S/PV.8407 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Djibouti, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Germany, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, the Sudan, Switzerland, Turkey, Uganda and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite His Excellency Mr. Smaïl Chergui, African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, to participate in this meeting. Mr. Chergui is joining the meeting via video- teleconference from Addis Ababa. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I also invite the following to participate in this meeting: Mr. Gustavo Martin Prada, Chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations; and Mr. Robert Mardini, Head of Delegation and Permanent Observer of the International Committee of the Red Cross to the United Nations. I propose that the Council invite the Permanent Observer of the Observer State of the Holy See to the United Nations to participate in the meeting, in accordance with the provisional rules of procedure and the previous practice in this regard. There being no objection, it is so decided. 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/2018/1004, which contains a letter dated 9 November 2018 from the Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, transmitting a concept note on the item under consideration. I wish to warmly welcome the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, and give him the floor.

Peacekeeping is a remarkable exercise in global solidarity. United Nations peacekeepers are ready to pay the ultimate price for peace, and we are all in their debt. Last week, eight of our peacekeepers — all from the African countries Malawi and Tanzania — were killed in the line of duty. Most were trying to prevent an attack on the town of Beni in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to create a safe environment for those working to end the Ebola outbreak there. I send my deepest condolences to their families and to the families of all peacekeepers killed in the line of duty. Let us stand and observe a moment of silence for the fallen.

I thank the Chinese presidency for convening this open debate on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa, and for China’s contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa and around the world. Some 2,500 uniformed Chinese personnel, including well-trained and equipped individual and formed police units, are making an important contribution to multilateral efforts for peace. I welcome President Xi’s pledge to establish a peacekeeping standby force and hope to build on the 13 units that have already been registered. The African continent hosts seven of the fourteen United Nations peacekeeping missions and more than 80 per cent of United Nations peacekeepers. African countries provide nearly half of United Nations Blue Helmets deployed around the world, including almost two-thirds of all women peacekeepers, and the majority of United Nations police officers. (spoke in French) Our peacekeeping missions on the African continent have made encouraging progress in recent years. Our mandates were completed in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia and our missions were able to withdraw. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, the Central African Republic and Darfur, the African Union and the United Nations have worked closely together to support the political processes, national dialogues and mediation efforts in the region, which has defused tensions and paved the way for peace agreements and elections. In South Sudan, we worked with the African Union in support of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to bring about the signing of the revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. Over the past 10 years, the African Peace and Security Architecture has been considerably bolstered, and one of its essential pillars  — the Peace Fund  — is currently being implemented. To date, States members of the African Union have contributed $60 million of the $400 million required by the end of 2021. This is very encouraging, and I congratulate the Chairperson of the African Union, President Kagame, as well as the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on all their efforts. (spoke in English) Peacekeeping in Africa continues to present some of our greatest challenges. United Nations missions are carrying out complex operations with multidimensional mandates in extremely dangerous environments. Transnational crime, non-State armed groups and terrorist groups pose serious challenges, sometimes targeting our peacekeepers directly. Against this backdrop, our partnership with the African Union and African Member States is vital to our collective efforts for peace, and we must continue working to strengthen it. There is excellent cooperation at the highest levels. African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat and I have signed two Joint United Nations- African Union Frameworks: the Joint United Nations- African Union Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, and the Joint Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These Frameworks are already promoting coherence, efficiency and effectiveness in our common action. The Deputy Secretary-General and senior officials of the African Union have undertaken several joint visits to the continent. The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, who is here with us today, have conducted joint visits to the Central African Republic, the Sudan and South Sudan. The role of women in peace and security was at the heart of their recent visit to South Sudan. I am also encouraged by African support for my Action for Peacekeeping initiative, which aims to mobilize all partners and stakeholders to, first, refocus peacekeeping around more realistic mandates; secondly, to make our missions stronger and safer; and, thirdly, to mobilize greater collective support for political solutions and for well-equipped and well- trained troops. More than 150 Governments have signed the Declaration of Shared Commitments in support of Action for Peacekeeping, including 42 on the African continent. Partnerships with troop-contributing countries; with regional organizations, particularly the African Union; and with host Governments are critical to the success of this initiative, which is already showing results. The Action for Peacekeeping initiative was also informed by the recommendations of the Dos Santos Cruz report on improving the safety and security of our peacekeepers. This also led to the development of an action plan to address the performance and security of United Nations peacekeepers. Our operations are now taking a more proactive posture to make these improvements. We are adopting innovative measures to train and equip our troops, and we have undertaken independent reviews of our missions to determine how we can better fulfil our mandates. We will remain vigilant and review the results of these steps. At the same time, our reforms of the United Nations peace and security architecture will improve performance by providing more integrated analyses and stronger country and regional strategies. Closer integration of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding will allow us to put sustainable development at the heart of our work. Increasing the numbers of women in peacekeeping at all levels is another way to improve the effectiveness of our operations. I am taking steps to ensure that my gender-parity strategy is implemented across all our peacekeeping missions, and to increase the numbers of female troops and police. We are also mobilizing to tackle sexual exploitation and abuse in our ranks, including our peacekeeping missions, putting the rights and dignity of victims front and centre. We are providing more support to victims, and we have a greater and more effective capacity in seeking justice. We have stepped up training and improved investigations. Dozens of world leaders have joined the Circle of Leadership in support of measures to implement a zero-tolerance policy, and 100 countries have signed voluntary compacts with the United Nations to tackle the issue. The era of silence and taboos around this issue is over, and the era of accountability has begun. The United Nations and the African Union are cooperating more closely than ever before. African peace operations, including those mandated by the African Union, have played a key role in maintaining peace and security on the continent and deserve predictable systems of support. Chairperson Faki and I will soon sign a joint communiqué guiding the work of the Secretariat and the African Union Commission in strengthening United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa and paving the way for more adequately supported African peace operations. We are working closely with the African Union on joint planning for the mandating of its peace-support operations and on legal and human rights compliance frameworks. As I have told the Council before, we need to understand that United Nations peacekeeping has limits. We face more and more situations in which we need peace enforcement and counter-terrorism operations that can be carried out only by our partners  — namely, the African Union and various subregional organizations. It is essential that African-led peace operations acting under the Security Council’s authority be provided with strong mandates and predictable, sustainable and flexible financing, including through United Nations- assessed contributions where appropriate. I have appealed to the international community to support the regional Group of Five for the Sahel Joint Force in combating terrorism and organized crime. I am grateful to the European Union and other donors that have pledged to the Force, but so far almost half the pledges have not been earmarked, let alone disbursed. There has been progress over the past year. The Joint Force has reached initial operational capacity. But we are far from what is needed to meet the security challenges of the Sahel. An adequate level of funding would enable the Force to fill equipment shortfalls and capability gaps, and to better address the serious threats facing the region. In our interconnected age, security challenges on one continent pose a risk to the whole world. The factors that drive conflict in Africa  — including poverty, youth unemployment, climate change, competition for resources and transnational crime  — threaten global security. Improving the impact and effectiveness of peacekeeping in Africa is a collective responsibility, and we will continue to tackle it with our African partners, across the continent and around the world.

I thank the Secretary-General for his briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Chergui.

