensive coordination in controlling small arms and light weapons. In conclusion, we remain committed to supporting the African Union, other regional and subregional organizations and our African partners in further enhancing African capacities in the area of peace and security.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Denmark.

Mr. Petersen (Denmark): I am honoured to speak today on behalf of the Nordic countries: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Denmark. The threats posed by terrorism, radicalization and instability constitute a challenge to all countries. Addressing them requires strong cooperation between all the parties involved. African countries are on the front lines in meeting those challenges, along with their partners, including the Nordic countries. The African countries shoulder their part of the burden when the African Union (AU) assumes responsibility for peace operations, along with regional economic communities; when African countries join hands to create multinational forces, like the Multinational Joint Task Force to fight Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region and the Group of Five for the Sahel joint force to combat terrorism and transnational crime in the Sahel; and when African countries make vital contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations to keep them engaged, despite very complex situations. In the Nordic countries, we welcome those efforts to meet the challenge of terrorism, radicalization and instability. We believe the strengthened cooperation on peace and security between the AU and the United Nations is key to enhancing our efforts and address the challenges. The next step is to ensure predictable and sustainable support to AU operations. The report of the Secretary-General (S/2017/454) issued on 26 May sets out useful options for support and joint decision-making. The Nordic countries strongly encourage the Security Council to give its consent to use, on a case-by-case basis, United Nations assessed contributions to finance AU peace support missions mandated by the Security Council. That will also entail close United Nations involvement, as highlighted in the report of the Secretary-General. We welcome the signing in April of the United Nations-AU Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. The Nordic countries are particularly encouraged by the emphasis on prevention and root causes, strong themes in our countries' long- standing partnerships and cooperation with African partners. The Nordic countries have supported, among other things, African mediation and early- warning capabilities. When the rule of law prevails and the voice of the people is heard, conflict can be avoided. The peaceful transition in The Gambia demonstrated that. Together with Economic Community of West African States, a number of African countries stepped in with decisive support for a peaceful solution for the people of The Gambia. That support is an important signal of African unity and regional ownership of a process leading to a more prosperous and democratic continent. Accountability and inclusive peace processes lead to better and more sustainable results. In the peace processes where women and young people are included and exert real influence, peace agreements are more likely to be reached and the peace is more likely to last. Where women are involved in peacekeeping, the operations gain more trust from communities and respond more effectively to the needs of the local population. The Nordic countries support the AU and many African countries in their endeavours to train more women, and to ensure that their police forces are responsive to the needs of women. Enhancing African capabilities in the area of peace and security is a key contribution to regional and global security, and it is a key contribution to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustaiable Development. The Nordic countries are supporters of the efforts of the AU in that regard. We welcome a strengthening the peace and security architecture of the AU and we hope it will bring greater coherence and high-level focus to such important issues.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Kenya.

Mr. Kamau (Kenya): We thank you, Sir, for convening this important debate and for circulating a detailed concept note (S/2017/574, annex) to guide us. I take the opportunity to congratulate China for its elevation to the presidency of the Council for July and commend you, Sir, for the manner by which you have conducted its affairs. We thank the Secretary-General for his detailed, informative briefing on the issue and previous speakers for their illuminating interventions, and we welcome the statement by Mr. Smail Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union (AU). Kenya fully supports current efforts to strengthen the cooperation and partnership between the African Union and the United Nations on peace and security in Africa. The cooperation is anchored in the Addis Ababa Declaration of 2016, which inter alia, established a ten-year capacity-building programme for the African Union, modalities for collaboration between the two organizations and the establishment of a framework and institutions to enhance the partnership. That is how the United Nations Support Office for the African Union, the annual joint consultative meetings, the A3 coordination group in the Security Council, the joint framework between the United Nations Support Office for the African Union and the Peace and Security Department of the African Union, and the Joint Task Force on Peace and Security all came into being. Now more than ever before, both institutions, the United Nations and the AU, have achieved more coordinated response and complementary action in dealing with evolving challenges to peace and security on the continent, ranging from violent conflict, humanitarian crises, violent extremism and terrorism. However, much more needs to be done to tackle the challenges, capitalize on available opportunities and consolidate the gains achieved so far. Kenya believes that a well-funded and efficient African Peace and Security Architecture is not only an essential African priority, but also a great global strategic necessity. We would like to stress that the four financing options indicated in the report ofthe Secretary- General (S/2017/454) on options for authorization and support for African Union peace support operations, namely, subvention to exceptional or emergency circumstances, joint financing of a jointly developed budget, the establishment of a United Nations support office and the joint financing of a hybrid mission all provide a solid basis for further deepening the existing relationship. We urge the Security Council to endorse and take the necessary steps towards the financing of the African Union peace support operations. We also need to be open to explore other options to ensure predictable, reliable and sustainable funding for the peace support operations of the African Union. Deepening the AU-United Nations cooperation to enhance the African capabilities in the peace and security sphere is only one ofthe necessary instruments to achieve sustainable peace in Africa. But, more needs to be done to harness available opportunities to achieve sustainable peace and development that will complement the existing mechanisms for cooperation. We believe that the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is key to sustaining peace in Africa. It is important to harness international cooperation in order to provide adequate means of implementation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This is how quality health and education, decent jobs and infrastructure and good governance and democracy will be entrenched in Africa to enable it reap the dividends of peace through sustained economic development. Kenya believes that important initiatives such as the transformative Chinese One Belt, One Road on infrastructure; Power Africa on clean, renewable energy by the United States; the new German investment compacts for Africa on trade, peace and governance; and others are solid opportunities to create solid partnerships for achieving rapid implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals that would ensure sustainable peace and development in Africa. Similarly, the United Nations, including the Council, should be at the forefront of ensuring that illicit financial flows from Africa, which bleed over $203 billion out of the continent, exacerbated by a few banks in the developed world, is curtailed to ensure African resources remain in Africa to fight poverty, disease and ignorance and thus, sustain the peace. In conclusion, I wish to reiterate Kenya's support for current efforts to enhance African capabilities in the area of peace and security through the strategic partnership between the African Union and the United Nations. We shall continue to support peace efforts by the African Union as attested in our role within the African Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia in Somalia. We shall continue to collaborate with other African countries to strengthen conflict prevention, management and resolution capacity of the African Union regional entities, such as the East African Community, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region of Africa and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, all of which complement the cooperation between United Nations and the AU in peace and security. We support and pursue these efforts for we are convinced that our stability and economic well-being is closely tied to peace, stability and economic well-being of the rest of the continent and, indeed, of the entire the world.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Namibia.

