S/PV.8044 Security Council

In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefer to participate in this meeting: Mr. Haile Menkerios, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2017/744, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union. I now give the floor to Mr. Menkerios. Mr. Menkerios: I would like to express my appreciation to the President of the Security Council for convening this important meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, including the African Union (AU), and for giving me this opportunity to introduce the report of the Secretary- General (S/2017/744) on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including on the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union. The Council has the report before it, and last week held briefings and discussions on the topic in Addis Ababa. I will therefore just update the Council on what has happened since the report was issued. Let me start by congratulating the United Nations Security Council and AU Peace and Security Council on the cordial and constructive nature of the discussions held by the two Councils in Addis Ababa, which testifies to the strong commitment of both to address peace and security challenges in Africa in close cooperation and partnership. It also illustrates the recognition that the current threats to peace and security in Africa are so complex and interconnected, and their impact so profound, that neither organization can resolve them without the other. I would like to commend the two Councils for sending the unequivocal message that a unity of purpose between the two organizations, based on mutual respect and solidarity and on recognition of their respective comparative advantages, is their strength, and should be further institutionalized going forward. As Council members were briefed on last week, the strategic partnership between the United Nations Secretariat and the African Union Commission has been growing steadily. It is now characterized by continued engagement between peers at various levels. United Nations Special Representatives and Envoys are working with and complementing the efforts of their AU counterparts in a number of critical situations, including in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Gambia, Mali, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan and the Sudan. As I mentioned last week, United Nations and AU special representatives now frequently deliver joint briefings to the AU Peace and Security Council, including, most recently, on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Somalia. During the period under review, United Nations representatives have also participated and made statements in more than 40 AU Peace and Security Council meetings, most of them through the United Nations Office to the African Union. Similarly, AU representatives have briefed the Security Council, although more of that is needed. At the working level, daily engagements, including horizon-scanning, joint analysis and assessments, and joint operations planning continue consistent with the provisions of Security Council resolution 2320 (2016), the AU Peace and Security Council communiqué of 29 September 2016 and the Joint United Nations- African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. I would like to focus on five points arising from Council members’ successful deliberations last week. First, both Councils reiterated the principle of the Charter of the United Nations that the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and also recognized the important role of regional arrangements in dealing with challenges related to conflict, in line with Chapter VIII of the Charter. In that regard, the Councils noted the important and critical role of the AU and its regional economic communities and regional mechanisms, whose proximity to the countries and regions in conflict, together with their in-depth knowledge of the political, social and economic root causes and dynamics of the conflicts, provides a unique vantage point from which to address them. Secondly, we welcome the consensus that partnership between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council can be deepened through more frequent interaction between the two. That could include joint field missions to conflict situations that are on both Councils’ agendas. A number of suggestions were made about how such joint missions could be organized. It was also suggested that the Councils could interact more frequently, particularly in advance of mandate decisions. Such interactions would facilitate the adoption of common approaches to addressing conflict situations and ensure that both Councils’ instructions on implementation to the Secretariat and the AU Commission are more closely aligned. Thirdly, we welcome the Security Council’s recognition that its deliberations and decisions on peace and security issues in Africa can be enriched by briefings from AU special representatives and envoys alongside those of their United Nations counterparts. As many Council members said during the deliberations, there is a wealth of knowledge, experience and understanding that special representatives of the African Union and the regional economic communities could put at the Security Council’s disposal. The United Nations Secretariat stands ready to work with the AU Commission and the regional economic communities to give effect to the Security Council’s wishes in that area. Fourthly, many representatives underlined the importance of closer collaboration between the two organizations on conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Although the United Nations and the AU have improved their early-warning mechanisms, early action is still a challenge, and we often tend to be reactive rather than proactive. The United Nations and the AU should strengthen their collaboration with the regional economic communities, as well as with neighbours of countries where there are conflict areas. We should also engage more with non-State actors, such as faith- based groups, since they have historical contacts with the affected communities and enjoy a higher level of trust with them. On peacebuilding, the two Councils emphasized the importance of paying more attention to addressing the root causes of conflict and preventing relapses into it. That will require sustained engagement on the part of the United Nations, the AU, bilateral partners and non-governmental organizations, including by building institutional capacity in fragile States, increasing economic opportunities and enhancing resilience. The AU Peace and Security Council also called for greater collaboration with the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Support Office, with which they agreed in October last year to meet annually to assess progress and plan joint work. Fifthly, we are encouraged by the continued commitment of the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council to considering financial burden- sharing for AU peace support operations authorized by the Security Council in line with resolution 2320 (2016). African countries continue to argue that they already carry the heavy burden of sending their young men and women into dangerous conflict situations where the United Nations cannot deploy, in addition to promising to provide 25 per cent of the total cost of such operations. The AU has also taken further steps to strengthen and fully comply with its financial and human rights accountability and compliance mechanisms. The Secretary-General has commended the strong political will that the leaders of the African Union have shown, including through their payment to the AU Peace Fund to date of 18 per cent of their 2017 target of $65 million. As I mentioned last week, it is also essential to ensure that the financing of AU peace support operations authorized by the Security Council is framed within the context of a common political strategy, agreed to by both Councils and informed by joint analysis and assessments of conflict situations. Between them, the Secretariat and the Commission have launched such a process so as to ensure that the financing of AU-led peace support operations becomes a tool for achieving a common political and operational strategy. Finally, we continue to hear passionate appeals from the AU Peace and Security Council and Commission that the related issue of predictable, flexible and adequate funding for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) must be urgently addressed. The United Nations support provided through the United Nations Support Office in Somalia is either inadequate or insufficiently flexible for the nature of AMISOM operations, while non-United Nations support is uncertain beyond 2018. Members of the AU Peace and Security Council have described the situation as untenable, and one that could result in AMISOM’s precipitous withdrawal before the Somali national forces are ready to take over their security responsibilities. It would be tragic, not least for the long-suffering Somali people, if the gains and sacrifices of the past decade were reversed because the international community was unable to provide adequate and predictable funding for AMISOM. As requested by the Security Council, the Secretary-General will present a report on AMISOM’s further funding in November, and the AU Peace and Security Council has asked the Security Council to take appropriate decisions to address this urgent and critical issue. In conclusion, I would like to express appreciation for the Security Council’s continued high-level political support to the Framework Agreement, signed by the Secretary-General and the AU Chairperson, which ensures our ability to fully operationalize the strategic partnership that the Security Council has called for.

I thank Mr. Menkerios for his briefing. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.