On this holy day on which we commemorate the birth of the Prophet, I would like to express our warmest congratulations to all present. (spoke in English) On behalf of the African Union and on my own behalf, let me start by thanking you, Mr. President, and the People’s Republic of China for demonstrating your unwavering support and commitment to peace and security in Africa. At the outset, I wish to join His Excellency the Secretary-General in extending, on behalf of the African Union, condolences to the Governments and the people of Malawi and Tanzania and to the United Nations family on last week’s tragic loss of United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen soldiers. Allow me also, Mr. President, to express appreciation for this invitation to brief the Council on the very important subject of enhancing capacities for peace and security in Africa. As a Union, we always appreciate the focus that you place on peace and security in Africa during your presidency. In that regard, we always endeavour to use this platform to reiterate our position on the level of commitment and cooperation we require of the United Nations to guarantee the effectiveness of our strategic partnership. I am also grateful to the Secretary-General for his comprehensive presentation. We recognize ourselves in every word he said today. I want to pay tribute to his tireless efforts to consolidate and further promote the strategic partnership between the African Union and the United Nations, including in the area of peace and security. I would like to assure him of the African Union and Africa’s full respect for and support to all their joint endeavours, which the African Union continues to enhance. The issue of peacekeeping reform is of shared and critical interest to the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union. Last year’s Security Council high-level debate on peacekeeping reform (see S/PV.8051) and the ensuing resolution 2378 (2017), which was preceded by resolution 2320 (2016), presented an important locus on which to continue monitoring our efforts towards effective partnership, enhanced cooperation and peacekeeping reform. Since my briefing to the Council on this topic last year (see S/PV.7971), the African Union has spared no effort in expediting key priorities that contribute towards strengthening our partnership. Today’s meeting thus offers the opportunity for me to highlight three major areas that we have achieved considerable progress in, which are also areas of mutual concern and interest to our two institutions. First, the Council will note that we continue to facilitate key processes of the revitalized Peace Fund, which we launched on 17 November on the sidelines of the 11th extraordinary meeting of the Assembly of the African Union on reform. The launch of the Peace Fund was preceded by the inaugural meeting of the Board of Trustees, of which the United Nations is a member, whose members were also appointed last week. The Board will ensure the effective management and accountability of the Peace Fund. As I speak, we have recorded, as the Secretary-General just indicated, $60.5 million in contributions from African Union member States to the Fund. This represents the highest contribution since its establishment, and based on additional commitments expressed at last week’s Assembly meeting, we are projecting to reach $100 million in contributions by early 2019. This accelerated momentum is a key component of our collective efforts to guarantee the African Union’s access to United Nations-assessed contributions, on which we seek to have agreement in the draft resolution to be adopted by the Council in the coming weeks. Secondly, the African Union Commission has recorded significant progress in enhancing its existing human rights compliance framework for African Union peace support operations. Allow me to reiterate that ensuring compliance with and accountability to international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and conduct and discipline is not new to the African Union. These international norms and standards have always been part of our mission planning and management processes, long before the discussions on predictable and sustainable financing of African Union peace support operations began. For instance, since the African Union’s first deployment in Burundi in 2003, the African Union and its member States have been ensuring preventive, response and remedial measures to avoid and respond to any violations of these norms and standards by personnel. That includes predeployment training for all peace support operation personnel, the signing of memorandums of understanding with troop- and police-contributing countries to confirm the responsibilities of the African Union, as well as the conduct of court martials and public prosecutions in mission areas and in the countries of alleged perpetrators. Thus, our current efforts are focused on enhancing these existing frameworks, which we are facilitating jointly with the United Nations, with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross, to ensure common standards and processes. Thirdly, our concrete partnership in particular theatres of operations, such as Somalia, continue to offer us opportunities to enhance greater cooperation and consultation between our two institutions. Since 2013, the African Union and the United Nations have jointly undertaken four African Union-United Nations joint reviews of the African Union Mission in Somalia. These processes have allowed for greater joint analysis, planning and cooperation between the two Secretariats. The recent joint engagements of the African Union and United Nations Special Representatives in Somalia to urge the Federal Government and states of Somalia to resolve their current political differences through constructive dialogue points to the inevitability of our joint work to maximize our prospects for greater success and achievements. However, more needs to be done to facilitate joint visits to these theatres, as well as regular consultations between our two Councils, in order to guarantee greater coherence and the convergence of strategic directions and tasks in African Union Peace and Security Council communiqués and United Nations Security Council resolutions on the same issues. We are firmly convinced that the aforementioned elements serve as a guarantee of the mutually reinforcing commitment of our two secretariats to further aligning our processes in order to enhance our joint efforts. Thus, we urge the Council to also further enhance its strategic engagement and framework with the African Union Peace and Security Council. In this regard, we urge members of the Council to seize the opportunity to adopt the draft resolution that will be submitted in the coming weeks on the need for the African Union’s access to United Nations-assessed contributions for operations authorized by the United Nations on a case-by-case basis. This, we believe, will bring the international community one step closer to establishing a more effective, predictable and sustainable framework that will enable us to achieve peace and security on the continent. In conclusion, let me reiterate that the African Union understands the objective and aim of the draft resolution that is currently being negotiated by Council Members. As the African Union, we believe that the draft resolution, when adopted, should indicate that the Council, in principle, agrees to the use of United Nations-assessed contributions for African Union-mandated peace support operations authorized by the Security Council on a case-by-case basis. In this regard, the draft resolution is not intended to tie the hands of the Council to any unending support, as it offers a platform for proper consultations on each conflict situation that will require such support before any decision is made. In that respect, we urge that the draft resolution, when adopted, not be overloaded with conditionalities that would further delay us in making progress to more effectively prevent and manage peace and security in Africa. We believe that further conditionalities will not represent the spirit of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed on 19 April 2017. This is why our two secretariats are currently finalizing a joint communiqué that the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, and the Secretary-General will be signing before the adoption of the draft resolution in December. Thus, the reaffirmation of the commitment to the African Union-United Nations Partnership, and in particular to operationalizing the African Union Peace Fund, as well as to enhancing common and harmonized standards of our existing human rights compliance and accountability frameworks and mechanisms, will address all the additional steps that need to be addressed. On this note, we believe that without the political cooperation and support of the Council, the attainment of collective security within Africa and beyond will be difficult to achieve. In this regard, we continue to count on the leadership and guidance of African Union member States, especially those in the Security Council, in the realization of our institutional mandates.

I thank Mr. Chergui for his briefing. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of China. At the outset, I thank Secretary-General Guterres and Mr. Chergui, the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, for their briefings. I highly appreciate their personal efforts and the African Union’s outstanding efforts and contributions made towards achieving peace and security. Africa is a continent full of dynamism and promise. The African Union (AU) and African countries are important forces for the maintenance of world peace and regional stability. In recent years, African countries, united in cooperation, have been active in implementing the African Union Agenda 2063 and its Silencing the Guns by 2020 initiative, building the African Peace and Security Architecture, and pushing to address African issues through African means, thereby making an important contribution to the maintenance of regional peace and security. We are pleased to note that, guided by the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, the United Nations and the AU have continued to deepen their cooperation in the peace and security arena. The Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative reaffirms the need to deepen the Organization’s partnership with the AU. Strengthening African peacekeeping operations and improving Africa’s peace and security capacities is in the common interests of the international community, and is our shared responsibility. As rotating President of the Council for this month, China initiated this open debate on peacekeeping operations in Africa in order to increase the international community’s attention to and input in the cause of peace and security in Africa, and to effectively assist the AU and African countries in bolstering their capacity-building for peace and security. I would like to make the following four points. First, I stress the need to strengthen the United Nations peacekeeping effort in Africa. Africa is the priority of the United Nations peacekeeping operations. Of the 14 peacekeeping missions, the five largest are deployed in Africa. In its peacekeeping operations in Africa, the United Nations should adhere to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as the basic principles of peacekeeping — consent of the parties, impartiality and the non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate — and should respect the sovereignty of the country in question. The Security Council and the Secretariat should take into consideration such factors as the actual needs of the country concerned, the security environment and the mission objectives when designing tailor-made peacekeeping mission mandates, and should adjust the priority tasks and areas of focus for the various stages. The Secretariat should take effective measures, increase input, improve its command and control in peacekeeping operations in Africa, raise the efficiency of mission mandate implementation, enhance the safety and security of peacekeepers, strengthen early-warning capabilities vis-à-vis security threats, and provide adequate logistical support. Secondly, we must deepen the peacekeeping partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. We must further strengthen communication and coordination between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council and between the United Nations Secretariat and the AU Commission. The timeliness and accuracy of briefings and the effectiveness of decision-making must also be improved. China firmly supports African countries in resolving African issues the African way and in playing the lead role in handling African affairs. Thirdly, we must enhance collaboration between United Nations peacekeeping operations and African- led peace processes and operations. The AU and subregional organizations in Africa have unique geographical advantages. AU peace operations represent an important complement to United Nations peacekeeping operations. China supports the United Nations in its efforts to provide sustainable and predictable funding for AU-led peace operations, help the AU improve mission planning, fund-raising, mission maintenance and the management of peace operations under its leadership. China also assists the AU in accelerating the establishment of the African Standby Force, the rapid-reaction force and early-warning mechanisms, as well as in deepening cooperation in military technology and scaling up military training. Fourthly, we must help African troop-contributing countries (TCCs) to strengthen their peacekeeping capacity-building. At present, more than half of the top 20 TCCs in United Nations peacekeeping operations are African countries, which have made important contributions to United Nations peacekeeping. It is imperative to enhance the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations through reforms. Through bilateral and multilateral cooperation and in keeping with the wishes of African countries, the international community should provide assistance in terms of training, equipment and resources. The Government and the people of China have consistently supported the African countries and peoples in their pursuit of peace, tranquillity, development and prosperity. China actively participates in United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa, with about 2,200 peacekeepers currently serving in peacekeeping missions in Africa. In September, the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation identified Sino-African cooperation in peace and security as one of the eight major cooperation priorities. The declaration adopted at the Summit clearly states that China will support Africa’s Silencing the Guns by 2020 initiative. China decided to establish the China-Africa Peace and Security Fund to support cooperation between China and Africa on peace and security, peacekeeping and the maintenance of stability. It will continue to provide free military assistance to the African Union for its peace operations. China supports the countries in African subregions such as the Sahel, the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf of Guinea in their pursuit of regional security against terrorism. With that in mind, it established the China- Africa Peace and Security Forum to provide a platform for increased exchanges between China and Africa in the field of peace and security. Since its establishment, the China-United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund has financially supported multiple projects aimed at bolstering African peacekeeping capabilities. China will continue to support Africa in strengthening its peacekeeping capacity-building; settling regional hotspot issues at an early date; achieving peace, stability and development on the African continent; and joining hands to shape a more connected community with a shared future for China and Africa. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I give the floor to the other members of the Council who wish to make statements.