Mr. Gertze (Namibia): I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this open debate, which offers the opportunity to share views on peace and security in Africa. Let me also thank our briefers for their invaluable contribution to this debate. Your country's focus on this important topic during your presidency is highly appreciated. My delegation aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. Namibia applauds the continued cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) and particularly with regional and subregional organizations on the continent. We also welcome enhanced cooperation in peacekeeping in Africa. My delegation wishes to stress the need for the AU and the United Nations to outline their roles clearly according to their comparative advantages. Partnership between the United Nations and the AU offices, while essential, cannot substitute for ownership by Africa of its challenges. It is both pragmatic and right to seek out African views on conflict resolution and conflict prevention through formal and informal sessions between the two organizations. We wish to underscore the important role that regional and subregional arrangements and agencies can play in the promotion of peace and security, as well as economic and social development. In the wake of the historic adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015, peace and security have to underpin the delivery of an environment in which the development agenda can flourish. The African Union has demonstrated its ability to take the lead in the effective resolution of conflicts. Over the years, the African Union member States have been able to step in promptly to help maintain peace and security. Namibia remains committed to contributing to peacekeeping operations. Indeed it is the presence of African peacekeepers that has provided international peace operations with political legitimacy on the continent. The African Peace and Security Architecture road map for the period 2016-2020 also remains essential to provide legitimacy and effectiveness on the ground. We have noted that the organs of the Architecture are increasingly shouldering their responsibility under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. African mediation and rapid response efforts are two areas that rely on support by partners such as the United Nations. In order to make the African Peace and Security Architecture more effective under the current challenging economic and other circumstances, it is important to make full use of available expertise and knowledge on the ground and at regional level. It is essential that actions taken are based upon African programmes already developed at high-level forums. These programmes speak directly to the needs identified by Africans themselves, are often gender sensitive, and will never be seen as imposed from the outside, and thus not succeed. Namibia values the role that the United Nations Office to the African Union plays by providing technical advice on matters of capacity-building and operational support. However, further efforts to build institutional capacity would be crucial to bringing coherence to the consolidation of peace in Africa. I would like to applaud the recent appointment by the Secretary-General of former German President Horst Kohler as his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara. We call on all parties to offer their cooperation and support in order to see genuine progress and resolution of this long standing conflict. Finally, Namibia welcomes progress made in increasing the participation ofwomen in leadership roles towards resolving conflicts. Indeed, it is imperative to integrate gender perspectives into institutional reforms in post-conflict countries. We encourage Member States in post-conflict situations to mainstream gender perspectives in institutional reform for the protection of women's rights and call for the incorporation of women in mediation processes.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the observer of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Mr. Ojeda: I thank you, Mr. President, for giving the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. We commend the debate's emphasis on Africa's global importance. Forty per cent of ICRC resources are invested in Africa, and we place great value on our partnerships with African Governments. We will focus on two key drivers of peace and security in Africa: an end to the violence, which damages development, and the significance of basic services, which make development possible. The median age in Africa today is 19. Urbanization is expanding and land is still plentiful. The African Union (AU) is achieving increasing traction as a regional organization with clear development vision and capacity. Africa's opportunity must not be undermined by the destruction brought by armed conflict. Peace and security is the first priority of African development. We urge the Council to make every effort to support African States to end African conflicts. But where there is no peace there must be greater respect for international humanitarian law. Changing the behaviour of many parties to conflict in Africa is essential if African people are to keep hold of the land, health, resources, businesses and education they need to achieve the AU's Agenda 2063. International humanitarian law is increasingly prioritized in Africa. Every day we work as partners with African authorities in individual States and at the AU, enhancing their capacities to respect and ensure greater respect for international humanitarian law. Progress is clear in the development of African armed forces, and in the commitment of the AU and its member States to high standards in the mandates, rules of engagement and conduct ofAfrican peace operations. Putting these policies into action in Africa's complex operational environments is always a challenge. Africa and its military partners need to cooperate continuously to solve problems on the ground and ensure compliance with international humanitarian law. Meeting people's need for basic services is also key to peace and security. Infrastructure and services are vital to deliver African development. Too often, schools, health facilities, water sources and power facilities are destroyed or rendered unsafe in armed conflicts across the continent. These services must be kept safe and functioning for Africa's people. We work constantly with authorities in Africa to ensure the protection and continuity of basic services but humanitarian aid cannot do this alone. This is why we are pleased to be working with the World Bank in Somalia. Development actors must find ways to enhance State capacity to maintain basic services during conflict. Here, the Chinese Government often sets an important example. The Kampala Convention is a model for supporting internally displaced persons. I hope our two suggestions add value. They are particularly important today, when millions of Africans face the double vulnerability of armed conflict and drought.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of the Republic of Korea.

Mr. Hahn Choonghee (Republic of Korea): At the outset, please allow me to join the previous speakers in commending the initiative and leadership of China to convene today's important meeting. Ensuring peace and security on the African continent is a high priority of the international community. United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa account for the largest portions of both the budget and personnel of United Nations peacekeeping operations as a whole. At the same time, the Security Council has been scaling-up efforts to strengthen its strategic partnership with the African Union (AU). This partnership is duly recognized as a model regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. In addition, the African Union is increasingly serving as a first responder to crises in Africa before United Nations missions take over, as seen with the African missions in Burundi, the Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic. The United Nations and the African Union have also deployed a landmark hybrid operation in Darfur. As a result of such joint efforts, we are achieving notable progress in securing peace and security in Africa. However, many countries on the continent still face daunting challenges that have become increasingly complex, transboundary and asymmetrical in nature. These include terrorism and violent extremism, transnational organized crime, climate change and migration crises, among others. It is becoming apparent that the United Nations simply cannot tackle such multifaceted challenges alone. The United Nations needs to work with all relevant stakeholders, including Member States, regional and subregional organizations, international financial institutions, the private sectors and civil society. Against this backdrop, I would now like to highlight the following three points to provide a way forward in our collective efforts to enhance the capacities of African countries in promoting peace and security. First, the United Nations should respect the ownership of African countries in maintaining peace and security on the continent, while helping them, the African Union and subregional organizations to scale-up their relevant capacities. At the operational level, the African Union has proven its commitment and effectiveness through its peacekeeping operations. Furthermore, the AU has been moving forward to show its potential as a reliable partner at the strategic level too, as exemplified by its pledge to finance 25 per cent of its future peace operations through the African Union Peace Fund and the Silencing the Guns by 2020 initiative. Wemustalsohighlightthe importance ofsubregional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the East African Community, given that they have played critical roles in mediation, prevention and the resolution of tensions. However, while our African partners should take the lead in promoting their own peace and security, the international community must help with predictable and sustainable resources. In that regard, the Republic of Korea has steadily increased its financial contribution to the African Union through the AU Peace Fund and the Korea-AU Cooperation Fund in recent years. Secondly, we need to pursue a comprehensive and integrated approach in order to achieve sustainable peace and development in Africa. The challenges we collectively face are difficult to solve with static ideas and singular responses. Unless the root causes are addressed through all stages of crises and conflicts, we will not achieve lasting peace and prosperity. In this connection, the concept of sustaining peace, as defined and elaborated by the historic twin General Assembly and Security Council resolutions 70/261 and 2282 (2016) in April last year, offers a way forward. At the same time, the activities of the diverse stakeholders - including the African Union, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, civil societies and the private sectors - need to be better implemented in a coordinated and collaborative manner to ensure synergy moving forward. In this context, the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) can play an important role by using its convening power to mobilize and coordinate various stakeholders. As the Chair of the PBC this year, the Republic of Korea has been working to proactively leverage its unique convening power to help The Gambia and the countries in the Sahel region to build and sustain peace in their respective countries and region. In addition, we have been making efforts to strengthen the PBC's partnership with international financial institutions, including the World Bank. As part of such efforts, recently a PBC delegation visited the World Bank in Washington, DO, and the PBC annual session in 2017 focused on partnership for financing and peace, and came up with an agreement to hold a dialogue with the World Bank on an annual basis. The Republic of Korea will continue to step up these and other efforts throughout its tenure as the PBC Chair, including a visit to the African Union later this year. Thirdly, we must bolster our efforts to listen to the voices and grievances of local communities. As people living in rural areas suffer disproportionally from the instability caused by violent extremism, armed groups and ethnic clashes, we must do more to amplify their voices and note their perspectives and concerns. Indeed, if vulnerable people are not heard, protected, or provided with the prerequisite levels of support to ensure that they have every opportunity to thrive, they are more easily at risk of falling into the exploitative hands of armed groups, or being indoctrinated with extremism and terrorism. In this regard, I would like to encourage the United Nations to further strengthen its strategic engagements with local communities. In fact, the Republic of Korea is financially contributing to the development of a planning framework for improved engagement of communities and other actors by peacekeeping missions. Before closing, I would like to reiterate that the Republic of Korea is committed to working closely with the United Nations, African Member States and organizations, as well as other key stakeholders, in order to enhance peace and security in Africa.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of South Africa.