First of all, I thank you, Sir, for having organized this briefing, and take this opportunity to thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union Haile Menkerios very much for his enlightening briefing, which strongly highlights the stakes related to strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) in the area of ​peace and security. As noted in the report of Secretary-General (S/2017/744) before us, the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union has taken several important steps forward over the past recent years. The positive development in that cooperation emanates from a shared awareness of the interdependence and complementarity of the two organizations in the area of ​ peace and security. It is worth recalling the importance of strengthening that cooperation and developing a more effective partnership to confront the common challenges of collective security in Africa. In that connection, we welcomed the signing on 19 April of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security by the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. We are hopeful that the monitoring mechanism put in place by the two secretariats to that end will facilitate the implementation of that important instrument to further strengthen cooperation between the two organizations and reach its full potential. The Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council have a central role to play in that cooperation, as you have just illustrated, Sir, in summarizing the proceedings of the eleventh annual joint consultative meeting of members of the Security Council and African Union Peace and Security Council, chaired by you, in Addis Ababa on 7 and 8 September. I will limit myself to underlining that, as pertains to that cooperation, African peacekeeping operations are illustrative of the fact that they constitute local responses to global problems. From that perspective, the strengthening of the partnership between the African Union and the United Nations should enable the African Union to equip itself with additional capacities, tools and means for effective and concerted action to the benefit of all. That requires strengthening the partnership not only at the strategic and operational levels, but also on the level of joint analysis and planning until deployment so as to ensure a more effective and adapted response to the evolving peace and security challenges that the African continent is facing. The lessons learned, particularly in the transition from African Union-led peace operations to United Nations- led peacekeeping operations, illustrate the numerous logistical, operational and capacity difficulties facing both organizations in the effective management of peace and security issues. In that respect, we believe that strengthening the capacity of the African Union and its regional economic communities in the area of peace and security is important. In the same vein, it is necessary to strengthen the means and capacities of regional Offices, such as United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel and United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa, as well as the work of African Union special envoys and special representatives to optimize their contributions to that end. My delegation welcomes the efforts made thus far in seeking predictable, sustainable and flexible funding mechanisms for African Union-led peace operations authorized by the Security Council, in particular the adoption of resolution 2320 (2016) in November 2016, during the Senegalese presidency, which, in our opinion, is an important step in that it opened up real prospects for further reflection on how best to ensure sustainable and predictable financing for African Union-led peace operations. We are counting on the Ethiopian presidency to take the lead in realizing that vision. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for the quality of their reports, submitted in accordance with resolution 2320 (2016), the concrete proposals of which bring us closer together towards realizing our common goal and making the strategic partnership more predictable. The Senegalese delegation hopes that the Council will demonstrate the necessary political will so as to ensure an appropriate follow-up through working collectively in a constructive spirit on the adoption of a substantive draft resolution establishing the principle that peace support operations mandated or authorized by the African Union with the consent of the Council must be financed through assessed contributions to the United Nations budget, with decisions on the funding of specific missions to be determined on a case-by-case basis. My delegation looks forward with great interest to the review of the implementation of resolution 2320 (2016).

At the outset, I warmly thank Mr. Menkerios for the his outstanding briefing, which he delivered to the Security Council. I also thank the Secretariat for the comprehensive report (S/2017/744) on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU). The partnership described in the report has evolved with regard to cooperation on various fronts. The partnership between the AU and United Nations has evolved in connection with peace and security. The Security Council adopted resolution 2320 (2016) in November 2016. The resolution emphasized the importance of strengthening the existing cooperation between the two organizations so as to ensure that the partnership become strategic and institutional in nature, thereby ensuring the tools necessary to build and develop the capacities of both organizations to confront the complex and complicated challenges facing the African continent. That partnership will be strengthened under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations and will ensure that both parties can benefit from it. I would like to emphasize the importance for the Security Council to consider all the alternatives included in the report of the Secretary-General (S/2017/744), submitted in accordance with resolution 2320 (2016), namely, with regard to support for peace operations on the African continent according to the mandate issued by the Security Council, as well as ensuring the principle of access to the peacekeeping budget of the United Nations according to established criteria. Adhering to those criteria will ensure sustained and durable funding of peacekeeping operations on the African continent. Cooperation between the United Nations Secretariat and the African Union Peace and Security Council is a key factor involving the two organizations, and against that backdrop, I wish to commend the efforts of the Secretary-General as well as those of the Chairperson of the African Union Peace and Security Council to bolster and promote cooperation between the two parties with regard to the institutional and practical aspects of their endeavours. Within that framework, on 19 April, the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security was signed and established the areas of priority for cooperation between the two parties. We hope that the document will be implemented and that once it is, it will bolster AU capacities, fully activating all the components of the African peace and security architecture in its entirety, including the African Standby Force. I also wish to stress the importance of implementing the principle of sustaining peace and of integrating it into the various facets of AU work. We must attach greater importance to conflict prevention, early warning systems, the peaceful resolution of conflicts, post- conflict peacebuilding and the promotion of cooperation between the two organizations in those spheres so as to ultimately reach a common understanding of the challenges facing the African continent in the field of peace and security. We must also be able to evaluate the means that will allow those challenges to be tackled. I would be remiss if I did not refer to the efforts of the United Nations Office to the African Union to strengthen the partnership between the two organizations. We hope that the report to be submitted by the Secretary-General soon for the Council’s consideration, in accordance with resolution 2320 (2016), will be assess the needs of the Office in the light of the strengthening partnership between the two organizations. We hope that the Council will attempt to enhance the capacities of the Office to ensure that it can discharge its mandate, acting as a bridge between the two organizations. To conclude, I wish to emphasize that Egypt, as a member of the United Nations Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council, is determined to effectively contribute to the efforts to strengthen the partnership between the two organizations. We are convinced that that is the best way to address the modern-day challenges facing Africa and the world as a whole, which are complex and multidimensional in nature.