On behalf of the African countries that are members of the Security Council — Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and Equatorial Guinea — I thank the Chinese presidency for organizing this open debate on strengthening African peacekeeping operations. This debate follows the 11th extraordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union, held in Addis Ababa on 17 and 18 November. At the Summit, the Heads of State and Government took important decisions to accelerate the institutional reform of the African Union with a view to boosting its irreversible progress towards financial autonomy and greater efficiency. China’s timely choice of bringing Africa to the forefront of its presidency echoes the recent Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, a major event that fully reflects the virtuous path of Sino-African cooperation over the course of several years. We commend Secretary-General António Guterres for his commitment to and ongoing support for conflict prevention and resolution initiatives in Africa and, on behalf of the African countries on the Council, I thank him for his excellent briefings and insightful recommendations. We also thank Ambassador Smaïl Chergui, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, for the inspiring clarity of his briefing, which informed the Council on the opportunities and challenges related to peacekeeping in Africa. Allow me also, on behalf of the African countries on the Council, to pay a well-deserved tribute to all peacekeepers who have fallen on the field of battle in the accomplishment of their noble mission of bringing peace and stability to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As rightly stated in the concept note for this debate (S/2018/1004, annex), Africa is an important part of ongoing peacekeeping operations, not only through its countries hosting United Nations missions, but also and above all in the form of military contingents and police units. Despite the current constraints on its peacekeeping capabilities and in an environment marked by the exacerbation of multifaceted security threats, the African Union’s determination to take ownership of the collective security of the continent is well established. Over the past decade, the pan-African organization has been firmly committed to increasing its contribution and building its peacekeeping capacity. To mention but a few emblematic significant and recent examples, that is the case for the operations in Somalia, the Lake Chad basin and the Sahel region. They indicate our firm determination to propose innovative responses, based on the comparative advantage of the rapid deployment of peace missions with robust mandates within the framework of continental and regional arrangements. Those operations also illustrate the flexibility of the African Peace and Security Architecture and its ability to adapt to ever-changing security challenges. In that context, we value the cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union, formalized by the signing, on 19 April 2017, of the Joint Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security by Secretary-General António Guterres and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat. The strategic framework sets out the modalities for a division of responsibilities and closer coordination of the efforts of the two organizations, with a view to promoting sustainable peace and security in Africa. While the African Peace and Security Architecture is a decisive step towards ownership of crisis prevention, management and resolution in Africa, the effectiveness of African peace support operations remains dependent on the availability of predictable and sustainable financial resources. Those operations, needless to say, are part of the implementation of endogenous solutions to African problems. But, as you, Mr. President, will agree, the effectiveness of African peace support operations will remain limited, as I mentioned earlier, so long as the thorny issue of predictable and sustainable financial resources has not been resolved through consensual and sustainable funding mechanisms and criteria. That is the thrust of resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017). In particular, paragraph 18 of resolution 2378 (2017) states that the Council: “Expresses its intention to give further consideration to practical steps that can be taken, and the conditions necessary, to establish the mechanism through which African Union led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council and under the Security Council’s authority under Chapter VIII of the Charter could be partly financed through United Nations assessed contributions, on a case by case basis, in compliance with relevant agreed standards and mechanisms”. Such funding would be based on consensus standards and mechanisms, ensuring strategic financial control and accountability for the management of the resources available, as the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security noted. In that regard, we appreciate the constructive cooperation between the United Nations Secretariat and the African Union Commission in strengthening the mandate, management, oversight and accountability of African Union peace support operations. In view of the progress made on those issues since the adoption of resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017), the African Union Peace and Security Council has instructed the three African members of the Security Council to promote the African common position on the predictability and sustainability of funding for African peace support operations, through statutory contributions from the United Nations. We therefore call for the commitment of all peacekeeping stakeholders to ensuring that the ongoing efforts result in the adoption in December, under the chairmanship of Côte d’Ivoire, of a draft resolution providing lasting answers to that question. We also hope that the draft resolution, which does not trigger the immediate provision of funding, but rather provides a framework for the Council’s assessment, will obtain its agreement, in principle, for consideration on a case-by-case basis, as recommended by the report of the United Nations High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (see S/2015/446). In any case, the three African members of the Security Council endorse the concerns expressed by the members of the Council on the framework for compliance with human rights and transparency in resource management. We assure them that the United Nations and the African Union have undertaken the consultations necessary to developing a joint road map that addresses the concerns of our partners. The road map, which will be ready shortly — again, as noted by the African Union Commissioner  — will set out the guiding principles and the progress made so far, and identify outstanding issues. The history of institutions, like that of the humans who are their architects, illustrates the case at hand. The history of the African Union, daughter of the Organization of African Unity, is that of a continent that has tirelessly sought, in perfect symbiosis with the United Nations, lasting solutions to the challenges to peace and security facing Africa. Our commitment to owning and achieving our collective security and destiny, as evidenced by the establishment of the Peace Fund, has never been stronger in the face of the complexity of the present challenges. To conclude, I would therefore echo the urgent appeal of the three African members of the Council that we may be allowed to join in a dynamic of solidarity in the search for lasting solutions to the multiple challenges that mark African peace support operations. Beyond our continent, that is an issue of international peace and security, the maintenance of which, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, is the primary responsibility of the Security Council.

I thank the Chinese presidency for putting the spotlight on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa, and would like to join previous speakers in commending Secretary- General António Guterres and the African Union (AU) Commissioner Smaïl Chergui for their comprehensive and insightful briefings. I would like to begin by underscoring that the African Union is a crucial partner of the United Nations on the issues of peace and security in Africa. The African Union-led peace support operations are absolutely essential to the Security Council’s responsibility to maintain global peace and security in certain situations, considering the limitations of the United Nations peacekeeping doctrine with regard to peace enforcement and counter-terrorism. Kazakhstan welcomes strengthened cooperation between the United Nations and the AU, aimed at supporting Africa’s steady pursuit of peace, stability and sustainable development. The Joint United Nations-AU Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, as well as the joint framework on sustainable development, mark a new level of enhanced strategic partnership between the two organizations, based on mutual respect and comparative advantages. To improve the effectiveness of peace operations in Africa, we need to capitalize on those frameworks to the fullest, including through joint field visits to conflict areas, joint briefings and the meetings of the United Nations-AU Joint Task Force on Peace and Security. Further technical work is also needed to develop the modalities for joint analysis, planning and assessment, as well as reporting to the relevant intergovernmental bodies. Both the United Nations and the AU need to revise their internal administrative processes, policies and procedures and arrive at strengthening common synergies. Subregional mechanisms, such as the Economic Community of West African States and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, have proven to be capable of resolving the most complicated conflicts in the region. Therefore, closer links between the United Nations and subregional mechanisms can help African peacekeeping operations become more responsive and effective on the ground. Political solutions, preventive diplomacy and mediation should be at the heart of any peacekeeping deployment. African peacekeeping operations should engage in a thorough analysis of the key causes of conflict. We will succeed only if we can eliminate the drivers of instability and not just manage the symptoms. We also need a sound system of information-management and sharing and to pool best practices and lessons learned. It is commendable that the African Union, on its part, has made significant progress in establishing the necessary accountability, transparency and human rights compliance frameworks, as requested by the Security Council. We welcome AU efforts to enhance the African Standby Force and its rapid deployment capability, in accordance with the Maputo Strategic Work Plan, and we call for the finalization of the memorandum of understanding between the AU and regional economic communities on the deployment and employment of the African Standby Force. My delegation also commends the AU for its efforts on the operationalization of the management structures of the Peace Fund, which plays an important role in ensuring financial transparency and strategic coherence. We welcome the appointment on 16 November of the five African members of the Board of Trustees of the African Union Peace Fund. We encourage the AU to continue at the same pace with its institutional reform process, aimed at strengthening the African Peace and Security Architecture. The most critical issue may be the financing of African peacekeeping operations. They will not be able to deliver effectively without predictable, flexible and sustainable financing authorized by the United Nations. We believe that financing should be provided on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. By adopting resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017), the Security Council has expressed its readiness to consider the joint financing of those missions through United Nations- assessed contributions. We therefore support the initiative of the three African non-permanent members to adopt a new Council draft resolution on financing AU peace support operations, which will build on those resolutions. In conclusion, I reaffirm that Kazakhstan, as an observer to the African Union, remains committed to further strengthening the capacity of the AU and to helping African countries fulfil their vision of peace, progress and prosperity through the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the African Union master road map of practical steps for silencing the guns in Africa by 2020.

This is a topic that should concern us all, and I thank China for convening this important open debate today. Many of the threats and challenges faced by our African partners, including violent extremism, terrorism, serious and organized crime and armed conflict have no regard for borders. In our deeply interconnected world, our security is inextricably linked together, and those threats undermine our shared pursuit of a more peaceful, prosperous world for all. It is therefore vital that we continue to work together to address those complex, shared challenges. Effective partnerships between the United Nations and the African Union and its subregional organizations are particularly important in that context. The African Union and its subregional organizations play a vital role, not only in peacekeeping, but also in preventing conflict and sustaining peace. I pay tribute to their work in mediation, brokering political agreements and supporting peace processes, as for example in South Sudan, where the Intergovernmental Authority on Development has worked to revitalize and support peace negotiations. No such discussion would be complete without recognizing in particular the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the most impressive of the subregional organizations, especially its efforts in The Gambia in 2017 and 2018. Peacekeeping remains one of the most effective tools of the United Nations for the promotion of maintenance of international peace and security. So when we do deploy our peacekeepers, whether in Africa or elsewhere in the world, we need to collectively ensure that they are properly equipped to meet the complex threats and challenges that they will face. That is essential not only to ensuring that they can effectively implement their mandates — those that we set here in the Council — but also to enabling them to ensure their own safety and security. As the report authored by former United Nations Force Commander, Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, entitled Improving security of United Nations peacekeepers, made clear, safety and capability are inextricably linked. Where units perform poorly, they put themselves, as well as the civilians they are mandated to protect, at risk. That is why I will concentrate the remainder of my remarks on performance. Again, I welcome the adoption of resolution 2436 (2018), which sets out measures for improving peacekeeping performance. Let me be clear, though, that discussing performance in this way should not be seen as just something aimed at troop-contributing countries. The Action for Peacekeeping Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations commits all stakeholders, including the Secretary-General, to developing an integrated performance policy framework, performance data, effective field support, clear operational and technical requirements, and to working with Member States to generate specialized capabilities. Member States have committed to providing well-equipped and well-trained personnel to improve predeployment preparations and coordinate better on training and capacity-building. Additionally, the Council has of course been challenged to write mandates that are better and more realistic. First, we believe that missions must be robustly and fairly assessed, using accurate data collected from the field. That will improve our understanding of what works and what does not work so that lessons can be learned. I welcome the work that the Secretariat has undertaken in that regard to develop and pilot new frameworks for performance assessment. Where assessments do identify issues, they must be followed by appropriate action, including repatriating ineffective units and replacing them as necessary. The principles of robust assessment and accountability are particularly relevant to the conduct of peacekeepers. The United Nations human rights due diligence policy for all United Nations support and non-United Nations security forces — which includes reimbursements — must be implemented in full, as must the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse. As the Secretary-General himself said this morning, the era of silence is over and the era of accountability has begun. Secondly, with regard to collaboration, we should make the best use of our comparative strengths so that our collective effort is greater than the sum of its parts. That means ensuring, for example, that African Union peace enforcement operations complement United Nations peacekeeping missions, while respecting the relevant competencies. When we, along with 150 other countries, endorsed the Action for Peacekeeping Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, we committed to enhancing collaboration and planning between the United Nations and the relevant international, regional and subregional organizations and arrangements, while recognizing the need for a clear delineation of roles. That includes, of course, the African Union and the European Union, which have deployed several mandated operations in recent years. The United Kingdom also recognizes the importance of collaboration between organizations and their member States to ensure that all peacekeepers in the field are willing, capable of and equipped to effectively and safely implement their mandates. We are proud that British peace support teams in Africa provide training to over 10,000 African peacekeeping personnel every year. In Somalia, for example, the United Kingdom continues to support the African Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia, both bilaterally and through the European Union and the United Nations, including through the deployment of personnel to the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM and through predeployment training for regional forces. We also, of course, have a substantial peacekeeping presence in South Sudan. Thirdly, we must recognize when peacekeeping missions are not best suited to a particular challenge. For example, due to their composition and character, United Nations peacekeeping missions are not suited to engaging in peace enforcement and counter-terrorism operations. That fact underpins our support in principle for African Union-led peace support operations that are in line with the commitments set out in resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017) and authorized by the Security Council under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations to access United Nations-assessed contributions on a case-by-case basis. In conclusion, let me commend the recent successful transition from British to Vietnamese forces at the United Nations field hospital in South Sudan. That is the first time that unbroken clinical coverage has been achieved during a United Nations field hospital transfer, setting a precedent that, we believe, all future operations should seek to emulate. Many lessons were learned in that process, one being that some of the existing Department of Field Support (DFS) regulations constrained our ability to ensure unbroken clinical coverage. It is therefore key that we all learn from that and that DFS regulations be thoroughly reviewed and adapted so that transitions between smart pledges are as seamless as possible. I would like to finish by paying tribute to all the members of the British military currently serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions and by reiterating my admiration and respect for all peacekeepers who work with bravery, dedication and patience in the places where we in the Council send them.