Mr. Mminele (South Africa): Allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of July. I also thank you and the Chinese delegation for convening this timely open debate on peace and security in Africa, under the theme "Enhancing African capacities in the areas of peace and security". South Africa aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. This debate is timely as it follows immediately on the successful conclusion of the twenty-ninth African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, where the African Union considered issues that are of utmost importance to the continent, including the African Union's aspirations outlined in its Agenda 2063. It is important for the United Nations at all levels to work closely with the African Union in achieving our common security and developmental objectives, as encapsulated in the African Union Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It should be noted that the Summit recommitted Africa to the AU Master Road Map of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa by the Year 2020. It also declared the month of September of every year until 2020 as African Amnesty Month for the surrender and collection of illegally owned weapons and arms, in line with African and international best practice. At the outset, South Africa recognizes that in terms of the Charter of the United Nations, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. However, as we have frequently reiterated, it is often regional organizations such as the AU that are the first responders to conflicts and deploy early in order to stabilize conflict situations, thereby creating a more favourable environment for the United Nations to deploy and for peace processes to start. This is by no means accidental, as regional organizations are often better positioned to understand the root causes of armed conflicts owing to their knowledge of the region. This advantage benefits all efforts to influence the prevention and resolution of conflicts. Furthermore, regional bodies have a comparative advantage due to their collective political resolve to address a conflict situation and to prevent regional instability. It is therefore imperative for the United Nations to work closely with the AU and the various regional economic organizations on the continent to achieve sustainable peace on the African continent. That would necessitate notjust collaboration on peacekeeping but also in building capacity in mediation and peacemaking efforts, as well as post- conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction. President Alpha Conde, in his capacity as Chairperson of the AU, has appointed my President, President Zuma, to promote partnership between the AU and the United Nations towards enhancing African capabilities in peacekeeping operations. In that regard, South Africa continues to encourage a strong collaborative relationship between the United Nations and the AU. In that regard, my delegation would like to highlight the following four points. First, the financing of AU peacekeeping operations remains one of the biggest challenges for peacekeeping on the continent. As far back as resolution 1809 (2008), adopted in 2008, the Council recognized the need to enhance the predictability, sustainability and flexibility offinancing regional organizations when they undertake peacekeeping under a United Nations mandate. South Africa believes that AU peace operations, authorized by the Security Council, must be adequately funded and resourced. In that regard, we support the AU call for the use of United Nations assessed contributions to secure predictable, sustainable and flexible financing for AU peace operations authorized by the Security Council. Secondly, the mutually reinforcing relationship between the United Nations and the AU should extend beyond the period of conflict, to critical areas such as peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction and development within the paradigm of security sector reform. The peace, security and development nexus underscores the importance of peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction and development in post- conflict settings. That is in support of strengthening the resilience of countries through a process of institutional capacity building to mitigate the risk of a relapse into conflict. The African Peace and Security Architecture also provides the continent with conflict prevention, resolution and management measures, as well as mechanisms for post-conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction. South Africa therefore calls on the international community to strengthen the capacity of the African Peace and Security Architecture to deliver to the necessary assistance and support to the affected countries to ensure long-term, sustainable peace. Thirdly, we welcome the signing of the joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security by both organizations this year. The Framework elevates cooperation between the two organizations to a higher level. The continent continues to experience challenges, particularly in combating terrorism, piracy, transnational organized crime and human trafficking. We hope that continued cooperation between the AU Commission and the Secretariat, characterized by mutual respect and understanding, will thus expand and strengthen cooperation on many other issues that the two organizations face. Finally, we are pleased that many of our proposals are aligned with the nine areas of reform outlined by the Secretary-General in a statement made in early April. In that statement, the Secretary-General committed the Secretariat to enhancing its technical cooperation and capacity building partnership with the African Union Commission to further strengthen the partnership between the two organizations, especially regarding political issues and peacekeeping operations on the continent. He also called for that partnership to be based on solid, predictable funding, including for peacekeeping missions ofthe African Union, supported by the Security Council. In conclusion, South Africa emphasizes that debates of this nature should result in practical steps aimed towards strengthening institutional collaboration between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Belgium.

Mr. Pecsteen de Buytswerve (Belgium) (spoke in French): I thank you, Sir, for having convened today's debate on peace and security in Africa. My delegation aligns itself with the statement made on behalf of the European Union and would like to make the following remarks in its national capacity. Although the number of crises and conflicts in Africa on the Security Council's agenda remain regrettably high, it is also true that over the past few decades, peace has been restored in many of the continent's regions. The United Nations, the African Union and many regional organizations played an important role in that achievement. There is no single model for cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union; there are various situations. options and types of support possible, as demonstrated by past experience and the models highlighted by the Secretary-General in his May report (S/2017/454). We eagerly await additional proposals from the Secretary-General on reforms in the areas of peace and security, which should focus in particular on achieving greater efficiency on the ground. We also commend the efforts of the African Union to strengthen accountability mechanisms for monitoring human rights, conduct and discipline within its own operations. The Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership on Peace and Security, signed on 19 April, is broad-based and ambitious. It focuses on sustainable peace and covers all aspects of conflict cycles. We believe that it is important to maintain that broad-based approach. I would like to underscore three points that we believe deserve particular attention. The first point is mediation. The African Union and subregional organizations play an increasingly important role in the area of mediation - and that is a good thing. We believe that the region is often ideally placed either to play the role of mediator or to contribute to national or international mediation efforts. In February, Belgium organized an international conference on mediation. It hopes to continue the discussion on effective mediation and intends to organize another event in the coming months that will focus on mediation efforts in Africa. The second point relates to human rights. The year 2016 marked the African Year of Human Rights. It is essential that operations mandated by the Security Council respect the highest standards of the African Union and the United Nations in the area of human rights, conduct, discipline and monitoring. We commend the commitments and efforts made in that regard. The United Nations and the African Union cold also strengthen their partnership in that area. The third point relates to young people. More than 60 per cent of Africa's population is under 25. Young people are the future and investing in them is crucial for lasting peace. Education, training and employment are crucial to preventing radicalization and to shielding them from being influenced by hate speech and recruited by violent groups. It is therefore important to continue to invest in young people and children during conflict to prevent an entire generation from being lost once conflicts end. As the Peacebuilding Commission's focal point on youth, Belgium continues to attach great importance to that issue. The lofty goals of the United Nations-African Union partnership must translate to progress in operations on the ground. In that regard, Belgium welcomes the adoption of resolution 2359 (2017) that covers the establishment of the Group of Five for the Sahel (G-5 Sahel) joint force, at the request of the African Union. This is an important stage in the implementation of the Joint United Nations-AU Framework for an Enhanced Partnership on Peace and Security. Alongside and in line with the efforts of the United Nations in the region, the G-5 Sahel joint force is a security initiative that the region needs to counter terrorism. Belgium, along with other countries, expects considerable action to be taken to allow for a speedy launch of that initiative. The establishment of the G-5 Sahel joint force is an opportunity to be seized upon in order to move fully towards the development of a joint framework for planning, operations coordination, reporting and monitoring, as stipulated in the Secretary- General's report. It will be necessary to develop the necessary capacities in that regard. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) will have to work closely with the armies of the G-5 countries. The two entities will need to enter into a genuine partnership while respecting the same norms, including in the area of human rights. Besides ensuring the command of MINUSMA and that of the European Union Training Mission in Mali, my country is committed to promoting effective cooperation among the African Union, the G-5, the United Nations and the European Union. Each has its own added value and, through optimally using the specificities of each organization, the response of the international community will be at its the most effective.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Portugal.

Mr. Mendonea e Moura (Portugal): I thank you, Sir, for convening this very timely and relevant open debate. It is with great satisfaction that I note the increasing number of Security Council meetings and respective outcomes on the important topic of peace and security in Africa, which is of concern to us all. My statement is aligned with the one delivered earlier by the observer of the European Union (EU), but I would like to add some additional remarks in my national capacity. The growing number of challenges that the African continentfaces-fromsecuritytodevelopment-should be addressed through international cooperation, while respecting both national and regional ownership. In addition to a number of demographic challenges - such as the large and increasing number of young people, who are often unemployed, and a staggering number of internally displaced people and refugees - the fact is that the instability in Africa is being fuelled by a variety of complex factors, such as terrorism and the proliferation of violent extremism, piracy, economic hardship, social and food insecurity and political unpredictabability. Those are threats to international peace and security, thereby requiring a strong and coordinated response at all levels whereby the intrinsic and mutually reinforcing relationship between peace and security and sustainable development must be borne in mind. Tackling those issues is as important for Africa's prosperity as it is for the its security. In that regard, we believe that it is crucial to effectively support the work of the African Union and the regional economic communities alongside efforts at the national and the community levels. Moreover, it is necessary to contemplate new cooperation dynamics between the African Union and the United Nations, as well as with other relevant partners. We welcome the steps already taken in that direction, as exemplified most recently by resolution 2320 (2016) and the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed in April. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the personal engagement of Secretary-General Guterres in that pursuit. Portugal is deeply committed to the promotion of peace and security in Africa and, in that regard, to working closely with the United Nations, the African Union and subregional organizations. We are currently participating in the peacekeeping operations in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. At the EU level, we are also engaged in the important areas of training and capacitating, namely, in the European Union training missions in Somalia, Mali and the Central African Republic, and in the European Union capacity- building missions in Mali and the Niger. We are firmly committed to continuing to do so. While it is paramount that the African Union carries on with its efforts in capacity-building in the areas of peace and security, we must acknowledge that the current level of international support for African- led multinational peace and security programmes is not enough. The way forward will have to involve the diversification of funding. We believe that positive steps in that direction include the establishment of the African Peace Fund and Mr. Kaberuka's report, as well as the report of the Secretary-General (S/2017/454) on options for authorizing and supporting African Union peace and support operations. Any new financing models should be predictable and sustainable, thereby ensuring lasting funds for the foreseeable future. At the same time, we need to ensure that any such financing solutions do not have a negative impact on any other key areas, such as financing African development. Conflict prevention and sustaining peace must remain the key priorities. While sparing no effort in addressing the multidimensional challenges with regard to peace and security that the African continent faces, there should be a determined commitment to an integrated and systemic approach to long-lasting peace. The international community should focus on helping develop strong and sustainable national and local institutions, and cementing democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and security for its citizens. It is therefore essential that Africa remains a top priority at the United Nations, namely, here in the Security Council. African security and prosperity is essential both for Africans and the whole world. Lastly, I should like to add a personal note by saying that I am very happy to be able to mark my final intervention in the Security Council with a statement on Africa, as it is very close to my country and own heart.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Bangladesh.