I thank you, Sir, for convening this meeting and Special Representative of the Secretary-General Menkerios for his briefing. It is not often enough that we gather as the Security Council to talk about the bright side of what we do — finding new ways for nations to work together to foster peace and security. Today, I am glad to say, is one of those occasions. The African Union (AU) is a critical partner of the United Nations. From Somalia to Mali to South Sudan, the AU has joined the United Nations in promoting our shared values of peace and security across the African continent. That partnership was further demonstrated by last week’s joint consultations. As we said the last time we considered this relationship, the question is not whether the AU and the United Nations will continue to work together closely. Rather, the question is how we will deepen and strengthen our partnership. That partnership has come a long way over the past decade, thanks in large part to the work of both the United Nations Office to the African Union and the AU Peace and Security Council. When those two organizations work together, mission planning is better, mandates are clearer and political support is greater. All of that means that outcomes are better. However, most importantly, the people on the ground whose safety and lives depend on that work are better served, which is what we are working for. One bright spot in that relationship is the AU plan to finalize its human rights and conduct and discipline frameworks. Those are areas where progress is critical if we are to deepen cooperation. It is absolutely essential that the AU continue to work to prevent abuses and promote respect for human rights. Nothing does more to destroy trust — not to mention damage the reputation of both the AU and the United Nations — than abuses and misconduct by troops and police. That means there must be rigorous procedures in place for the screening and selection of personnel on the front end. There must be training, monitoring and reporting while peacekeepers are in the field, and there must be independent investigations and accountability when violations do occur. We welcome the AU determination to promote respect for human rights, and we look forward to progress on the implementation of those frameworks. We are also encouraged by the closer working relationship that has been established between the United Nations Secretariat and the AU Commission staff. There has also been progress in improving internal management and oversight of AU-led peace support operations. These are all steps in the right direction. We recognize that fully implementing those benchmarks for transparency, performance and accountability will take time, and we stand ready to continue to work together to see that those frameworks are implemented and show demonstrable progress. But before we can consider additional financial support through the United Nations, we must see concrete evidence of such progress. The United States will not consider the use of United Nations-assessed contributions for any future AU operations until the benchmarks for financial transparency, conduct and discipline and human rights are demonstrably implemented across AU field operations. To do otherwise would be to risk jeopardizing the legitimacy of United Nations peacekeeping. We will continue to support AU efforts to increase financial self-reliance, including reinvigorating the African Union Peace Fund. We especially look forward to working with AU member States to identify non-trade mechanisms for greater self-financing that are transparent and compliant with Member States’ international obligations and commitments. Finally, we look forward to continuing leadership from the African Union to mobilize member States to end violence and prevent mass atrocities. In places like South Sudan, Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the AU has sought to strengthen regional responses to conflict and atrocities, but there is a good deal of work left to be done. At the end of the day, we are confident that this important relationship is moving in the right direction. We are building a partnership capable of shouldering shared responsibilities, and we are building a partnership based on shared values. As long as we remain steadfast in our commitment and dedicated to showing progress, we will continue to strengthen that important partnership. That makes today a good day in the Security Council.

I too would like to thank Mr. Haile Menkerios, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union (AU), for his in-depth briefing. When we talk about cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in Africa, two of the key concepts that arise are ownership and partnership. We must balance ownership and partnership to maximize each actor’s comparative advantages. The creation of the Organization of African Unity and, later, the African Union (AU) signalled broad regional ownership and consensuses on preventing and resolving conflict. One of the many important roles of the AU is its ability to deploy peace-support operations swiftly to harsh environments. Regarding partnership, the United Nations Office to the African Union has been playing a growing role that is driven by a need for cooperation between the United Nations and the AU. Both institutions can further develop joint planning and decision-making processes, as well as concrete ways to enhance their communication. Secretariat-level cooperation is under way, in response to the Secretary-General’s May report (S/2017/454), and regular direct interactions between the Council and the AU Peace and Security Council are essential in order to tangibly enhance our cooperation. Japan also notes the interest shown during the recent mission in the possible expansion of joint missions going forward. Those could potentially provide valuable insights to both Councils on the situation on the ground. I would like to emphasize that enhanced partnership is needed not only as part of peace support operations but also for conflict prevention and mediation, as well as on addressing root causes of conflict. The trilateral collaboration between the Council, the AU and the Economic Community of West African States on The Gambia is an excellent example. We also look forward to an expanded conflict prevention role being played by subregional organizations throughout Africa. During our recent mission, the Council was made aware of the AU’s keen interest regarding funding contributions in support of peace and security operations. This requires further discussion in the Council and the General Assembly as well as continued efforts by the AU.

Bolivia wishes to express its thanks for the information presented by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Haile Menkerios. We also take this opportunity to express our thanks for the hospitality shown the members of the Security Council during their recent visit to Addis Ababa and to particularly thank you, Mr. President, and the Government and the people of Ethiopia. Bolivia reiterates its support for and commends the work of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and the Secretary-General of the United Nations in connection with the outcome of the first annual conference of the United Nations and the African Union (AU), held in April in order to foster a common understanding of the root causes of conflict and to promote consensus around the adoption of decisions. We support the commitment shown by both organizations to strengthening and improving dialogue and mechanisms for cooperation and coordination through the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. The remits of the two organizations provide a comprehensive strategic vision that will make it possible to forge a stronger and more robust partnership that will make it possible to address the peace and security challenges faced by both organizations, including disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. In that connection, we welcome the master road map of the African Union on practical measures to silence the guns in Africa by 2020 and its cooperation in activities related to anti-personnel mines, as well as the signing in June of a memorandum of understanding between the AU Commission and the United Nations Mine Action Service. Turning to mechanisms for cooperation and coordination, an example to be highlighted is the deployment in 2007 of the AU mission in Somalia and the support it provided in building the federal system of that country and in the implementation of the political road map, thanks to the joint efforts of the AU and the Inter-Government Authority on Development (IGAD). This progress has made it possible for the United Nations and the African Union to establish a partnership at the strategic and operational levels that in the past 15 years has incorporated innovative work methods, primarily in peacekeeping operations. In the case of Somalia, this partnership made it possible to establish a security pact involving mutual commitment between the Government and its international partners, highlighting the importance of a transition of the security functions of the African Union Mission in Somalia to the Somali forces. In that context, the peacekeeping operations deployed in Africa are a key tool for ensuring the success of the ongoing quest for peace and security. They are also a useful tool to confront challenges and threats such as terrorism and humanitarian crises. This is the case in the Lake Chad basin area, where the United Nations, the AU and other international partners are supporting the work of the Multinational Joint Task Force in tackling Boko Haram. Bolivia welcomes the signing of the agreement on the provision of support and the memorandum of understanding of 24 February between the AU Commission and the countries that contribute troops in the Lake Chad basin region, with a view to enabling the international community to provide additional support to the region. In South Sudan, this support has been reflected in the work of the AU Commission Chairperson and the AU High Representative for South Sudan, who have worked to ensure the inclusivity of the national dialogue and the implementation of the agreement, in close consultation with the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, IGAD and the United Nations. Bolivia encourages these initiatives, including the deployment of the Group of Five for the Sahel joint force, and we agree with the Secretary-General, as stated in his report, that it is important to complement those efforts with the work done in Mali and coordinate them with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. Bolivia underlines the growing level of strategic partnership between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council and the commitment to the development of a structured, equitable relationship, focusing on strengthening mutual support and continuing technical assistance on both political issues and peacekeeping operations. In that connection, Bolivia supports the Secretary- General’s statement in his report that coherence in the decisions taken by the two Councils is crucial in order to ensure greater impact and strategic convergence so as to enhance our collective capacity to tackle challenges of peace and security. Moreover, we believe that we must continue to explore various ways to provide support and assistance to AU operations, pursuant to resolution 2320 (2016). Against this backdrop, Bolivia supports the request made by the African Union concerning flexible, predictable financing and economic support for peace and security operations. We highlight the importance of dialogue and cooperation with regional and subregional partners in order to prevent conflicts. The importance of this cooperation is reflected in the joint efforts undertaken by the Economic Community of West African States, the AU and other international partners, including the United Nations, which made it possible to avert conflict in the Republic of the Gambia. In the same way, Bolivia believes that success in crisis resolution depends on the role assigned women and young people in that area and therefore underscores the need for both organizations to endeavour to ensure that both these groups are fully integrated into all activities related to peace and security. To conclude, Bolivia deems it crucial to allow the African Union to play a more central role in the making of decisions on issues of concern to it, respecting the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all of its member countries. It is key to abide by the principle of finding an African solution to African problems if we wish to be successful in overcoming our common challenges.

We thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Haile Menkerios, for his detailed briefing. We share the views we have heard as to the increased level of interaction between the United Nations and the African Union in the area of ensuring peace and security in Africa. In recent years, both organizations have been endeavouring to use the experience that they have garnered and their comparative advantages while working out common approaches in order to overcome the crisis situations on the African continent. A very good illustration of that was the meeting held on 19 April in New York, the first annual United Nations- African Union conference, in the wake of which the Secretary-General, António Guterres, and African Union Chairperson Mahamat signed the framework agreement between the secretariats on the issues of peace and security. Among the positive points in the interaction between the United Nations and the African Union we would underscore the July visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria. The delegation included, inter alia, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed. This is a clear reflection of the determination of the secretariats of the United Nations and the African Union to devise common approaches to the most complex issues in Africa. We deem it necessary to continue working very closely within the framework of annual consultative meetings between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council. The recent 11th joint consultative meeting of the Council, held in Addis Ababa, showed that this was very useful in order to harmonize positions on the more complex issues on the African continent. The importance of involving regional and subregional organizations in the resolution of crisis situations is reflected in the interaction between the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the United Nations on South Sudan. We hope that this tripartite format will prove its effectiveness and serve as an example for the further use of United Nations forces on the continent. We underscore that it is unacceptable to impose on African countries outside formulas for settlement. There are many negative examples of such interference, including those in South Sudan, Burundi and many other places. We support the idea in the report of the Secretary-General (S/2017/744) that it is important to increase preventive efforts on the continent. At the same time, they must not be in essence a mentor- like external review of domestic political and human rights issues and even less so should they force African countries to correct their ways. We must delegate to the African Union the role of defusing crises. The situation in Libya in 2011 and what transpired there afterwards is a poignant example of such ill-conceived interference. We agree that we must responsibly approach the issue of increasing the predictability, reliability and flexibility of the funding for African operations and joint missions. At the same time, we think these issues should not be dealt with in the Security Council. For that purpose, we have specialized bodies within the United Nations system, such as the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions. We must be sure to follow the existing procedures for considering and approving budget requests and we must ensure transparency and accountability in allocating the use funds. We stand ready to have further constructive dialogues on this issue and concerning specific work in that regard. In November, for example, we are looking forward to the report of the Secretary-General on the issues of funding the AU mission in Somalia. We think that we need to carefully study the specific proposals therein. Furthermore, we hope that the Africans themselves will conscientiously approach the implementation of their own decisions and commitments regarding increasing their own financial share. In conclusion, we would like to underscore, once again, something we said last week in Addis Ababa. There we made a proposal aimed at enhancing the interaction between the United Nations and the African Union. More specifically, we suggested that we should consider the possibility of initiating the appointment of relevant special representatives of the African Union Commission to report to the Security Council during our discussion of African issues. That would allow Council members to have a more comprehensive picture of what is going on and to determine the necessary level of support to mediation efforts through the African Union.

China thanks Mr. Menkerios, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union for his briefing. Last week, the eleventh annual consultative meeting of the Security Council and the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council was successfully convened in Addis Ababa. Members of the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council had an in-depth and frank discussion on issues of common concern to both Councils. This has brought about a close partnership between the United Nations and the AU. China welcomes this and, once again, extends its appreciation to the AU and Ethiopia for its meticulous preparation and thoughtful arrangement for this year’s annual meeting. For a long time, the AU and other subregional organizations in Africa endeavoured to promote unity among African countries and played an important role in maintaining peace and stability and promoting regional economic and social development in Africa. They made a great contribution to the United Nations goal of fostering peace and development. China commends those efforts. At present, the overall situation in Africa is stable with good development momentum. At the same time, as stated in the report of the Secretary-General (S/2017/744), there are challenges facing peace and stability and economic and social development in Africa. Greater close cooperation between the United Nations and the AU is needed. First, both sides should further enhance targeted cooperation and raise the efficiency of such cooperation. This past April the Secretary-General and Chairperson of the AU signed the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security in which four key areas of cooperation were identified: preventing and mediating conflicts and sustaining peace, responding to conflict, addressing root causes, and continuous review and enhancement of the partnership between the United Nations and the AU. For the next phase of work, both sides should bring into a full play their respective comparative advantages and accelerate the implementation of the Framework. Secondly, both sides should further expand their fields of cooperation and help Africa tackle its fundamental issues. Supporting Africa’s economic and social development is an important thrust of enhanced cooperation between the two sides in the future. It is also an important means of helping Africa to resolve the roots of conflicts. The United Nations should closely integrate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The international community is urged to prioritize assistance and investment in health care, education, trade and connectivity and other infrastructure areas to help enhance the economic and social development of African countries. Thirdly, the Security Council and AU Peace and Security Council should further play their leading role. Supporting capacity-building in Africa’s peace and security is a key area for an enhanced United Nations-AU partnership. The AU Peace and Security Council’s operations are an important complement to United Nations peacekeeping operations. The Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council should further communicate and coordinate with each other and quickly establish a mechanism for joint planning, decision-making, assessment and reporting, joint early warning on crises, strategic review, mandate authorization and deployment. The Security Council should provide more support and assistance in providing predictable, stable and sustainable funding and enhancing African countries’ capacity-building in security. China has consistently and resolutely supported Africa’s peace and development. President Xi Jinping of China proposed five pillars and ten cooperation programmes in building China’s relationship with Africa. The Belt and Road Initiative is also conducive to the development of Africa. China will maintain its approach of extensive consultations, joint efforts and shared benefits. It will closely corporate with African countries and continue to assist and support Africa in enhancing its capacity- building in peace and security, resolving its regional hotspot issues more quickly, and achieving peace, stability and development on the African continent.

I thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this meeting and for your leadership during our trip to Addis, as well as for your very accurate and good report this morning. I also want to thank Ethiopia for its hospitality during our trip. I also thank Special Representative Haile Menkerios for his briefing this morning. Last week’s mission to Addis Ababa for our eleventh joint consultative meeting with the African Union Peace and Security Council marked an important moment in the ever stronger partnership between our two organizations. We were encouraged by the constructive discussions and by the degree of commonality in our approaches to a number of security challenges on the African continent. I think that you, Mr. President, very accurately referred to them in your report this morning. We look forward to a swift adoption of the joint communiqué, and we stand ready to work very diligently on that to get it over with as soon as possible. The United Nations, including the Council, cannot achieve its goals without an ever stronger partnership with the African Union and the subregion. We understand that when the African Union acts, it acts on behalf of all of us. Therefore, we continue to be a staunch supporter of an enhanced strategic partnership between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in Africa. Last week’s meeting, as well as the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed in April, only serve to reinforce this conviction. It is clear to us that the African Union and its regional partners are undertaking vital operations that are not only in the interests of the African continent, but, in a world of increasingly interconnected challenges, are in the interests of all of us. We must now mobilize political will and concrete support for the AU-United Nations partnership in order for that relationship to reach its full potential. I want to commend the efforts of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the African Union Commission and the United Nations Office to the African Union for their efforts in developing and implementing the partnership. The current momentum needs to be seized and built upon. That entails looking at concrete options for more flexible, predictable and sustainable funding of AU peace operations, including access to assessed United Nations contributions. I bring back a sense of urgency in resolving this issue — not least in order to safeguard the security gains that have been made in Somalia thanks to the African Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia. The women and peace and security agenda remains a vital area of partnership. The recent launch of the African Women Leaders’ Network represents a positive step. We hope that the use of joint United Nations-AU visits to raise awareness on gender can be used more frequently, and we welcome the joint visits to Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in July. We also support looking into joint field visits of the two Councils, as was suggested during our trip. Finally, we welcome the positive developments with regard to United Nations-AU cooperation on international human rights law and international humanitarian law in peace support operations. We would welcome more attention to that issue in the next report of the Secretary-General.

First of all, let join others in thanking you, Mr. President, and the Secretariat for the excellent organization of the joint meeting with the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council and for the warm hospitality offered by your Government in your capital last week. I would also like to thank Special Representative Haile Menkerios and Commissioner Smail Chergui for their active participation in the meeting, and particularly Mr. Menkerios for his briefing today. Resolution 2320 (2016), the AU-United Nations framework agreement signed last April, the Secretary- General’s report (S/2017/744) on the mechanism to finance AU peace operations and the report of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on the same subject mark the beginning of the new strategic partnership between the two organizations. Last week, the Security Council had a very frank and very substantial and constructive exchange of views with the African Union Peace and Security Council on those important topics. Today’s meeting fosters continuity in our discussions. Focus should now be placed on implementation. In that regard, the discussion held in Addis Ababa made it clear that there is broad consensus for developing joint field missions and harmonizing the work programmes on Africa. We support that pragmatic way to improve our methods of work and strengthen cooperation between the two bodies. In the same vein, we encourage the African Union Commission and the United Nations Secretariat to further enhance their cooperation in addressing the root causes of African conflicts. We commend Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed for the first- ever joint high-level mission with the African Union to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria on women’s meaningful participation in peace, security and development. New common challenges have been arising in recent years. I have underlined them in the meetings in Addis Ababa. First and foremost is terrorism and the growing connection among criminal networks, including on human trafficking. The scope of those crimes is cross-regional. It is no longer a challenge related only to local conflicts in Africa. The effects of those conflicts are global, and therefore more relevant than even to collective security. The cross-regional dimension of African conflicts and the regional capacities of the African continent are interlinked, whether in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea or in West Africa and the Sahel, or in the Mediterranean region of Africa. We must continue to enhance the regional capacities of the continent. As indicated by the Secretary-General in his latest report, cooperation can be further implemented through triangular mechanisms that involve subregional organizations and regional economic communities. A contribution by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to the South Sudanese crisis and by the Economic Community of West African States in The Gambia crisis are clear examples of political comparative advantages. That is also the case in the security field for the Group of Five for the Sahel States and its newly established force for the region. Such a flexible framework will help respond to the legitimate demand for African solutions to African problems. In the long run it will also contribute to making our joint efforts sustainable, even financially. African Union peace operations have comparative advantages when it comes to African crises. In that respect, Italy supports the mechanism set out in the Secretary-General’s report for joint planning and mandating of African Union peace operations. The African Union has taken on important responsibilities in recent years and has shown a willingness to take on more. We support its ambitions in the development of the African Peace and Security Architecture, the African Union Peace Fund and the African Standby Force and its rapid deployment capability. In the meantime, following the pragmatic approach we advocate for shoring up that cooperation, we deem it critical to start securing the current capacities of African Union-mandated peace operations. The founding of the African Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia, for instance, requires a prompt solution. The Secretary-General’s next thematic report will be issued in November, during Italy’s presidency of the Security Council. We look forward to developing our discussion on that occasion. Enhanced strategic cooperation with the African Union is the leading way to smart and cost-effective peace operations. We encourage African partners to finalize their operative arrangements for the 25 per cent contribution of the African Union to peace operations. Financing predictability is an essential, yet not the exclusive way, to strengthen African capabilities. We are in favour of the United Nations exploring the use of assessed contributions, provided that the appropriate set of requirements in terms of troop quality, accountability, human rights compliance and conduct and discipline standards are met. Equipment, technological innovation and training are also crucial. Italy stands ready to strengthen its engagement in capacity-building in favour of police and military units in African Union missions and to contribute to devising new training schemes tailored to African needs.