I would like to thank Secretary-General António Guterres and the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Mr. Smaïl Chergui, for their comprehensive briefings. The State of Kuwait aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. Today I will address three issues pertaining to our discussion, namely, partnership, peace operations and funding. First, with regard to partnership, Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations provides us with an umbrella for regional cooperation. Seventy-three years after its adoption, the majority of States Members of the Organization adopted the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, which addresses many issues, including partnership, as stated in the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative. The best example of that is the cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU). The Security Council should therefore promote cooperation with the AU Peace and Security Council in keeping with its resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017). Those two resolutions highlight the commitment to promote collective security and take steps to further cooperation, including funding operations. The 2017 Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, in addition to the annual meetings between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council as well as the United Nations membership in the AU Peace Fund Board of Trustees, will provide renewed opportunity to promote dialogue between the two organizations and support political solutions and their priority. Achieving the noble objective of silencing guns, although still a long way off, remains possible with our concerted efforts. Kuwait became an observer at the AU in 2001 and hosted the third African-Arab Summit in 2013, based on our belief in the importance of cooperation with the African continent and the specific importance it represents for Arab countries and their common security. We thank you, Mr. President, for holding this open debate, and we look forward to seeing the Security Council continue to devote its attention to regional cooperation. We rely on the unity of African States, in both the AU and the Security Council. Secondly, with regard to peace operations, there is no doubt that the AU is willing and determined to address the challenges facing the continent. African countries bear the primary responsibility for their security at the national level. They also possess great knowledge and the capacity for rapid response to urgent challenges. Field cooperation between the two organizations in peacekeeping is represented through two peacekeeping operations in two Arab countries, namely, the African Union Mission in Somalia and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. Those two operations provide a model that puts African States at the forefront of defending the security of their continent and building the capacities of host countries, especially because African troop-contributing countries have the advantage of rapid response in addressing emergency challenges. They have also built up a great deal of experience over the past 20 years. Their troops now account for almost half of United Nations peacekeeping contingents. Therefore, cooperation between the two organizations to define clear peacekeeping mandates, including exit strategies and the role of women, has become a priority of our institutional work based on the Charter of the United Nations and the Joint Framework. Thirdly, with regard to funding, we have followed the official launch of the AU Peace Fund at the AU eleventh Extraordinary Summit three days ago. That is a historic turning point and a step towards promoting African solutions for African problems in cooperation with international partners, including the United Nations, which is represented on the Peace Fund Board of Trustees. We hope to secure predictable, sufficient and sustainable funding for peace operations led by the African Union and mandated by the Security Council. Of course, we will not be able to reap the benefits of such funding unless mandates are achievable. Mandates must be implemented in accordance with the three principles of peacekeeping and with priority given to political and peaceful solutions. In conclusion, we express our appreciation to peacekeepers in Africa and around the world, and to all those who have sacrificed their lives for peace. We would like also to renew Kuwait’s support for the efforts of the African States of the Security Council, including their determination to present a draft resolution on peace support missions next month.

My delegation thanks you, Sir, for having convened this meeting, which provides an opportunity to discuss strengthening the partnership between the African Union and the United Nations with respect to the strengthening of peacekeeping operations. We thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and for his leadership on this crucial issue. We are also grateful to Mr. Smaїl Chergui, African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, for his briefing. My delegation would also like to align itself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. Bolivia reaffirms the importance of continuing to improve cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union. We underscore the responsibility of the international community to make that relationship effective so as to reach a common understanding of the root causes of conflict. In that regard, we welcome the signing of the United Nations-African Union joint framework for the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. That agreement lays the groundwork for a systematic and strategic partnership based on the principles of mutual respect and comparative advantages. We also welcome the efforts devoted to reaching the goal of silencing the guns by 2020. We believe it is necessary to deepen the integration of activities related to peacekeeping and peacebuilding, and to strengthen and enhance dialogue and cooperation and coordination mechanisms with a view to achieving the overarching goal of overcoming challenges to peace and security facing both organizations, which include joint strategies related to demobilization, disarmament and reintegration, as well as conflict prevention and prioritizing leadership and participation by women and young people on peace and security issues. We also commend the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the two organizations, which will improve capacities to fight terrorism and prevent violent extremism, factors that continue to hamper peacebuilding and development in Africa. With regard to cooperation and coordination mechanisms, a noteworthy example is the deployment of joint and hybrid operations, which constitute a key tool in the ongoing quest for peace, security and resilience. They are also a useful tool for fighting threats such as terrorism, transnational crime and humanitarian crises. Bolivia likewise underscores the increasing level of strategic partnership and commitment between the Security Council of the United Nations and the African Union Peace and Security Council in building a structured and equitable relationship. That partnership must be strengthened on the basis of mutual support and continuous technical assistance, both for political issues and for peacekeeping operations. We also believe that we should continue exploring the different modalities for partnership, support and assistance to African Union operations, in accordance with resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017). In that context, Bolivia fully supports the initiative of the three African members of the Security Council regarding the draft resolution on the financing of African Union peace-support operations, which we are convinced will contribute to consolidating predictable, sustainable and flexible budgets and to strengthening the mobilization of the international community when it comes to providing the financial support needed to enhance African capacities in the area of peace and security. Moreover, Bolivia once again reaffirms its full support for the subregional and regional architecture for conflict resolution in Africa. African solutions for African problems are essential given the nature of the African Vision and its recommendations: Africans themselves possess a deeper understanding of their own reality. In conclusion, Bolivia believes it is crucial to grant a greater leadership role to the African Union in decision-making on matters that concern it in full respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all its member countries.