Mr. Bin Momen (Bangladesh): Bangladesh thanks the Chinese presidency for organizing this open debate. We also thank the Secretary-General and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for their shared vision for enhancing African capacities for peace and security. Bangladesh values its association with Africa and cherishes a number of instances in which its engagement has played an instrumental role in achieving sustainable peace on the ground. In our role as spokesperson for the least developed countries, we have consistently advocated for the particular needs and challenges of the countries affected by, or emerging from, conflicts in Africa. Bangladesh therefore feels encouraged to see the AU assuming enhanced responsibility and ownership so as to prevent conflicts and promote durable peace in the region. In the spirit of finding African solutions to African problems, we appreciate the important strides made by the AU-led peace support operations in Somalia, the Lake Chad basin and the Sahel region in particular. Bangladesh continues to express its readiness to further cooperate with the AU, preferably through the United Nations and in full respect of the AU's ownership of its mandated operations. The joint AU-United Nations review authorized by the Council identified a range of opportunities and outstanding challenges inherent in the strategic partnership that has evolved over the past 15 years. The adoption of resolution 2320 (2016), the AU's decisions and overtures concerning its Peace Fund and the signing of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security provide a broader context for further broadening and deepening that partnership. The African Union's sustained initiatives to live up to its commitment to fund 25 per cent of the cost of its peace support activities have added further momentum to consolidating the partnership, including through flexible yet sustainable financing modalities. With regard to the Secretary-General's comprehensive report (S/2017/454), my delegation wishes to underline five general points. First, we stress the importance of improving capacities forjoint appraisal, assessment and analysis of conflicts by the United Nations and the AU, including in the context of the Secretary-General's peace and security architecture reform initiative. It remains critical that suchjoint assessment and analysis be conducted in an objective, consultative and inclusive manner. Secondly, in view of the challenges of obtaining financing through assessed contributions by United Nations States Members, flexibility and diversity with regard to the various options presented by the Secretary- General in his report could help address the prevailing financing gaps and the uncertainty surrounding the trust-fund model based on voluntary contributions. It would be advisable to exercise caution with regard to financing models that have not been sufficiently tested. Thirdly, in terms of mission support, we recognize the importance of harnessing the respective comparative advantages of the United Nations and the AU in a flexible, case-by-case manner. The experience of the United Nations support offices to the African Union Mission in Somalia and of the Organization in Somalia provides a useful template that could be further strengthened and improvised, with the aim of avoiding duplication and ensuring compliance and oversight. Fourthly, the notion of doctrinal flexibility, especially with regard to peace enforcement and counter-terrorism, needs to be invoked on the basis of the African Union's ownership and decisions in that regard. We reiterate that the support for African peace support operations should not stretch the mandate and competence of United Nations peacekeeping and support missions or endanger the safety and security of its civilian and non-civilian personnel. Fifthly, and lastly, we reaffirm the overriding priority of seeking political solutions to conflicts in Africa and elsewhere as a critical precondition for sustaining peace across the continuum of conflicts. The importance of involving women and youth in peace processes, including in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, remains paramount in the interest of enhancing inclusive national ownership. Bangladesh appreciates the forward-looking thrust in further strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the AU in the areas of peace and security, and wishes to see further concrete decisions by the Council later this year, while upholding the spirit of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Mr. Suarez Moreno (Venezuela) (spoke in Spanish): It is an honour for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to take the floor to speak on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries (NAM). At the outset, on behalf of the member States of the Movement, I extend our best wishes to the delegation of the People's Republic of China in presiding over a successful month in the work of the Security Council. I would also like to express our appreciation for China's efforts in preparing the concept note (S/2017/574, annex) for this session, which serves as the basis for guiding our discussions today. We would also like to acknowledge the diligence with which the delegation of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, under the leadership of Ambassador Sacha Llorentty Soliz, led the work of this organ during the month of June. Similarly, we would like to thank the Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, and the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, Mr. Smail Chergui, for their briefings. As rightly pointed out in the concept note for this open debate, Africa is the continent with the greatest development potential. Nonetheless, that potential could certainly be lost owing to various security and developmental challenges faced by this vibrant continent, including, among others, protracted conflicts, climate change and transnational organized crime. In that regard, its worth noting that, during the seventeenth Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in September 2016 on the Island of Margarita in Venezuela, the NAM. Heads of State and Government reiterated their determination to build a peaceful and prosperous world by collectively addressing existing, new and emerging challenges and issues of shared concern to its member States, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the norms and principles of international law. As we well know, there can be no peace without development and no development without peace, bearing in mind how deeply those two processes are interconnected. It is for that reason that the Movement appreciates the convening of this open debate, aimed at emphasizing the importance of assisting Africa in enhancing its capacities in the areas of peace and security. In that regard, the Non-Aligned Movement underscores the important role that regional and subregional bodies and mechanisms can play in the promotion of regional peace and security and in economic and social development by fostering cooperation among countries in the region. We also emphasize the importance of synergy between regional and subregional initiatives to ensure complementarity and the added value of each process in achieving their common goals, such as political stability, economic growth, and social and cultural development. The member States of the Non-Aligned Movement welcome the determination of the United Nations to enhance its relationship and cooperation with regional and subregional organizations, in particular with the African Union, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. We also welcome the stated support for the implementation of the 2063 Agenda, adopted during the twenty-fourth ordinary session of the Heads of State and Government of the Assembly of the African Union, held from 30 to 31 January 2015 in Addis Ababa, in order to promote peace, stability and socioeconomic development in Africa. The Security Council has in the past committed itself to strengthening cooperation and coordination with the African Union. Efforts must therefore be redoubled to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union at the operational, political and tactical levels, with a View to addressing in a holistic manner the challenges faced in the fields of peace and security, including the need to address the root causes of conflicts and to promote stability and development. At the same time, we must bear in mind that the African Union enjoys acknowledged political authority in the region, as well as the premise ofAfrican solutions to African problems and the African Union's proven experience in assisting in the peaceful settlement of disputes through political dialogue and consultations, thereby contributing to lasting peace. While recognizing the important role that youth and women can play in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts, we would like to underscore, inter alia, the African Youth (2009-2018) Decade Plan of Action as a framework for multisectorial and multidimensional engagement by all stakeholders towards the achievement of the goals and objectives of the African Youth Charter, including those of governance, peace and security, as well as the African Peace and Security Architecture Roadmap 2016-2020, including its initiative entitled "Silencing the Guns, Owning the Future: Realizing a Conflict-Free Africa by 2020". Moreover, the Movement supports ongoing efforts to strengthen African peacekeeping capabilities and emphasizes the importance of implementing the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, which was signed on 19 April, in the short, medium and long terms in all relevant areas. The Non-Aligned Movement also recommends enhancing an effective partnership between the United Nations and the African Union in order to improve the planning, deployment and management of African peacekeeping operations. In that regard, we stress the importance of finding ways to secure predictable, adequate and sustained financial support to African Union-led peace operations so that deployed missions can maximize their operational effectiveness on the ground. In conclusion, it is worth recalling that, in 2004, former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali stated in an interview that "[t]here is a greater fatigue concerning the African problem today than five or 10 years ago. The situation now in Africa is worse than it was 10 years ago". Today, 13 years later, his assessment continues to hold true. Therefore, the Non-Aligned Movement encourages the international community to resolutely support efforts in favour of peace, stability and socioeconomic development in Africa, including capacity-building in those areas.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of the Netherlands.