First of all, allow me to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union, Mr. Haile Menkerios, for his briefing on the Secretary- General’s report (S/2017/744) on ways to strengthen the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa. Uruguay recognizes the progress made over the past 15 years in the partnership between the African Union and the United Nations on issues related to peace and security. In our view, that partnership is fundamental and necessary given the ongoing conflicts in complex contexts, in which we must face asymmetrical threats and the spread of violent extremism and terrorism and — in many cases — also confront humanitarian crises and massive violations of human rights. In that regard, Uruguay appreciates the enthusiastic efforts of the African Union to achieve peace and development in Africa, thereby playing a positive role in the peaceful resolution of such conflicts. That is why we encourage the African Union to continue to contribute constructively to addressing the various conflicts on the continent. My delegation welcomes the progress made in the partnership over the past year, a period covered by the report under consideration. The signing of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, the implementation of the African Union Peace Fund, the adoption of resolution 2320 (2016) and the recent meeting between the Council and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which was mentioned a few minutes ago, are concrete steps aimed at further bolstering the cooperative framework for Africa. We also share the view of Mr. Menkerios that the United Nations Office to the African Union continues to play an essential role. The Office is a fundamental channel for providing substantive and technical support and ensuring concerted decision-making, particularly between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council. Uruguay appreciates the ongoing efforts to restructure the Office with the aim of fulfilling the new dynamics of our alliance, and we look forward to a comprehensive review of what the Office needs in order to enable it to meet the demands on it. The growing number of regional peacekeeping and peace support operations shows that the demand for such efforts in Africa now exceeds what the United Nations, the African Union or any other regional or subregional organization can handle individually. This reality confirms the fact that peacekeeping remains essential not only because it is a versatile instrument but also because it is cost-effective. In that regard, my delegation would like to emphasize three factors that we believe will be decisive in enabling the alliance between the United Nations and the African Union to reach its full potential. The first relates to the process of planning and defining the joint mandates of African Union peace support operations authorized by the Security Council. We believe that close cooperation on this process is essential to ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of such operations. It is vital to continue efforts to improve the organizations’ joint work throughout the life cycle of a mission. Among other things, that includes the initial assessment of a crisis, a joint strategic assessment, the implementation of the mission and assessments of its fulfilment of its mandate and its accountability. The second factor concerns the financing of African Union peace support operations. We have seen that a lack of predictable and sustainable funding and support for such operations has undermined the African Union’s ability to act and respond to crisis situations. We believe that the various funding models proposed in the Secretary-General’s May report on the subject (S/2017/454) offer viable options for Member States to consider. The third factor relates to developing the capacities of African Union personnel deployed in peace support operations. As a country that has been actively involved in peacekeeping operations for many years, Uruguay considers the responsibility of countries that contribute troop and police contingents particularly important, since they are the people who do the work on the ground and have to implement operation mandates. In that context, we should emphasize that any non-United Nations force authorized by the Security Council, including African Union peace support operations, must comply with the same requirements as United Nations peacekeeping personnel in terms of capacities, performance, conduct, discipline and accountability. We would like to highlight the efforts that the African Union is making to refine its human rights and conduct and discipline frameworks in order to ensure that its peace support operations are conducted in full compliance with human rights norms and international humanitarian law, while also ensuring oversight and accountability. Lastly, I would like to reiterate our appreciation for the African Union’s mediation and facilitation efforts in various areas of conflict, such as South Sudan and the Central African Republic. We are confident that an even closer alliance with the United Nations will also help to enhance the effectiveness of those efforts.

I would first like to thank Mr. Haile Menkerios, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, for his briefing, and you, Mr. President, for organizing today’s meeting at a very timely moment, just as the Security Council has returned from its annual meeting in Addis Ababa with the African Union Peace and Security Council and when one of the main parts of the General Assembly’s high-level week will be devoted to a Council meeting on 20 September on maintaining peace. In that regard, Mr. President, I commend your team’s work on a draft resolution on peacekeeping operations, which France supports. Today I would like to enlarge on three main points arising from our discussions in Addis Ababa last week. My first point is about emphasizing once again the strategic nature of the partnership between the United Nations, the African Union (AU) and the regional economic communities. France is firmly committed to strengthening that partnership. The time has come to make a qualitative leap, as part of the evolution of peacekeeping and the division of roles between the United Nations and regional organizations, and to fully implement Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. That change is both inevitable — owing to the evolving nature of the multiplying threats to peace — and highly desirable, owing to the two organizations’ clear respective comparative advantages. It should enable us to share tasks in a rational way, which will both improve operations’ efficiency and performance and ensure a better allocation of financial and human resources. The many crises affecting Africa and their terrible consequences for its peoples, particularly on the humanitarian front and with regard to violations of human rights, compel us to deepen our thinking on how to provide an adequate response. We must also work together if we are to be more effective in preventing such crises. That has been the aim of all the efforts made since the Secretary-General took office, working in close collaboration with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. It has also been the aim of the actions taken in the wake of the Council’s adoption, in November 2016, of resolution 2320 (2016) and the signing, on 19 April, of the Joint United Nations- African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, as well as the Council’s visit to Addis Ababa for its annual meeting with the African Union Peace and Security Council. Of course — and this is the second point I would like to address — the question of the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union for peace and security in Africa means dealing with the goal of improving the conduct and organization as well as the financing of African peace operations authorized or mandated by the Security Council. African peace operations can have comparative advantages over their United Nations counterparts. They can be deployed more quickly and benefit from more robust mandates, and their troop contingents generally have a good knowledge of the terrain. Besides that, they also correspond to the universally supported goal of African States’ ownership of their own security. In that regard, I commend the work undertaken so far by the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Several options have been proposed for financing African operations and should be followed up and defined more precisely, including the AU Peace Fund, designed to enable African States to finance 25 per cent of the cost of operations by 2020 in line with the decision taken at the Kigali Summit in July 2016 and confirmed at the Addis Ababa Summit in January. And I would also point to the financial impact that such proposals could have on the budget of the United Nations. With regard to political and operational cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union, the Security Council, the AU Peace and Security Council, the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission have come up with constructive proposals for a joint mechanism for analysing threats, defining mandates and assessing operations. Those concepts should be pursued with a view to producing more detailed proposals on strengthening the capacities of the African Union and African’s regional economic communities for planning and conducting peace operations, in collaboration with the United Nations. That also involves creating mechanisms essential to ensuring transparency, accountability and respect for codes of conduct and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. The Security Council must be kept duly informed and able to guide the missions it authorizes and mandates. The third point I want to make is that while African peacekeeping operations are key to the return of stability in the African continent, they are not the only decisive factor. That is why strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the AU and regional economic communities must also be based on a collaborative approach aimed either at better preventing crisis situations — for example, through greater sharing of early warning information, and I welcome the progress made in cooperation between the United Nations and the AU to that end — or at better anticipating solutions for ending crises by sharing a common political vision. In particular, as the Secretary-General highlights in his report (S/2017/744), it would seem indispensable for the African Union and the regional economic communities to contribute, where relevant, to creating conditions conducive to a political resolution of crises on which stabilization and reconstruction efforts can be based. As our discussion in Addis Ababa strongly highlighted, we must therefore ensure that the partnership is not limited to issues of security but that it be expanded and deepened in the area of sustaining peace and sustainable development, in line with the the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To conclude, I wish to underscore that many crises on the Council’s agenda — be it the threat posed by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin countries, the situation in Somalia, or insecurity in Mali and the region of the Group of Five for the Sahel — are emblematic of the regional and cross-cutting nature of issues facing States and peoples today. The interlinkage of security, political, environmental, social and economic challenges requires an integrated response addressing both urgent security issues and the underlying causes of violence. The time has come to make a decisive qualitative leap in the United Nations-AU partnership by articulating their respective actions in a structured and pragmatic way. France is determined to contribute to that end and to support the efforts of the Secretary- General and the Deputy Secretary-General in this area.