We thank China for convening this important debate at a crucial moment. In addition, we would like to thank Secretary- General Guterres and Commissioner Smaїl Chergui for their informative briefings. As the concept note (S/2018/1004, annex) states, the African Union (AU) remains an important partner for United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa. We fully agree, and therefore hope that today’s debate will serve as another step towards strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and AU in peacekeeping, peacebuilding and sustaining peace. We align ourselves with the statement to be made by the observer of the European Union (EU). The EU’s contribution to peace and security in Africa is considerable, both in peace operations and in support for the African Union. I will focus on three aspects of strengthening the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the AU: first, enhancing the partnership; secondly, enhancing collaboration between troop-contributing countries (TCCs) and other partners; and, thirdly, financing for AU peace support operations. With regard to my first point  — enhancing the AU-United Nations strategic partnership  — AU and United Nations peacekeeping operations have the potential to be mutually reinforcing. A strong partnership enables the United Nations and the AU to respond more swiftly and decisively to addressing challenges to peace and security in Africa. The AU’s ability to act as a first responder and move in quickly should be facilitated as much as possible. We attach great value to partnerships as an essential element of the Action for Peacekeeping initiative. Closer collaboration between the AU and the United Nations, as enshrined in resolution 2320 (2016), is therefore essential. In order to enhance the partnership, we encourage joint AU-United Nations analysis, planning and decision-making, and that includes the increased issuance of joint statements. By sharing and jointly developing early-warning information and analysis, we can reach a common understanding of emerging conflicts. Through consultative decision-making, we can develop collaborative approaches to effectively responding to conflicts. Concerning my second point, the strength of both United Nations and AU peace support operations is dependent on troop-contributing countries, and we pay tribute to the countries that contribute troops and police. We just mourned this past week the deaths of six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania, who paid the ultimate price in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We welcome their efforts and honour their sacrifice. We need well-trained and equipped peacekeepers who are able and willing to act quickly when citizens, troops or the mission is at risk. The Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative is an opportunity to enhance collaboration between TCCs and partners on peacekeeping performance, as stressed in resolution 2436 (2018). For peacekeeping to be effective, troops must meet the highest standards. In that regard, we welcome the close collaboration with Côte d’Ivoire and Ethiopia in the lead-up to the Action for Peacekeeping Declaration of Shared Commitments. We continue to work with Côte d’Ivoire on a draft resolution that will provide follow-up to the Declaration by improving peacekeeping mandates. We are also working with Côte d’Ivoire on a draft resolution focusing on peace, justice and corrections in the context of peacekeeping operations. Additionally, we express our appreciation for our collaboration with Rwanda on the Kigali Principles and for the peacekeeping preparatory conference to be held at The Hague in January 2019. We also welcome the ongoing collaboration with Ghana, Zambia, Senegal and South Africa on the Elsie Initiative on Women in Peace Operations, which focuses on strengthening the role of women in peacekeeping operations  — an important issue mentioned earlier by the Secretary- General. We encourage other TCCs to join us in that endeavour. We still have much to accomplish with regard to performance in peacekeeping, and an enhanced AU-United Nations partnership will help achieve that. Strengthening the AU-United Nations partnership should also lead to enhanced dialogue and clearer standards with regard to the performance of peacekeepers. Concerning my third point  — the need for predictable and sustainable financing for the African Union — the AU’s role in peace operations in Africa is essential, as resolution 2320 (2016) clearly states. We all therefore need to invest in the AU’s capacities, and we should agree on a different mode of financing between the United Nations and the African Union. Sustainable, predictable and flexible financing is needed to enhance the effectiveness of AU peacekeeping. We should also agree on compliance with relevant agreed standards on international humanitarian law, human rights and strategic and financial oversight. We encourage the continued drafting and implementation of a robust and comprehensive compliance framework in that context by the African Union in collaboration with the United Nations. In conclusion, we need to make progress in the following areas: first, implementing resolution 2320 (2016); secondly, enhancing peacekeeping performance through dialogue with TCCs and police-contributing countries; and, thirdly, ensuring the necessary conditions for predictable and sustainable financing for the African Union. The African Union will continue to find a partner in the Kingdom of the Netherlands with regard to efforts to strengthen the strategic partnership on peace and security. We count on the engagement and the support of the Council in connection with the two draft resolutions that we are currently working on together with Côte d’Ivoire, concerning the Action for Peacekeeping Declaration of Shared Commitments and peace, justice and corrections. Let me reiterate our most heartfelt thanks to the Secretary-General for his leadership, and to both him and AU Commissioner for their efforts.

We appreciate the idea of holding this open debate, which will certainly contribute to the improvement of our efficiency in ensuring peace and security in Africa through United Nations peacekeeping operations. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General and African Union Commissioner Chergui for their informative and helpful briefings. Please allow me to begin by saying how much our thoughts are with the families and friends of the Malawian and Tanzanian Blue Helmets who perished as they were carrying out their duties in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On behalf of Poland, let me convey our most sincere condolences to their families and friends and to the Governments of Malawi and Tanzania. We condemn in the strongest terms all acts of violence targeting United Nations peacekeepers. As the Secretary-General stated when addressing the African Union Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa in July, the African Union is the most important strategic partner of the United Nations in the realm of peace and security, development and human rights. In that context, let me use this opportunity to encourage the African Union and the United Nations to continue strengthening cooperation, based on shared respect for international law and human rights, as well as comparative advantages. We also recognize the role of subregional organizations, which can uniquely contribute to early-warning mechanisms. Their role is also crucial in the promotion of dialogue and reconciliation, as well as good governance principles. As a strong advocate of international law principles, we welcome the development of a compliance framework for international humanitarian law, human rights and the conduct and discipline for African Union peace support operations. We strongly encourage the Secretariat to continue its close cooperation with the African Union Commission to enhance prevention activities and the response to sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as pursue important initiatives on training standards for the integrated protection of civilians. That should also be strengthened by multiple efforts that would allow peacekeeping personnel to identify and implement the rules and standards of international law, especially with regard to child protection and specific protection measures for women in the context of peacekeeping operations. Every day, as Security Council members, we are challenged by serious threats that are of a transboundary nature. In that regard, I would like to draw the Council’s attention to the concept of inter-mission cooperation, which helps to better tackle regional threats. One might want to consider streamlining certain procedures and budgetary arrangements to enable more efficient practical and economic cooperation. Numerous benefits from such a complex and holistic approach include a more productive use of human, financial and equipment assets. Let us increase cooperation among United Nations peacekeeping missions and transfer inter-mission cooperation experiences and best practices from Africa to other regions of the world. That should inspire analysts and decision-makers to adopt a regional perspective during the peacekeeping mission planning process. Let me also underline the issue of national ownership of the political process, which is the key element to successful United Nations engagement and the achievement of the desired end state. It has significant impact on the effectiveness and performance of a mission as well as on the security of our peacekeepers. We should therefore continuously monitor the fulfilment of the mandate of each mission, any infringement of the status of forces agreement and possible risks and challenges resulting from changes in the political situation. Let me reiterate that peace and security in Africa can be achieved only by comprehensive engagement by regional organizations. As the role of the African Union has already been mentioned, I would also like to underline the commitment of the European Union in that regard. For instance, the strong contribution of the European Union was visible during the July elections in Mali, and in the Sahel region in general, where the European Union provided financing for the Group of Five for the Sahel and supported the African Union Mission in Somalia. I would like to conclude by emphasizing that the aim of political settlement should remain central to peacekeeping missions in Africa. We must work together to find the best possible solutions to help African countries build sustainable peace, while allowing all segments of society to be included and empowered, with special attention paid to children, women, and the elderly.

I would like to begin by thanking the Chinese presidency of the Security Council for having organized this important debate. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General and the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union (AU) for their very informative briefings and their unflagging commitment to the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. At the outset, I would also like to echo the outstanding statement made on behalf of the three African countries on the Council by the Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire. We are completely in line with that position. For France, the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union is of strategic importance today, and we are resolutely committed to supporting its development, which has immense potential in our view. That partnership is fully in keeping with current trends in peacekeeping and is a major component of the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative. In that context, we welcome the progress made under the leadership of the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, especially since the April 2017 signing of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. That partnership is part of our day-to- day reality and is now being expressed in a concrete way on a daily basis on the ground. I would mention, for example, the Central African Republic, where the United Nations and the African Union are working hand in hand to restore peace and stability in the country through the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, which is the sole framework for achieving a comprehensive and inclusive peace agreement. It is also because of the importance of that partnership that we continue to advocate for United Nations peacekeeping operations with a strong collective commitment, clear mandates for a genuine political strategy and provided with adequate means. For the same reason, we would warn against any reconsideration, including financial, of frameworks that were determined collectively for the maintenance of international peace and security. The partnership between the United Nations and the African Union is of strategic importance for France; a reason for that is the increasing strength of African peace operations. In the face of evolving threats in Africa and the need for the United Nations and the AU to become more responsive and efficient, we consider that African peace operations represent a real opportunity for a better division of labour between peace enforcement and peacekeeping with the United Nations. We see it on the ground with the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel, the African Union Mission in Somalia and the Multinational Joint Task Force deployed in the Lake Chad basin. Those African peace operations play a major role today and have at least three points in common: they are better adapted to their environment and to the threat; they have a clear mandate with a single objective; and they are less costly than United Nations peacekeeping operations. Those operations therefore have, in terms of their range and diversity, undeniable advantages. However, it is clear that African peace operations still do not count on predictable and sustainable funding. It is therefore essential to remedy that situation. That is why, as President Macron reaffirmed in his address to the General Assembly in September (see A/73/PV.6), France supports the African Union initiative aimed at the adoption of an ambitious draft resolution by the end of the year. That initiative has two cornerstones. First, we are dealing with a decision made by the Heads of State and Government of the African Union to support the African Union Peace Fund, which will cover 25 per cent of the cost of African peace operations. That is followed by the African Union’s request to the United Nations to cover 75 per cent of the cost of future operations, including through mandatory contributions. In that context, France welcomes the reforms led by the African Union and the progress made in cooperation with the United Nations since the adoption of resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017). That progress represents milestones in defining the framework we wish to give to African peace operations. I would refer in particular of the Secretary-General’s proposals for joint threat assessment, planning, mandate-setting and evaluation of African peace operations. I would mention as well the work on the monitoring and reporting mechanism on the execution of mandates. Lastly, I refer to the development of compliance frameworks for international humanitarian law, human rights and conduct and discipline, which are crucial in terms of accountability as well as for the support that the United Nations can provide to African operations. That progress must also be part of a framework that responds in particular to two principles: the primacy of the Security Council, which has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and the need for clear mandate that define a limited duration and restricted area. In that context, France considers that the important progress made by our partners in the African Union must now be strongly supported by the Security Council through the adoption of a framework draft resolution that definitively allows the Council to mobilize, on a case-by-case basis, United Nations mandatory contributions to co-finance African operations led by the African Union or mandated by the African Union. I emphasize that last point because coalitions and subregional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States and the Southern African Development Community, mobilize African forces who must also, when mandated by the AU, be able to receive support from the African Union and the United Nations. The aim of that framework draft resolution would be to establish a renewed partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. That partnership should respond to the security challenges of our century on the African continent by supporting African forces as they grow in strength and bringing the solidarity of the international community to the fight against the terrorist groups and criminal networks that threaten stability and prosperity on the continent. The countries of the African Union can count on France’s resolute support throughout that journey. I would like to conclude by once again paying tribute to all Blue Helmets deployed on peacekeeping operations, particularly those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic who recently made the ultimate sacrifice.