Mrs. Gregoire-Van-Haaren (Netherlands): The Kingdom of the Netherlands thanks China for convening this debate on enhancing African capacities in the areas of peace and security. The Kingdom of the Netherlands aligns itself with the statement delivered by the observer of the European Union. Today's complex security challenges require partnerships between the United Nations and regional organizations, such as the African Union (AU). The operationalization of those partnerships requires our full attention. Today's debate serves to underline the acknowledgement by the United Nations of the need for close cooperation with the African Union in the areas of peace and security in Africa. We welcome the progress made since the adoption of resolution 2320 (2016). The signing of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, in April, was an important step forward. The May report of the Secretary-General (S/2017/454), in which different modalities for future support of the United Nations to the AU peace support operations are explored, provides useful insights on today's topic. It acknowledges the need for more support to ensure African Union peace operations, in line with the premise that the African Union will reform and secure human, financial and logistical resources. It also highlights the importance of compliance and oversight, particularly in the areas of human rights, conduct and discipline. We acknowledge the positive steps that have been taken by the African Union to implement reforms, in particular the element of increased self-financing. In today's debate, we want to emphasize two elements: first, the importance of operationalizing the modalities to support the African Union's peace operations; and, secondly, the need to address the root causes of conflicts with a view to sustaining peace. We acknowledge the positive steps that have been taken by the African Union to build its capacities to plan, finance, sustain and oversee its own missions. Those steps are fundamental in order to strengthen the African Union's capacity to address the multiple aspects of the partnership, all while operating in accordance with United Nations standards. Because of our shared responsibility for peace and security in Africa, we must stay on track to achieve a more institutionalized form of cooperation. The Kingdom of the Netherlands welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on options for authorization and support for African Union peace support operations. It provides useful recommendations to enhance the practical cooperation between both organizations, including on financing, accountability, compliance and oversight, joint planning and mandating African Union peace support operations. As mentioned in the EU statement, the European Union stands ready to continue to look at how it, together with the United Nations and the African Union, can contribute to achieving progress in the discussion on sustainable financing and a division of labour for peace operations in Africa. Peace operations are part of a broader, integrated approach. They are an essential element in a range of actions focused on all stages of a conflict cycle, ranging from early warning and the rule of law to humanitarian aid, stabilization and development, as well as accountability. In the light of that, we must address the root causes of conflict, which are often also drivers for migration and displacement, in order to effectively sustain peace. That is core business for the United Nations as a whole. It makes working together across the pillars of the United Nations a key priority. Working on peace and security in Africa remains a challenge on which we will keep working together through partnership. Resolution 2320 (2016) and the subsequent report of the Secretary-General are important milestones that define concrete steps to be taken to deepen that partnership. It is a partnership based on transparency, accountability, common goals and burden-sharing. We welcome the active approach by Secretary-General Guterres and the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat. The Kingdom of the Netherlands supports intensified cooperation between the triangle of the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union. We trust that the necessary steps will be taken in order to bring that partnership to the next level. We look forward to contributing to the implementation of those steps as a Security Council member in 2018 and beyond. We will continue to strive towards a stronger and more effective partnership between the United Nations and the African Union for the people of Africa and for the good of us all.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Kuwait.

Mr. Alotaibi (Kuwait) (spoke in Arabic): First of all, I would like to congratulate China on its assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of July. I wish you every success, Mr. President. I would also like to thank the Chinese presidency for preparing the concept note (S/2017/574, annex) on the theme of today's debate, namely, enhancing African capacities in the areas of peace and security. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Secretary- General, Mr. Antonio Guterres and the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Mr. Smail Chergui, for their valuable briefings. Ensuring peace and security is undoubtedly one of the many challenges facing our world today. Peace is a precondition for development. In turn, development leads to prosperity. However, many African countries are still stuck in a vicious cycle ofconflict and instability due to political and security challenges, armed conflicts and threats posed by terrorist networks, such as Boko Haram the Lord's Resistance Army, Al-Shabaab and others, as well as organized crime and piracy. In addition, the African continent faces developmental and social challenges due to unemployment, poverty and hunger. Among other things, those challenges pose obstacles to peace and security in Africa. In our capacity as partners in the international community, we must support and help Africa to solve its problems and build its capacities for the promotion of peace and security across the continent. We pay tribute to the efforts of African leaders to address peace and security issues across the continent, as well as for their determination to find African solutions to African problems and their persistence in establishing a conflict-free African continent. The African Union (AU) and its Peace and Security Council are role models for regional organizations with respect to maintaining peace and security in the countries of the region. They also play a key role in the development of the continent through Agenda 2063. We call for enhancing cooperation between the United Nations, especially the Security Council, and the AU in line with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, which calls for contributions to maintaining peace and security in the region and the world. We would also like to pay tribute to the important role played by the AU in leading a number of peace operations that have become a very important means of responding to conflicts and crises in Africa. In that regard, I would like to mention resolution 2320 (2016), which reiterates the importance of the partnership between the United Nations and the Peace and Security Council. The partnership should be based on bilateral consultations and joint strategies, as necessary. It should also be based on the comparative advantages of each organization. The partnership should incorporate burden-sharing, consultative decision-making, joint analysis, transparency and accountability in order to take on the joint security changes in Africa. We reaffirm the importance of the Security Council reviewing the implementation of all its resolutions, especially those related to Africa and cooperation with the African Union. Sustainable development plays a very important role in establishing stability in all countries. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has opened new paths to peace through a holistic scheme that addresses the root causes of conflicts and impediments to peace. Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda calls for promoting peaceful and inclusive societies and access to justice for all. Kuwait is aware of the powerful nexus between peace and development. In 1961, we established the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development, which has extended more than 500 concessional credits to more than 50 African countries, amounting to more than $10 billion in credits to the sectors of agriculture, energy, transportation, industry, water, communications and so on. In parallel to that developmental role, Kuwait is also keen on fostering cooperation with Africa. In November 2013, under the theme"Partners in Development and Investment", Kuwait hosted the third Arab-African Summit, which was attended by the Presidents of 34 States, as well by delegations from 71 countries. Kuwait has worked on creating prospects for Arab-African relations that are based on common interests in sustainable development and that would ensure the optimization of our natural resources as well as realize the aspirations of the peoples of the Arab and African regions. His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also announced concessional credits in the amount of $1 billion. In this regard, allow me to highlight, during the Chinese presidency of the Security Council, the fact that the implementation of this Kuwaiti initiative is being carried out in collaboration with the China- Africa Development Fund as well as the World Bank and its organizations. The aforementioned Kuwaiti initiatives and contributions are based on our belief in the importance of operationalizing the concept oftrue partnership with the African continent and our conviction of the robust nexus between development and peace. Finally, Kuwait, which will be a non-permanent member ofthe Security Council in 2018-2019, will spare no effort in continuing to support the African countries and the African Union, and will work to enhance African conflict-prevention and settlement capacities and for the maintenance of peace and stability.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Nigeria.

Mr. Haidara (Nigeria): Let me begin by thanking the delegation of China for having organized this open debate. I particularly commend your resolve, Mr. President, in deciding to personally preside over this meeting throughout the day. This is a reflection of China's commitment to enhancing peace and security in Africa. I also commend the Secretary-General and the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security for their briefings, which aptly captured the essence of our deliberations today. Nigeria aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. As encapsulated in the concept note (S/2017/574, annex), Africa remains the continent with the greatest development potential. Nonetheless, efforts to harness this potential have been hampered by the myriad challenges facing the continent. Some of the most urgent challenges are the spread of extremist ideologies, terrorism and the illicit transfer and proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Yet these contemporary global challenges tend to be transnational in character and are often beyond the capacity of any one country to resolve. While the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security resides with the Security Council, regional actions lighten the burden of the Council and provide an added layer of legitimacy to multilateralism. Regional efforts enhance the prospects for inclusivity and consensus in addressing the challenges to global peace and security. It is against this backdrop that we situate today's debate, which seeks to enhance Africa's capacity in the areas of peace and security. The United Nations Charter, as adopted, foresees a world in which the United Nations and regional organizations would work together to prevent, manage and resolve crises. Over the years, notable instances of cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, particularly in peacekeeping and conflict prevention, have yielded high-quality dividends. These gains hold a lot more promise for the future. In recognition of the foregoing, Nigeria welcomes the determination of the United Nations to enhance its relationship and cooperation with the African Union (AU) and to support the full and effective implementation of Agenda 2063. This, we believe, will contribute in no small measure to ensuring the promotion of peace, stability and socioeconomic development in Africa. We therefore see a need to redouble efforts to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. This will enable us to address, in a holistic manner, the challenges faced in the fields of peace and security. In this regard, Nigeria welcomes the signing in April of the new landmark framework to strengthen partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on peace and security in order to better respond to the changing dimensions and evolving challenges of peace operations. Nigeria supports the continued efforts to strengthen African peacekeeping capabilities and emphasizes the importance of implementing the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. We also recommend the enhancement of an effective partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, in order to improve the planning, deployment and management of African peacekeeping operations. In this regard, we stress the importance of finding ways to secure predictable, adequate and sustained financial support for African Union-led peace operations, so that the missions deployed can effectively maximize their operational capabilities with respect to the tasks at hand. While the option of a jointly developed and jointly funded budget would require additional work by the United Nations Secretariat and the AU Commission before it could be put into practice, Nigeria endorses the four options outlined by the Secretary-General, and we call on the Security Council to endorse these options. In addition to the issue of financing, we take note of the proposal contained in the Secretary-General's report (S/2017/454) for a decision-making framework aimed at making joint action more effective between the United Nations and the African Union. In conclusion, if indeed the primary responsibility of the Council is to maintain international peace and security, its work in managing international peace and security should be viewed through the lens of preventive diplomacy. If the United Nations is able to assist African nations in restoring their social and institutional fabric, and if we can also apply ourselves to the ongoing task of providing opportunities for people and their livelihoods within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, we can go a long way towards reducing the propensity for conflict in Africa.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now call on the representative of Rwanda.