We are grateful to your presidency, Sir, for the excellent organization of the eleventh annual joint United Nations-African Union (AU) consultative meeting, held in Addis Ababa, and for the warm hospitality provided to the Security Council delegation. I would also like to thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General Haile Menkerios for his comprehensive and insightful briefings, in Addis Ababa and here, on strengthening the United Nations-African Union partnership on issues of peace and security in Africa and the activities of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU). My delegation supports the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General’s report (S/2017/744) and would like to make the following observations. The United Nations-AU partnership has evolved significantly, as reaffirmed at the recent United Nations- AU consultative meeting, in line with the landmark resolution 2320 (2016). The Joint United Nations- African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed on 19 April, also marks a new phase of enhanced strategic collaboration that can have optimal value for Africa. What we realize today is the need for what the Secretary-General calls a whole new approach, with a shift to conflict prevention, rather than spending more time and resources on resolving them. These characterize the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace and fast-forwards Africa’s Strategy 2063 and the Silence the Guns by 2020 project. Therefore, the United Nations-AU preventive diplomacy tools and mechanisms can be strengthened only by working closely at each level, with every entity — the United Nations Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council, UNOAU, and the AU Observer Mission to the United Nations. This calls for close synergy between the United Nations and AU Special Representatives and Envoys, including possible joint field missions of the Security Council and the Peace and Security Council. We also need to combine our strengths at all phases of the continuum, from early warning, conflict prevention, resolution, recovery to development and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. We welcome, therefore, the establishment of the two separate working groups of the United Nations and the AU to further advance the recently signed partnership. The United Nations can leverage the comparative advantages of regional and subregional organizations, as well as groups of neighbouring countries, for they possess a better understanding of the dynamics and root causes of conflicts and the terrain, and are therefore in a better position to mobilize resources. Often our response to crises remains fragmented, while their causes are deeply interlinked. It is therefore necessary to elaborate comprehensive approaches, connecting security, humanitarian and development efforts, to be better reinforced by financial outlays on peacebuilding measures. We must invest much more in addressing the root causes of tensions and instability by building State institutions and consolidating constitutions, holding elections, building democracy and the rule of law, ending impunity, establishing good governance and implementing security sector reforms. Equally important are investments in human development, infrastructure development, climate mitigation, disaster risk reduction and building resilience. Only these will promote intra-African economic growth, resulting in greater and more vibrant regional integration with tangible progress. In addition, there has to be harmonization of AU and United Nations standards across the African continent. Furthermore, peace will be more durable when women and young people are fully integrated into all activities at every stage of the peace and security process, and are at the negotiating table at the highest levels. While the framework of decision-making, proposed by Secretary-General in his latest report, will make joint action more effective, further technical work needs to be undertaken to agree on the modalities for joint analysis, planning and assessment of the relevant intergovernmental bodies. These will also require a revision of internal administrative processes, policies and procedures. AU peace support operations, with the organization’s knowledge of local conflicts and the tactics of militias, are effective tools in helping the United Nations to better discharge its mandate of maintaining international peace and security. This joint work is particularly advantageous in combating terrorism, organized crime, human trafficking and other scourges. The international community therefore needs to provide AU peace operations with capacity- building and financial support, in accordance with resolution 2320 (2016). We commend AU for its continued commitment with regard to covering 25 per cent of the cost of its peace-support operations, and believe that the AU Peace Fund will be a robust mechanism for cooperation and partnership. The four options of a jointly developed budget, as identified in the Secretary-General’s report of 26 May (S/2017/454), should be explored for optimal results, beyond the use of voluntary contributions. Kazakhstan, as an observer of the AU, remains committed to further strengthening the AU and to helping African countries fulfil their vision for peace, progress and prosperity.

I wish you a Happy New Year, Mr. President. I also thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General Menkerios for his briefing. At the outset, let me express my thanks to you, Sir, and tio the Secretariat for leading a successful visit to the Africa Union (AU) in Addis Ababa. We all saw and heard first hand just how critical the relationship is between the United Nations and the AU, and I look forward and commit to doing whatever I can to strengthen that relationship. I do so because our two great organizations share the same objectives, the same priorities and the same respect for the principle of African leadership. It is therefore in all of our interests to forge an even closer relationship as we strive to maintain peace and security in Africa.To do so, I see three steps that we should take. First, and the others have said, we need to do more to learn from each other. A simple first step would be having more joint briefings in the Chamber from Au and United Nations officials, as we do on Somalia. They are a vital means of increasing the awareness and knowledge of all of us around this table. There should also be more joints analysis, joint planning and joint assessments so that we form a common understanding of a situation and together find common solutions. The recent un-Au visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria on the theme of women and peace and security was an example of the sort of collaborative work we should encourage. We should cultivate our joint reporting on gender-based violence in places like South Sudan so that we move beyond reporting to the sharing of action plans and further collaboration. We should agree as the United Nations that we will make available any of our special envoys or special representatives if the African Union Peace and Security Council wishes to hear from them, and we should invite the African Union to do the same. We should also look at what more we can do as Member States. The United Kingdom works closely with AU member States to provide military capacity- building, delivering, training and sharing expertise on improving accountability, human rights compliance and preventing sexual violence in conflict. I know others are doing the same, and I encourage all to do so. Secondly, we need both organizations to play to their comparative strengths so that together we are more than the sum of our parts. We need only look to Somalia to see that it works. The bravery and the heroism of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops, to whom I pay genuine and profound tribute, supported by the United Nations, has enabled the political process and progress we see there. During this year’s presidential elections, it was AU troops who protected the venue, infrastructure and participants, ensuring the safety and security of all those involved, and it was the United Nations Support Office in Somalia that helped AMISOM in the preparatory work, setting up the venue, ensuring the integrity of the site and providing vital security equipment to AMISOM. Together, they — we — helped make history, ensuring that the most democratic presidential elections in Somalia in decades passed off successfully and peacefully. It is a model that we should replicate elsewhere. My third and final point is that our cooperation will count for little without sustainable financing. As we heard last week during our discussions with the AU Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa, this is a top objective for all of us. So we must find a solution which shares the responsibility to provide adequate, predictable and sustainable financing to AU- led missions, including the AU’s own commitment to fund 25 per cent of costs by 2020. It was important to the United Kingdom that on our visit to Addis Ababa, so many speakers from the two Councils and the AU Commission reiterated their commitment to funding that 25 per cent. This financial solution must be combined with the undertaking of agreed standards and mechanisms to ensure oversight and accountability for performance, conduct and discipline, including sexual exploitation and abuse, and financial management. In doing so, not only will the finances of AU missions be secured, but their performance and accountability will also improve. This will only be to the benefit of peace and security and to the benefit of many outside this Chamber. This seems to me a fruitful area for concrete follow-up by the United Nations Secretariat and the AU Peace and Security Council. In conclusion, there is still some way to go to bring our organizations even closer together, but through these three steps, I believe that we can do so, and our collaborative progress to date should encourage us that we can resolve future challenges together.