We thank Secretary- General Guterres and Commissioner Chergui for their briefings. I too would like to begin by saying a few words in special tribute to the Malawian and Tanzanian United Nations peacekeepers and the soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who were killed there last week. This is an important reminder for all of us that the decisions made in this Chamber have real consequences for peacekeepers and their families. Our prayers are with the families of the men and women killed last week and with the wounded who survived. Making our peacekeeping missions more effective and more accountable to the people they serve is a top priority for the United States. The African Union (AU) continues to be a strong and necessary partner of the United Nations in advancing political, security, economic and humanitarian goals in Africa. The relationship between the two organizations is unique and special, and must remain so. The United States recognizes the sacrifices that the AU and African troop-contributing countries are already making for peacekeeping operations in Africa. Ethiopia alone has more than 8,000 troops serving in United Nations peacekeeping operations and over 4,000 in the AU Mission to Somalia. Burkina Faso has more than 2,000 troops dedicated to United Nations peacekeeping, and last month paid the ultimate price when it lost two soldiers to a terrorist attack in Mali. The question we are asked to address today is how we can improve the unique relationship of the United Nations with the African Union — not for the benefit of the organizations themselves, but to help the people of Africa build a peaceful and prosperous future. It deserves a focused, sustained and honest conversation. Council members must not be rushed into making precedent- setting decisions without careful consideration of their consequences. Many here today have called for the Security Council to make United Nations-assessed contributions available as a predictable and sustainable means of support for African peace support operations. This proposal, in particular, demands that we pause to consider how it would aid peace, security and human rights in Africa. The Security Council is on record as adopting two resolutions  — resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017) — expressing its desire to work with the AU to find reliable funding structures for peacekeeping. We have also affirmed that the primary responsibility for conflict prevention lies with States and that the Council is ready to work with them to keep the peace. Those resolutions set out clear conditions that the African Union has to meet before the Security Council can even consider using United Nations-assessed contributions to fund AU peace support operations. They include the expectation that the AU must provide at least 25 per cent of the cost of operations. The Council also asks that there be full financial transparency and accountability and requires AU troops to adhere to high performance standards and maintain good conduct and discipline and respect for human rights. Progress has been made and we congratulate the AU on it, but more work is needed before the Security Council’s conditions can be considered fulfilled. It is too soon to make decisions about changing the peacekeeping relationship between the United Nations and the AU when the AU is still working on its internal reforms. Other issues have led us to believe that taking this step now would be premature. There are serious unanswered questions about how to protect the Security Council’s authority on matters related to international peace and security in any future arrangement that supports AU peace support operations with United Nations-assessed contributions. Council members must be given time to ensure that there is full political and legislative support from their capitals before making this commitment. Our Congress’s agreement is imperative for the United States. I know that is also the case for other countries and their legislatures, and we will not be able to engage our new Congress on this important and complex issue until the new year, which is the soonest we could consider joining consensus on a new draft resolution. The United States is calling for more consideration before we commit United Nations funds to AU peace support operations, but it would be a mistake to interpret our caution as a lack of support for peace, security and human rights on the African continent. The United States has long been and will remain the Organization’s top contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions, but on top of our assessed funds, we are committed to helping troop-contributing countries prepare their troops for deployment to United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa. Since 2005, we have spent $1.5 billion on training support with 23 active partners in Africa. In 2018, the United States supported the training of military personnel in African peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic, Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Darfur, Abyei and South Sudan. The United States also supports security in Africa through hundreds of millions of dollars in counter-terrorism and law-enforcement assistance. Our humanitarian, health and development assistance supports the health and education of millions of women and children as well. In short, the United States is committed to Africa’s future stability and prosperity. We are proud of our partnership with the AU and the many African troop-contributing countries. In conclusion, we see today as a step forward in our shared effort to strengthen the partnership of the United Nations with the AU. A rushed process in a matter of days to make a decision that would change peacekeeping permanently would undercut our progress. Instead, let us continue the good work on all sides to bring our two organizations closer together, with respect for their unique roles, to help the people of Africa create the peaceful, secure and prosperous future they deserve.

We thank the Chinese presidency for organizing today’s discussion on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. I would first like to join my colleagues in expressing our condolences in connection with the deaths of the Malawian and Tanzanian peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Central African Republic. Needless to say, we condemn attacks on Blue Helmets, pay tribute to their courage and dedication and wish the wounded a speedy and successful recovery. We are grateful to Secretary-General António Guterres for his informative briefing and his unwavering focus on strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union. We also thank Mr. Smaїl Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, for his views. Russia has consistently supported the efforts of African States to achieve greater independence in maintaining peace and security on their continent. We support the consistent, forward-looking development of diverse types of cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union and African subregional organizations, based on the principle of African solutions to African problems. It is unacceptable to impose prescriptions for responses to crises on Africans without their express consent. We very much appreciate the African Union’s desire to get the African Standby Force established under the African Peace and Security Architecture working in practice as soon as possible. We see the justification for African countries’ wish to bring up the issue of the provision of material and financial assistance for measures to maintain international peace and security, including through the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. We agree that it is important to increase the predictability, reliability and flexibility of the financing for African operations and joint missions. In principle, we are not against considering the possibilities for expanding United Nations participation in such missions, and we are ready for further constructive dialogue in this regard. However, we believe it is important to maintain the current United Nations procedure for reviewing and approving related budget requests, ensuring transparency and accountability in the allocation and use of funds and providing for the participation of United Nations staff at every stage of the planning and practical implementation of the tasks involved. We also want to point out that strict adherence to the basic principles of peacekeeping is key to the success of United Nations peacekeeping operations. Mandates should consider the views of host States and the ability of troop-contributing countries to implement them. Burdening peacekeepers with additional functions in the areas of the protection of human rights, gender issues and environmental problems only complicates the implementation of peacekeeping operations’ primary duties. We particularly want to note the importance of the efforts of the African Union and subregional organizations to prevent and mediate disputes. As a rule, Africans know the local nuances better and, importantly, do not have a dual agenda. Unfortunately, we can recall a great many examples where African mediation efforts have been relegated to the sidelines or deliberately undermined by external actors. I should not omit to point to the example of South Sudan in that regard, where a number of countries rammed through the decision to impose an arms embargo despite the conclusions of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and almost wrecked the revival of the negotiation process there. In spite of our Western partners’ constant pronouncements about the importance of strengthening the peacekeeping potential of the African Union and the need for ensuring that it cooperates closely with the United Nations, in practice things are often very different. Narrow interests have the upper hand. Oil- rich Libya is a clear example of that. After blocking mediation through the African Union, which had proposed a political plan for resolving the crisis, various Western countries — we all know which — opted for force. That turned out to be a tragedy for the Libyan people with major consequences that are making themselves felt to this day. Libya remains sundered, divided into zones of influence, with no united State governance institutions and a collapsing economic and social infrastructure. It has become not just a haven for terrorists from neighbouring countries and the entire Sahara-Sahel but a destabilizing factor in it. It is noteworthy that those whose irresponsible actions destabilized the situation in Libya and the whole region and then left the country to its fate are now presenting themselves as peacekeepers and constantly bemoaning the absence of an alternative political settlement for Libya, while once again ignoring the good offices of the African Union and its Ad Hoc High-Level Committee on Libya in particular. We support an approach whereby the Security Council would speak based on united positions in support of regional efforts. At the same time, however, it is important to understand that there is a place for all stakeholders with good motives and no hidden agendas in dealing with crisis situations on the African continent. Russia is assisting the stabilization process in the Central African Republic based on those principles, and is also helping the country’s authorities to restore the security sector. We hope that our colleagues on the Council will leave behind their own historical fears and narrow national interests in the work of helping Bangui to a way to emerge from its protracted crisis. We do not have to look far to find examples of Africans’ active involvement in the maintenance of peace and security on their own continent. We would like to pay tribute to the sacrifices that African countries have made in sending military contingents to the African Union Mission in Somalia to fight Al-Shabaab. And we all know that it was Powers in the region that were originally behind the Intervention Brigade. The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur has already become a success story of close collaboration between the two organizations in the field of peacekeeping. We believe that establishing all the essential preconditions in that region of the Sudan will enable the peacekeeping mission to be completely wound down by the end of 2020, in accordance with the time frame for that set out in resolution 2429 (2018). It is becoming increasingly clear that the United Nations peacekeeping presence in a country should not be open-ended. Any mission should have a clear strategy for its eventual exit. Creating artificial obstacles to drawdowns of peacekeeping operations is not just counterproductive, it is dangerous. It is essential to take the views of host countries into account, especially since there are still a number of crisis situations in Africa needing the Council’s attention. In that regard, I would like to remind the Council of the hopes of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has repeatedly raised the issue of optimizing the numbers of the peacekeeping presence in the country. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that Russia provides multidisciplinary support to African peacekeeping efforts in Africa, including by training African military personnel and law-enforcement officers in Russian higher educational institutions. We would like to highlight the training we give peacekeepers, including many from Africa, at the All- Russian Institute of Advanced Training for Employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in Domodedovo, which has United Nations certification, as well as the Infantry Training and Research Centre of the Combined Arms Academy of the Russian Federation Armed Forces and the International Mine Action Centre of Russia’s Ministry of Defence. African law-enforcement officers have the opportunity to study in higher education programmes as well as internships in short-term refresher courses in our Ministry of Internal Affairs educational institutions.