Mrs. Rugwabiza (Rwanda): Rwanda congratulates you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of July and for convening this debate on a subject of paramount importance to our continent, Africa. We also thank the briefers, the Secretary-General and the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security for their earlier briefings. Today's threats to peace and security, worldwide and on our continent, have become much more complex, as has been underlined by many speakers, which calls for multifaceted interventions and stronger partnerships with regional organizations. The African Union is better positioned in terms of knowledge and proximity to mobilize and respond quickly to existing and new threats to peace and security. We believe that the Joint United Nations- African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, which was signed in April by the United Nations Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, provides the necessary framework for a much-needed closer and more focused cooperation between the two organizations. What we now need to do is institutionalize that cooperation. Allow me to make specific recommendations on the issues being considered in our debate today, which you, Mr. President, very ably presented in your concept note (S/2017/574, annex). First, Rwanda believes in the value of holding regular dialogue and consultations between the African Union and the Security Council on all conflicts on the continent. The information shared by both institutions during this dialogue will, in our opinion, increase the understanding of the context and root causes of such conflicts and therefore help design adequate responses. Secondly, Rwanda strongly recommends increased investment in the African Union capacities to intervene and respond effectively to warning signals with rapid interventions to protect civilians and prevent conflicts from spreading and escalating. Often in conflict situations, the only credible prevention is rapid action. Enhancing African capacities in the areas of peace and security and, more specifically, enabling the African Union to address the deficit in the training, equipment and capacities of security institutions will augment their ability to respond effectively to current and emerging threats. Thirdly, in post-conflict situations, Rwanda recommends that investment in institutions' capacities and inclusive governance systems be given priority in development cooperation. Fourthly, the lack of predictable and sustainable funding remains a major challenge to the ability of the African Union to engage more effectively and use its comparative advantage to address conflicts and sustain peace on the continent. In order to address that challenge, the African Union Summit decided, at its twenty- fourth Ordinary Session, held in Kigali in July 2016, to finance 25 per cent of the African Union-led peace support operations. The African Union Peace Fund, established by the African Union, and Mr. Kaberuka's report serve that purpose. Supporting the African Union Peace Fund, including through United Nations assessed contributions, will go a long way in ensuring predictable financing and contributing to the goal of ending conflicts in Africa. The management structure, accountability and transparency mechanisms built into the administration of the African Union Peace Fund will ensure value for money. However, Rwanda knows through experience that the highest value for money lies in the millions of lives that could be saved by enhancing African capacities to respond to peace and security issues. None of the 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development can be realized without peace and security. Therefore, increased investment in Africa's capacities in the area of peace and security is an investment in ensuring that the 2030 Agenda leaves no one behind, including, above all, those affected by conflicts today.

The President: I now give the floor to the representative of Djibouti.

Mrs. Hassan (Djibouti) (spoke in French): Allow me to thank the Chinese presidency for organizing this open debate on the important issue ofenhancing African capacities in the area of peace and security. I would also thank the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security for their contributions to this important public debate. Finally, we thank you, Mr. President, for the concept note drafted in preparation for this meeting (S/2017/574, annex), which again demonstrates the importance that your country attaches to the African continent. Djibouti aligns itself with the statement made on behalf of the Movement of Non Aligned Countries. The African continent alone accounts for 70 per cent of the world's current crises and two thirds of the Security Council's deliberations. As rightly pointed out in the concept note and taken up by several delegations in the Chamber today, Africa remains fragile in the face of multiple and multifaceted crises. Terrorist organizations - such as Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and others - remain a threat to the security of our continent. The deployment of peacekeepers, made up of 50 per cent Africans in several peacekeeping theatres - notably in Darfur, the Central African Republic, Mali and Somalia - clearly illustrates the commitment of African States and the African Union and its regional entities to contributing, alongside the United Nations, to collective security as provided for in the Charter of the United Nations. Each of our debates contributes to improving the overall performance of peacekeeping missions. It is therefore vital for the security of the continent and for international peace and security that long-term solutions be identified. In that regard, my delegation would like to pay tribute to the second Chiefs of Defense Conference, which took place in New York on 7 July. The theme of the meeting was how to improve the overall performance of United Nations peacekeeping missions. Almost 100 countries were represented by their Chiefs of Staff. That clearly demonstrates the great importance our respective countries attach to peacekeeping operations. The African Union has consistently demonstrated its political will in recent years and has undertaken major changes such as the restructuring of the African Union Commission with a view to adapting it to Agenda 2063. At the most recent African Union Summit, member States highlighted the message set out in the Master Roadmap of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns by 2020, so as to reduce armed conflict in the continent. There can be no peace without development nor development without peace. One of the strengths of the African Union is its subregional organizations, which have devoted a great deal of effort and resources to identifying emerging crises and to adopting collective measures to prevent conflicts. We welcome the efforts of those organizations to reduce the tragic crises in Africa. In addition, United Nations support for conflict management in Africa has also increased over the past 25 years. The Peace and Security Council of the African Union has proved to be a reliable partner. Through that partnership, the level of inter-organizational cooperation should inevitably lead to the development of common strategies through joint assessments, robust decision-making mechanisms based on consultation and information sharing, and monitoring mechanisms that facilitate planning and operational cooperation throughout the conflict cycle. Only a productive partnership can improve collective security. (spoke in English) Since the adoption of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations report (see S/2015/446), almost two years ago, we have noticed some positive changes benefiting the two organization - the adoption of resolution 2320 (2016); the Joint United Nations- African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed under the auspices of the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union; resolution 2359 (2017); and the reports of the Secretary-General (S/2017/454) and the African Union Commission Chairperson. Those are a few concrete illustrations of support for autonomous African Union peace operations, which are crucial to addressing the challenges of peace and security. (spoke in French) There is an urgent need for more synergy, for a harmonious African Union-United Nations partnership in the prevention, mediation and management of violent conflicts and for an increase injoint efforts to mobilize more resources. In that regard, greater flexibility in the interpretation of Chapter VIII of the Charter would significantly reduce missteps in the area of peace and international security. In conclusion, on the occasion of the Nelson Mandela International Day yesterday, Secretary- General Antonio Guterres, called for honouring the legacy of the former South African President - not by making statements or holding ceremonies, but by making our world better.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Botswana.

Mr. Ntwaagae (Botswana): Given the lateness of the hour, I will be very brief. I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of my delegation, to congratulate the People's Republic of China on its assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of July and to commend you, Mr. President, for convening today's important open debate on the topic "Peace and security in Africa: enhancing African capacities in the areas of peace and security". I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for the very valuable contribution he made this morning at the start of the debate. We would also like to express our appreciation for the briefing by the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union. Botswana aligns itself with the statement delivered earlier by the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. Botswana welcomes this open debate focused on peace and security challenges in Africa, the most conflict-prone continent in the world. It is our ardent hope that today's discussion will enable us to find solutions to the existing, new and emerging challenges to peace and security in Africa. In that regard, we urge the international community to assist African Member States, the African Union and Africa's regional economic communities in dealing with those challenges, particularly the rise of terrorism and the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons. Africa needs financial and technical assistance and capacity-building if it is to enhance its capacities in the areas of peace and security. This is crucial to developing human capital and national legal frameworks, policies and action plans for promoting peace and security, particularly with regard to the acquisition and management of weapons and small arms. African capacities can also be strengthened through institutional cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations, as well as strategic partnerships with other actors actively involved in this area, such as your own country, Mr. President. Botswana welcomes the commitment by African leaders to silencing the guns by 2020, in accordance with the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the 2016 Lusaka road map. Until Africa addresses its peace and security challenges, its sustainable development will continue to be elusive. As the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development rightly notes, "There can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development." Conflict prevention and resolution are therefore critical to sustainable development and durable peace. Poverty is identified as one of the root causes of conflict and instability, reinforcing the importance of the nexus of development and security. Promoting economic and social development enhances national, regional and global peace and security. Botswana commends China for the capacity- building and technical-training programmes that it has provided to African countries over the years through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. We also acknowledge with appreciation the contribution that China makes to enhancing African capacities in diplomacy, peacekeeping, civilian protection, logistical support, joint military exercises and training, counter- terrorism and counter-piracy. Lastly, China also contributes troops, police, experts and funding in support of peacekeeping missions in Africa, for which we are deeply grateful.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Uganda.