I want to thank you, Mr. President, for having convened this briefing. It is important to maintain a high level of engagement by the Council in the discussion of the role of the African Union (AU) and subregional organizations in promoting peace and sustainable development among the African States. The outcomes of the joint consultations just held in Addis Ababa will certainly contribute to this end. I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Ethiopian presidency for this initiative and for its hospitality. In addition, I would like to welcome Special Representative Haile Menkerios and thank him for his comprehensive presentation. No one can deny that the African Union has demonstrated its ability to take the lead in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. During our membership in the Council, we have witnessed on numerous occasions how the African Union can adapt itself to both the ongoing and emerging challenges on the African continent. This relates specifically to the ability of the African Union to stand united and to reach consensus on multifaceted issues. The recent AU master road map of practical steps to silence the guns in Africa by 2020 serves as a vivid example. Such an effort should go hand in hand with the elimination of the root causes of conflict on the continent, and here the United Nations should continue to serve as the AU’s indispensable partner. The United Nations should continue building and enhancing its strategic partnership with the African continent, working in concert with the AU and using the comparative advantages of each actor in peacekeeping, peacebuilding and conflict management. In that light, we are encouraged by the increased efforts of the Secretary-General aimed at strengthening the cooperation between the United Nations and the AU, particularly the signing of the Joint United Nations- African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. Let me highlight several aspects of the current United Nations-AU cooperation that in our view are worthy of priority attention. First, the United Nations is yet to succeed in taking timely and effective preventive measures in response to situations or tensions that could possibly become a full-scale conflict or where the civilian population is endangered and urgently requires protection. In that regard, we commend the efforts of the African Union in this area, as the first responder to crises with the authorization of the Security Council. We are encouraged by the fact that the AU and the relevant regional economic communities and mechanisms are continuing to strengthen the operational readiness of the African Standby Force. The operationalization of the Force will ensure a robust and swift regional reaction in case of need. In that light, it is important to continue to make efforts to eliminate shortcomings in AU peace-support operations, in particular capability gaps. We believe that ensuring deployment readiness and increased performance requires collective and coordinated actions by the United Nations, the AU and other key partners such as the European Union. We look forward to the establishment of the relevant trilateral collaborative mechanisms. Secondly, it is crucial to ensure sustainable and predictable financing of the AU operations authorized by the Council. In that respect, the Secretary-General’s proposals on options for financing AU peace-support operations provides a range of viable choices. Given the complexity of the peacekeeping endeavour, we are convinced that there can be no uniform approach that will fit all situations. We therefore support preserving a maximum degree of flexibility in considering this issue. Thirdly, in keeping with the people-centered approach to United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities, we believe that the protection of civilians is a decisive factor for the success of the AU operations endorsed by the Council. It is clear also that there can be no peace without human rights. Thus this component should become an indispensable element of all AU operations authorized by the Security Council, with proper adherence to the United Nations human rights due diligence policy. Last but not least, in the light of the latest joint consultations between the two Councils and the further enhancement of their cooperation, Ukraine underlines the merit of joint United Nations-AU field missions, which we see as an important conflict-prevention tool.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of Ethiopia. I want to join other Council members in expressing thanks to Special Representative Haile Menkerios for his comprehensive briefing on the annual report of the Secretary-General (S/2017/744) on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations office to the African Union. Strengthening the United Nations-AU partnership is indeed a matter of priority for us, and we are very pleased that this discussion is taking place during our presidency of the Council and a few days before the start of the high-level week of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly. Let me highlight the following three points in relation to our discussion on the United Nations-AU partnership today. First, it is indeed fitting that this meeting is taking place immediately after the successful conclusion of the 11th joint annual consultation between the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council. I wish to thank once again both Special Representative of the Secretary-General Haile Menkerios and Commissioner Chergui for all their support and cooperation and for making all the arrangements necessary for the smooth conduct of the meeting. The frank exchange of views between members of the two Councils demonstrated the significant importance that they attach to the partnership between the United Nations and the AU in the area of peace and security. Secondly, this annual briefing is also taking place against the backdrop of leadership change in both organizations and a renewed commitment to elevating the United Nations-AU partnership to a new, higher level. That is reflected in the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed by Secretary- General António Guterres and Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on 19 April. The implementation of the framework will certainly go a long way in further strengthening and deepening the partnership between the two organizations in the areas of conflict prevention and mediation, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and post- conflict recovery. Thirdly, and last but not least, this meeting is being held after both the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission presented their report on options for financing AU- mandated peace-support operations authorized by the Security Council on a case-by-case basis in accordance with resolution 2320 (2016). It is also happening just before the high-level open debate on the reform of United Nations peacekeeping operations, scheduled to take place on 20 September, where the issue of partnership with the AU in the area of peacekeeping will form one of the important pillars of the discussion. We are pleased with the progress in terms of United Nations-AU cooperation and collaboration on a range of issues. Our discussion today will certainly build momentum in that regard. We express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for his commitment to enhancing the United Nations-AU strategic partnership and for his readiness to work closely with the African Union on a range on issues based on Africa’s needs and priorities. We cannot agree more with him on the need to build African capacity, in particular in the area of peacekeeping. We hope we will be able to make progress in terms of ensuring predictable, flexible and sustainable financing for AU-led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council. That is not only fair and appropriate, it is also in the best interests of our collective security. I now resume my functions as President of the Council.