Let me start by joining others in expressing my sincere condolences to the families of the peacekeepers who lost their lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a few days ago. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General and the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union (AU) for their insightful briefings this morning. I align myself with the statement to be delivered on behalf of the European Union (EU) later today. Today’s challenges to security and development are increasingly interconnected. Climate change, inequality, terrorism and violent extremism are pertinent examples. African countries face security threats and risks that have clear implications beyond the African continent. Supporting and further strengthening African capabilities to deal with those challenges is therefore essential. Peace is best pursued in partnership. Sweden has been a long-standing supporter of an enhanced strategic partnership between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in Africa. We welcome the renewed momentum and concrete steps taken to advance that partnership, not least thanks to the dedicated leadership of the organizations involved. Last week we saw first-hand evidence of that closer cooperation through the briefing on the joint visit to South Sudan by Under-Secretary-General Lacroix and Commissioner Chergui (see S/PV.8403), accompanied by Executive Director Mlambo-Ngcuka of UN-Women. That represents a concrete example of how cooperation at the subregional, regional and global levels can generate results that will contribute to peace. We believe that our two Councils should build on our successful July meeting (see S/PV.8306) and follow suit by conducting similar joint visits to enhance shared analysis of the situations on our agendas. We commend the work carried out by the AU to enhance its capacity for preventing, mediating and settling conflicts on the African continent, including by strengthening the African Peace and Security Architecture. The launch of the AU Peace Fund at the AU Summit last week with the mobilization of $60 million is a particularly important step for enhancing self- reliance and the financing of the AU’s own activities, and represents concrete progress on the institutional reform agenda. Perspectives from civil society remain crucial to those efforts. However, additional financial and political support is needed to realize the full potential of the AU-United Nations partnership. We welcome the discussions on the proposals pertaining to financing that are laid out in the Secretary-Generals report (S/2018/678), including the use of assessed United Nations contributions. We are encouraged by the collaborative work on strengthening the oversight and accountability of AU-led peace operations, including the ongoing work to strengthen and ensure compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as the conduct and discipline frameworks of the United Nations and the AU. Our joint efforts to enhance African capabilities must go beyond strengthening military responses. Holistic approaches across the conflict cycles are needed for sustaining peace. That includes addressing the root causes of conflict in order to achieve structural prevention at the national level, and building effective, transparent and inclusive institutions. It requires scaling up efforts to address illicit financial flows and fight transnational organized crime, which exploit and exacerbate State fragility. Mitigating the effects of climate change is also crucial. We commend the commitment of the African Union to implementing Agenda 2063 as a means to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in Africa, efforts that clearly embody African leadership and ownership. The women and peace and security agenda remains a particularly vital area, and the AU has already taken important steps to advance its implementation. But it will still be important to ensure continued political will and leadership in order to implement the regional action plan. The support to the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation, FemWise-Africa, to promote women’s role, inclusion and leadership in peace processes is encouraging, as is the work carried out by the African Women Leaders Network to build on and harness women’s participation throughout the region. Triangular partnerships beyond the AU and the United Nations should also be further explored. The European Union has been a long-standing supporter of the AU’s peace operations, not least in Somalia and the Sahel, where we have close collaboration with the AU, the EU and the United Nations. Further opportunities for trilateral collaborations should be pursued. We spend a large amount of time in this Chamber discussing devastating crises on the African continent. Today is an opportunity to focus solely on cooperation and solutions, and on how our respective efforts can yield better results if we join forces. Moving forward on this agenda will require our substantial and sustained political investment, and we look forward to doing our part.

We appreciate the convening of this meeting and the important briefings delivered by Secretary-General António Guterres and Commissioner Smaїl Chergui. We would like to begin by recognizing the commitment, vision and unity of African States in taking on their responsibility to prevent and resolve conflicts on their continent, and to highlight their development of a comprehensive legal basis, administrative structures and coordination mechanisms based on Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. All of that fosters synergies and complementarity between the United Nations system, particularly the Security Council, and the African Union and subregional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the Southern African Development Community, with the shared aim of institutionalizing and making the peace and security architecture in Africa more effective. For example, the African peacekeeping missions can benefit from the accumulated experience of the Council’s peacekeeping operations in the areas of planning, the verification of aims, compliance with humanitarian and human rights standards and accountability. In that regard, we commend the recent African Union policy documents on conduct and discipline and preventing and responding to sexual exploitation in peacekeeping missions. We would like to especially highlight the best practices on fighting terrorism developed by the regional operations in Burundi, the Sudan, Somalia and the Sahel, which constitute an essential complement to their respective United Nations missions. We underscore the importance of having flexible coordination mechanisms to enhance complementarity between the various operational and geographical dimensions and the synergies arising from greater awareness of the circumstances and needs of the regional actors on the ground. In that connection, we would like to encourage the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and other bodies in the United Nations system to continue working closely with the African Union in the framework of a strategic alliance for developing policies and strategies for African peacekeeping missions. To that end, it is important to ensure coordination, joint visits and the annual meeting with the African Union Peace and Security Council, in accordance with resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017) and the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. In that regard, the recent Declaration of Shared Commitments on the action plan for the maintenance of peace reminds us of the importance of clearly defining roles and tasks. The United Nations can play a complementary role by providing logistical and organizational support in the areas where regional organizations take the lead. We believe that we could explore the alternative of temporarily assigning United Nations staff to offices of the African Union. We also believe it is important for the United Nations to support African development and capacity-building, as well as the efforts of African States to ensure predictable, sustainable and flexible funding for peacekeeping operations by facilitating their access to potential contributors. We emphasize that ensuring adequate funding for such operations is crucial if they are to achieve their targets and maintain reserve forces that can deploy rapidly and in a timely manner in the face of emerging threats. We stress that developing regional capacities for prevention would bring the Council significant savings in its primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. In that regard, we also underscore the importance of being able to rely on capacities for analysing risks and conflicts and for mediation, and in general for developing inclusive, transparent and accountable institutions that can tackle the root causes of conflicts and build sustainable peace. In conclusion, we emphasize that it is crucial to the effectiveness of all those tasks that we promote the greater participation of women at all levels, and especially in leadership roles and in interactions with communities affected by conflict. Lastly, we would like to pay tribute to the Blue Helmets who sacrificed their lives in the past few weeks in the service of international peace and security.

I would like 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 the texts in writing and to deliver a condensed version when speaking in the Chamber. I also want to inform representatives that we will be carrying on this open debate through the lunch hour, as we have a large number of speakers to hear this afternoon. I now give the floor to the representative of India.

Peacekeeping is a shared responsibility, and all stakeholders therefore have to learn to cooperate with one another in a spirit of partnership. Since nearly 50 per cent of all United Nations peacekeeping operations have been conducted in Africa, we welcome the opportunity you have provided, Mr. President, to share our views on an important issue. Africa has been transforming rapidly. The maturing of the African subregional and regional groupings, especially the African Union (AU), as reflected in their undertaking of peacekeeping initiatives dealing with conflicts in Africa, the institutionalization of the coordination between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council, and the emergence of several African countries as major troop-contributors, are all reflective of the changes under way. Underpinning all those changes is the collective belief that the AU and other regional organizations and national Governments in Africa are best placed to provide solutions to the challenges facing their region. The AU’s Agenda 2063 sets out Africa’s long-term collective vision for its future. We feel that it is the responsibility of the international community, and in our collective interest, to assist Africa in meeting its commonly agreed-on goals. It is from that perspective that we would like to make a few suggestions for strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. First, peacekeeping mandates are multidimensional. However, we must resist the temptation to add disproportionate mandate components, and we must aim at prioritizing mandates, which will help in ensuring the judicious allocation of the meagre resources available for implementing the mandates. Secondly, peacekeeping missions in Africa operate in vast environments. As I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the peacekeepers from Tanzania and Malawi who paid the ultimate sacrifice last week while serving the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), I would like to draw the Council’s attention to what peacekeepers are facing while deployed in MONUSCO. To give an example, one of the sensitive areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo — the Central Sector, which covers more than 500,000 square kilometres and contains more than 11 million people — is being looked after by four battalions of United Nations peacekeeping operations totalling about 3,000 troops. Those 3,000 or so troops are responsible for that entire area of operations. That amounts to one soldier per 158 square kilometres. If, in such a scenario, we task the troops deployed to enforce the protection of civilians without even providing enabling air assets for rapid reinforcement operations, it is obvious that the size and scale of United Nations deployments are insufficient for the tasks entrusted to them. The strategy of peacekeepers being required to do more with less is setting us all up for a tragedy. Thirdly, predictable and sustainable financing, which follows on from the second issue, is a prerequisite for all peacekeeping operations to succeed. We support the Secretary-General’s recommendation that African peacekeeping operations authorized by the Security Council should also be considered for assessed contributions. Fourthly, we see that troop-contributing countries increasingly devise deployment arrangements with the highest number of caveats when deploying in Africa. That results in an unfair distribution of work among the various troops on the ground, thereby affecting the performance of missions. It is time that we do away with such practices. Fifthly, Africa collectively contributes the largest number of personnel to United Nations peacekeeping operations. If we include peacekeeping operations that are not United Nations operations, the numbers will be even higher. There is obviously much to share and learn with our African partners. It is time to look at how we at the United Nations can support that through mechanisms of soft coordination. India’s partnership with Africa is based on building instruments of empowerment that would enable the continent to find solutions to its problems. We urge the United Nations to also look at longer-term efforts for expanding African capacities and enhancing collective cooperation. India is ready to walk along that path of political and diplomatic engagement in partnering African States and entities, in line with their own articulation of the needs and requirements of a continent in the throes of change.

I now give the floor to the representative of Switzerland.