Mr. Ayebare (Uganda): At the outset, my delegation would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to the People's Republic of China for organizing today's open debate, which is very important to Africa. We greatly appreciate the briefings this morning by the Secretary- General and Mr. Smail Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union. While the primary responsibility for the maintenance ofinternational peace and security belongs to the Security Council, Africa has been playing an increasingly central role in those efforts on the African continent, based on Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. That requires an effective partnership between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations, and in particular between the AU Peace and Security Council and the Security Council. The annual joint meetings between the two Councils are clear testimony to the importance that the United Nations attaches to peace and security in Africa. My country has actively supported and participated in African Union-led peace support operations and other peace initiatives in the region. Uganda was the first and largest troop-contributing country in the African Union Mission in Somalia, where through our joint work with our sister countries of Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti we have contributed to liberating Somalia from the terrorists of Al-Shabaab and helped to establish a security situation that has enabled Somalia to hold successful successive national elections. It is important to note that regional mechanisms and subregional organizations in Africa have also played a critical role in maintaining peace and security there, and that they are indeed the building blocks of the African peace and security architecture. For example, through the East African Community, Uganda continues to play a leading role in encouraging all Burundian stakeholders to engage in an all-inclusive political dialogue in support of President Mkapa as facilitator. Under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Uganda continues to work with other Member States to address the current conflict in South Sudan, particularly on reconciling the various factions of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement, which we believe will ultimately lead to the restoration of peace and security in that country. We cannot talk about building capacities for peace and security in Africa without addressing issues that directly threaten some of our member States. In that regard, I should single out the situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the United Nations has one of the largest peacekeeping missions in Africa and where negative forces continue to threaten Member States. I should specifically mention the Allied Democratic Forces, which are directly threatening our country. If Africa and the United Nations do not address this urgent situation, it will undermine the entire peacekeeping enterprise in Africa generally, and thus our capacity to maintain peace and security there. The Secretary-General's report (S/2017/454) on options for authorization and support for African Union peace support operations, submitted to the Council on 26 May, is a welcome development, and we look forward to hearing about the Council's specific commitments to addressing Africa's concerns with regard to the provision of adequate, predictable and sustainable sources of funding for AU-led peace operations. As you correctly indicated in your concept note (S/2017/574, annex), Mr. President, respecting African countries' ownership in solving African security problems is a precondition and foundation for support to African-led peace operations. My delegation joins other Member States in stressing how vital it is to ensure that the Security Council listens to Africa in addressing the security challenges facing the continent.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Mali.

Mr. Konfourou (Mali) (spoke in French): At the outset, I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on the People's Republic of China's accession to the presidency of the Security Council for the month of July. I would like to say how much we in Africa, especially we in Mali, appreciate your cooperation with our respective countries. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General and the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security for their very thought-provoking and considerate briefings on this issue this morning. The delegation of Mali aligns itself fully with the statement previously delivered by the delegation of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. The African continent still harbours an array of challenges - first and foremost among them the quest for peace and security. In the context of our debate this afternoon, I would like to share with members of the Council some suggested courses of action in the area of enhancing African capacity in the field of peace and security. First, the old adage that prevention is better than cure still holds true. That is why the first point I wish to make is a plea for the strengthening and enhancing of African capacity in terms of conflict prevention. On that point, as I am sure those present will recall, the African Union and subregional organizations, such as Economic Community of West African States and many more such groupings on the African continent, have set up early-warning mechanisms that serve the purposes of handmaiden of preventive diplomacy. Crisis prevention also necessitates staying the course for the long haul to mitigate and eventually eradicate the factors and root causes of tension and conflict, namely, poverty, poor governance, injustice, human rights violations and marginalization. It would be remiss ofme not to mention at thisjuncture the shared action we must pursue to counter the illicit economy that fuels conflict in Africa, in particular trafficking of all types, including trafficking in weapons, drugs, currency, black market goods and human beings. Secondly, it is important to note that regional and subregional cooperation wards off common threats, such as terrorism, violent extremism and transnational organized crime. African countries have also made great progress in that regard. The most recent example of such progress is the establishment of the Joint Force Force of the Group of Five States for the Sahel (G-5), which grew out of the shared determination of the Heads of State of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, the Niger and Chad to pool their efforts and their resources so as to effectively and efficiently counter terrorism and other forms of organized crime. I should also like to draw attention to the fact that, alongside its focus on security, the G-5 Sahel, first and foremost, is a forum for addressing development, governance and the resilience of its people. The setting up of the Joint Force embodies the determination of the Heads of State of the region, supported by the African Union, to foster the requisite conditions for sustainable development and peace in the region; for we are firmly convinced that lasting peace cannot be achieved in the absence of development and investment. In that regard, I should like to express my gratitude for the strategic partnerships and alliances that have been gradually established by well-disposed friendly countries and international partner organizations to backstop the G-5 Sahel initiative and to support the broader region. Moreover, we are all very well aware that there is no purely military solution to extremist ideologies. That is why I think it is crucial that Africa equip itself with a peaceful counter-radicalization strategy that is fit-for-purpose, and that it do so in and through Africa's own mechanisms, in particular by heeding the advice of the Panel of the Wise, traditional or religious leaders and civil society, including women and the youth. Wwe also know that education has a core role to play in terms of providing a spirit of civic belonging and fostering peaceful coexistence in our respective countries. Thirdly, it is necessary to underscore the importance of cooperation between the United Nations and African regional organizations, especially the African Union, with a view to further developing African conflict resolution management and prevention capacities, as well as boosting African ownership of post-conflict peacebuilding. I commend the initiatives and measures currently under way between the Secretary-General and the African Union Commission. That brings forth the need to highlight the pressing need to work to fine-tune consistency and coordination that are a sine qua non for the various joint actions inked with our bilateral and multilateral partners who participate in conflict management and resolution in Africa. I would like to conclude with an appeal for concrete and meaningful action to help Africa to eradicate, completely and sustainably, the wellsprings of tension and enable it to turn its attention to development.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Israel.

Ms. Meitzad (Israel): On behalf of my delegation, I thank you for your leadership, Sir, as President of the Security Council, and I commend you for convening this important debate. In recent years, innocent persons across Africa have endured unrelenting conflict due to the proliferation of terrorist groups in their countries. From Boko Haram in Nigeria to Al-Qaida affiliates in the Sahel region, to Al-Shabaab in Somalia and Da'esh throughout the continent, terrorists continue to pose an urgent and increasing threat to peace and security in Africa. The consequences are devastating. Children are recruited into radical organizations, teenaged girls are forced to marry men often four times their age and countless innocent lives are stolen every day. While the dangers of terrorism pose immediate and obvious threats to security, the long-term effects can prevent crucial economic and social development in Africa. Africa is a continent on the rise. Israel and Africa share many similarities in our experiences, especially as they relate to security challenges. It is in the strategic interests of Israel to build robust and lasting partnerships with Africa. As a young country in a region plagued by conflict, Israel was compelledto develop comprehensive counter-terrorism solutions. With Hamas and Hizbullah right on our doorstep, Israel is well-versed in the threats that terrorist groups, like Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, can pose to peace. With unique know-how, technology, research and development, Israel seeks to contribute, as much as possible, to the global fight against terrorism, especially in Africa. Israel supports the partnerships between the African Union, regional groups, partner nations and the United Nations to advance security collectively. Regional, local groups and initiatives can play a crucial role in countering terrorism and overcoming security threats by helping improve police and border control, confronting the financing of terrorism, halting the proliferation of weapons and more. As many have stated in the past, there can be no security without development and no development without security. My country shares that understanding and will continue to share lessons learned with our friends and allies throughout Africa. Last year, Prime Minister Netanyahu visited East Africa to discuss counter-terrorism and development initiatives with regional leaders. This year, the Prime Minister had the honour to participate in last month's Economic Community of West African States Heads of State meeting in Liberia. In his address, the Prime Minister stated, "Our goal here is not merely to join forces to fight the bad, but to work together to advance the good." Collaboration in Africa should not focus solely on combating terrorism, but must also work to bolster development. African-Israeli partnerships have already internalized that lesson. Whether through official channels or non-governmental organizations, Israel is fully present and active in the effort to encourage innovative technologies, inspire entrepreneurship and empower communities. Israel believes that, while talent can be found anywhere, opportunities must be created. Therefore, Israel's international development agency, Mashav, emphasizes the power of human capital - an abundant resource on the African continent. Mashav programmes in Africa seek to empower communities, especially youth, strengthen high-tech know-how and capacity- building and provide specialized training. It is the long-standing belief of Israel that the inclusion of women is key to sustaining peace, in Africa and around the world. In that regard, we commend the Secretary-General's initiative for prioritizing women's roles in peacekeeping in the United Nations. One of Mashav's critical projects, in partnership with UN-Women, reflects that view. Through its annual workshop, Mashav provides a platform for African women to engage actively in politics, peacebuilding, mediation and conflict resolution. Along with Government efforts, civil society activities are a major driver for fostering development. Various Israeli non-governmental organizations have been working on the ground together with local communities to advance water, energy and health solutions. It is through such initiatives that youth and women become leaders, start-up founders and agents for change for sustainable peace and development in Africa. Support from the international community, regional organizations and partner States is vital to the development and stability of Africa. However, we believe it is equally important that African challenges be met with African-led solutions. Israel is committed to working together with our friends in Africa to shape a safer and more secure and prosperous future.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Canada.

Mr. Grant (Canada) (spoke in French): At the outset, allow me to thank China for organizing this open debate on enhancing African capacities in the area of peace and security. Despite much progress, armed conflict and insecurity continue to undermine progress toward sustainable development in many parts of Africa. We have committed to partnering with Africans with a view to supporting African-led efforts to address peace and security challenges on the continent and, in this regard, there is much work to be done. Canada's new feminist international assistance policy emphasizes the importance of working with African Governments to ensure that women are active participants in shaping political solutions to violent conflict; promoting the increased and meaningful participation of women in peace operations; protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls; and to preventing and responding to sexual violence - including sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by peacekeeping personnel. When women and girls play integral and meaningful roles in society, States are more peaceful and resilient. We should support our African partners, who are endeavouring to advance holistic approaches to address drivers of conflict, with a particular focus on empowering women and girls. (spoke in English) It is also critical that we do more to strengthen partnerships between the United Nations system, individual Member States, and African regional organizations and their member States. For example, supporting new or expanded innovative training initiatives for African countries, which provide significant numbers oftroops and police to peacekeeping missions, would serve to enhance the effectiveness of both African-led and United Nations efforts to promote peace and security on the continent, as could greater sharing of analysis and lessons learned. Recognizing this, as host of the 2017 United Nations Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial, which will take place in November in Vancouver, Canada will be convening countries to discuss ways to strengthen partnerships to enhance the effectiveness of United Nations peace operations. We also commend the new Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security to further our coordination efforts. Finally, we must focus more on enhancing the financial viability of African Union (AU) peace operations as a cornerstone of African leadership. In that regard, Canada calls on all States to support the efforts of the AU to increase African resource mobilization to fund the operations and programmes of the AU Commission, including in the area of peace and security. For our part, Canada will keep an open mind and looks forward to dialogue on the modalities available to ensure successful AU peace operations. By collaborating on advancing the women and peace and security agenda, more robust partnerships, and enhancing the financial viability of AU operations, we can help our African partners realize their vision of a more peaceful and prosperous Africa. We look forward to continue working with our African and international partners in this endeavour.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Morocco.

Mr. Hilale (Morocco) (spoke in French): Allow me first of all to congratulate you, Mr. President, on the relevant choice of topic under discussion today, and to thank you for organizing this open debate. Your choice underlines the importance that your country attaches to our continent and the pride of place it has. I would also like to thank the People's Republic of China for its strong and generous commitment to Africa, particularly in terms of capacity-building and logistical support in the area of peace and security. Our continent, Africa, is undeniably on the road of development and progress. However, the complexity of contemporary conflicts and sources of instability takes on a variety of forms: terrorism, transnational organized crime, separatism and the struggle to control natural resources, just to name a few. It is in that context that we must pay particular attention to the root causes of conflicts and also strengthen African capacities in terms of conflict prevention. Effectively addressing threats to peace and security requires a better understanding of these challenges, as well as considerable human, technical and financial resources that Africa alone cannot provide. The support of the international community remains crucial. That support is often provided through regional and subregional organizations, which continue to demonstrate their added value and comparative advantages. Morocco welcomed the signing of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security on 19 April. We hope that it can be implemented effectively and efficiently, and we are prepared to offer our support in that regard. This new agreement will be the culmination of the efforts of the two organizations and their member States, which all recognize the need to strengthen the partnership between the two organizations. Cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in the area of peace and security is not new. This cooperation takes place on the ground in various forms, such as the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, and the provision of logistical support mechanisms financed by contributions intended for African Union-led missions, such as the African Union Mission in Somalia. The transition from African Union missions to United Nations missions in Mali and the Central African Republic has highlighted some of the shortcomings of African Union peace operations, which we consider to be more related to the lack of resources. However, current circumstances have demonstrated the limitations of these types of partnerships and the urgency of adapting this strategic partnership in order to refocus discussions on the need to find ways to ensure predictable, flexible and sustainable financing for African Union peace operations authorized by the Security Council. In particular, that funding would make it possible to accelerate African capacity-building in the area of peace and security. The reports of the two organizations on this subject stressed the importance of adequate funding for African peace operations, offering different options. African countries have demonstrated their willingness to commit more to this path by guaranteeing 25 per cent of the financing of their peacekeeping operations by 2020. Resolution 2359 (2017), recently adopted, on the Group of Five for the Sahel force could have provided an alternative to existing forms of support, but, unfortunately, the African positions could not be sustained. Africa is still waiting for a strong signal from its partners. In that regard, I would like to congratulate the African representatives on the Security Council: Senegal, Egypt and Ethiopia. These countries have spared no effort to advance the priorities of the continent, including the issue of financing. They have been fully invested in the elaboration of the presidential statement and of resolution 2320 (2016). Bilateral partners also play an important role in strengthening African capacities. You, Sir, and the other members who spoke during this debate, spoke about the various actions taken to strengthen African capacities in the area of peace and security. For its part, the Kingdom of Morocco, a founding member of the Organization of African Unity, rediscovered its institutional family in January during the twenty-eighth African Union Summit, held in Addis Ababa. In that capacity, my country will play fully its role in peace and security among its African peers. Nevertheless, Morocco did not wait to rejoin the African Union to take steps to proactively support its fraternal African countries in the area of peace and security. My country can be justly proud of its experience and recognized expertise, which it has not hesitated to share in the framework of South-South cooperation, one that is fair and active. During its time on the Security Council, Morocco played a leading role in drafting the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, but also in the drafting of the United Nations response to the crisis in Guinea-Bissau, Libya and the Central African Republic. Concerning the Central African Republic, Morocco has had the honour to chair the Central African Republic country-specific configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission since 2014. In that capacity, I visited the country last week, which allowed me to further underscore my belief that capacity-building and the support ofpartners is essential in our peacebuilding and peacekeeping efforts. Morocco's cooperation extends to more than 30 African countries and comprises the following areas: the training of military and security personnel of all grades and various fields; donations of materiel and equipment; predeployment training for contingents destined for peacekeeping operations; support for, and provision of, military infrastructure; the training of magistrates and judges; and the strengthening and support for the implementation of national human rights institutions. I have just referred to the training of magistrates and to our support for strengthening national human rights institutions. We believe that those are key because, in our View, the fight against impunity, human rights violations and the promotion of the rule of law are some of the key elements of tackling the deep-rooted causes of conflicts and instability, and that is particularly true in Africa. To conclude, I would like once again to commend China's commitment alongside Africa and its support for the implementation and the operationalization of the recommendations adopted in the various Security Council resolutions. Morocco remains steadfast in its determination to pursue and enhance its cooperation with all African countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally. My country will spare no effort to continue to make a positive contribution to the efforts of the international community aimed at tackling instability and conflict in Africa. The meeting rose at 5.30pm.