I thank you, Mr. President, for having convened this very relevant open debate. Close cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union is vital from the viewpoint both of strengthening African peacekeeping operations and of the impact that such cooperation can have on sustaining peace. In that regard, Switzerland welcomes the various framework agreements signed between the United Nations and the African Union. I would like to emphasize three points. First, Switzerland is convinced that a human security approach that places the human being at the heart of peace and security is fundamental. It is necessary to understand and address the causes of violence in order to provide real alternatives that make a peaceful future possible. For that reason, for several years Switzerland has been pursuing with its partners on the African continent an agenda to prevent violence and to strengthen peace. That involves promoting inclusive dialogue to reduce the political, economic and social exclusion that are often the root causes of violence. In the United Nations context, Switzerland supports the work of the Peacebuilding Commission, in particular by chairing the Commission’s Burundi configuration. We welcome the fact that the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund have strengthened their cooperation with the African Union and other regional organizations in recent years. In the bilateral context, we maintain, for example, a network of human security advisers who work to promote peace and human rights and are based in our representations in Africa and elsewhere. Secondly, Switzerland would like to highlight the important role played by the centres of excellence of the various regional economic communities in capacity- building for African peace operations. For nearly a decade, Switzerland has committed itself to African peacekeeping operations by supporting such centres, namely, at the School of Peacekeeping Alioune Blondin Beye in Bamako, the Kofi Annan International Peace Training Centre in Accra and the International Peace Support Training Centre in Nairobi. Thirdly, Switzerland, like the African Union, its member States and other actors, is of the view that ensuring sustainable and predictable funding for African peace operations is strategically important. Respect for human rights and international humanitarian law remains an important frame of reference for that cooperation. In that regard, Switzerland provides expertise to the African Union. We recognize that many challenges cannot be overcome in isolation. The peacekeeping partnership between the United Nations and the African Union paves the way for strengthened multilateralism for the benefit of the entire continent and beyond.

I now give the floor to the representative of Japan.

I would like to thank China for having convened today’s meeting, which is of great importance. I would also like to join other speakers in paying tribute to those peacekeepers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. A great number of countries on the African continent have made marked progress in achieving peace and strong economic development. Yet many regions still face the threat of conflict and terrorism. The five largest United Nations peacekeeping missions currently operate in Africa. As those missions demonstrate through the implementation of their mandates, United Nations peacekeeping missions have a pivotal role in contributing to efforts to maintain peace and security. Successful and sustainable peace settlements must be built on a political and social foundation that provides peace and stability in the country. In order to enable United Nations peacekeeping operations to effectively assist political settlements and achieve sustainable peace in Africa, the United Nations must work to improve the quality of peacekeeping, especially in cooperation with its African partners. African countries play an important role in the peace and security of their continent. That is illustrated by the fact that 13 out of the top 20 troop/police-contributors to United Nations peacekeeping are now from African countries. Given their prominent role, we are therefore convinced of the importance of capacity-building for African nations. Based on that conviction, for many years Japan has supported African peacekeeping efforts both multilaterally and bilaterally. For instance, since 2015, Japan has provided engineering training to more than 200 personnel from eight African countries through the United Nations triangular partnership project in Kenya. Those trainees have been deployed to many field missions, namely, the African Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations Mission in the Sudan. We also support the United Nations Military Signals Academy in Uganda, which has trained more than 1,500 personnel, many of whom have subsequently been deployed to African peacekeeping missions. Starting next year, we plan to launch medical training to troop-contributing countries (TCC), including African TCCs, through the United Nations triangular partnership project. In addition to support for multilateral efforts, Japan has partnered with African peacekeeping institutes in 13 African countries, dispatching Japanese uniformed and civilian experts to give lectures and assist with the development of curricula at institutes in Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali and South Africa. The promotion of social stability for shared prosperity was identified as one of the priorities at the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, in 2016. Japan truly believes that empowering African institutions and the African people is among the most effective methods of creating a more peaceful and secure environment. Japan will continue to work with the United Nations to improve the quality of United Nations peacekeeping for a peaceful and stable Africa. In closing, let me reiterate the importance of building the African capacity to realize a peaceful and stable Africa. The challenges that Africa faces are multifaceted and require integrated solutions. Given the wide range of complex security challenges in Africa, we believe that empowering African institutions and the African people would be the real driving force behind peace and security in Africa. Japan believes that United Nations peacekeeping continues to be a major contributor to that end.

I now give the floor to the representative of Brazil.

I thank the Chinese presidency for having organized this important and timely debate on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. I thank also the Secretary-General and Commissioner Chergui for their thorough and constructive briefings this morning. We also condemn the recent attacks on Blue Helmets in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and express our condolences in connection with the deaths of peacekeepers from Tanzania and Malawi. Brazil has a long history of engagement with United Nations peace efforts and has actively taken part in several peacekeeping operations on the African continent. From the outset, we contributed to the United Nations Emergency Force in Suez, from 1956 to 1967, and to the United Nations Operation in the Congo, from 1960 to 1964. We also made important troop contributions to the United Nations Operation in Mozambique and to the third United Nations Angola Verification Mission. Over the years, our troops have been recognized for their discipline, performance and ability to operate in complex scenarios. Currently, Brazil contributes police, military observers and staff officers to six United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa, and Brazilian General Elias Martins is the Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition to deploying troops, Brazil is also engaged in the predeployment training of African military engineers through triangular partnership projects. The Brazilian Peace Operations Joint Training Center is an important means of promoting the exchange of best practices between Brazil and African countries in peacekeeping missions. Through bilateral channels, Brazil has also engaged with African partners in cooperation projects aimed at strengthening peacekeeping capacities. For instance, the Brazilian army currently maintains cooperation initiatives with several African countries, including Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, and South Africa. From our vast collective experience in peacekeeping, we can draw important lessons and identify good practices that are useful to address challenges and explore opportunities for an effective United Nations engagement in peace efforts in Africa. A common trait of successful peacekeeping missions is that they work in close collaboration with United Nations agencies and international partners involved with the promotion of sustainable development. We must ensure that long-term peacebuilding and development strategies remain effective before, during and after the temporary engagement of peacekeepers. As they are the most important United Nations presence in conflict settings, peacekeepers have a fundamental role to play as a platform for early peacebuilding. In order to fulfil their mandates, peacekeeping missions are often required to help disarm, demobilize and reintegrate ex-combatants, as well as to assist in the rebuilding and strengthening of local institutions and the promotion of the rule of law. They should also have some flexibility to carry out targeted and concrete quick-impact projects. Those are responsibilities that will ultimately lead to greater stability and allow for mission drawdown. Another recommendation we would make on the basis of previous experience is that a limited set of core political goals should guide every task we assign to our peacekeeping missions in Africa. Peacekeeping is meant to be a temporary but decisive endeavour. Moreover, Security Council mandates should always be matched by the necessary human and financial resources. The viability of a mission’s tasks and the need for the prioritization and sequencing of mandates must be assessed coherently. It is essential that the African perspective be taken into account in decision-making processes on all African issues, particularly the mandates of peacekeeping missions on the continent. Only through a reform of the Security Council, with the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, can the issue of the representation of African and developing countries be adequately addressed. The prerogatives of being a permanent member of the Security Council involve special responsibilities in the funding of the Council’s decisions. It is not reasonable to expect developing countries to have additional financial responsibilities with regard to peacekeeping operations without a corresponding reform of the composition of the Security Council. We also believe that the funding of the special political missions established by the Security Council should follow the peacekeeping scale of assessments. A final point I would like to make is the need for partnerships. We cannot expect our peacekeeping missions in Africa to carry out the ambitious role we want them to play without fluid cooperation with African regional and subregional organizations, which have increasingly assumed responsibility for security issues on the continent. By strengthening United Nations support for African missions, we can make full use of Chapter VIII of the Charter and promote African ownership in addressing its peace and security challenges. However, neither the principles nor best the interests of the United Nations and Africa will be served if such support is disproportionately focused on military operations once conflict has broken out. Supporting the primacy of African politics in preventing and peacefully solving African problems should be part and parcel of a comprehensive United Nations strategy to enhance African capabilities in the area of peace and security. African Union operations pursuing mandates established by the Security Council must be adequately funded. It is important that in-depth discussions be held in the General Assembly, particularly on any case in which assessed contributions might be considered. As we are celebrating this year the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, let me end my intervention by quoting his words: “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”. Madiba’s message makes solidarity a condition for the full realization of freedom. That is exactly the promise of the Security Council’s global collective security mechanism, whose bedrock concept is that global peace is indivisible. Freeing Africa from conflict, poverty and violent extremism is indeed a global responsibility, and United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa are a necessary tool for us to achieve that goal.

I now give the floor to the representative of Egypt.

At the outset, I should like to express my condolences to Malawi and Tanzania on the deaths last week of their nationals in peacekeeping operations. United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa have achieved considerable successes over the course of the Organization’s history in terms of maintaining international peace and security and protecting civilians. The tasks of those peacekeeping operations have evolved over decades and the expectations of the international community have increased. However, at the moment those operations are currently facing unprecedented challenges in carrying out complicated tasks in an unconventional security environment and a tendency to reduce the funding for those missions in Africa. That is why our meeting today is particularly important. We therefore thank the Chinese presidency for convening this open debate. We are keen on participating in this meeting in order to underscore our commitment to joining any effort aimed at promoting the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations on the African continent. In our capacity as Chair of the Group of 77 and China, we have contributed to negotiations on increasing the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, the 2019 peacekeeping operations budget and the Secretary- General’s proposals on the structural reform of the peace and security architecture. Egypt is committed to supporting and developing peacekeeping operations in Africa, and it has contributed to those operations since 1960. Over the past six decades, we have contributed more than 30,000 Egyptian troops and police to 38 peacekeeping operations. Currently, Egypt is among the 10 countries that contribute the greatest number of troops and police to peacekeeping operations. Egypt believes that in order to enhance the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, we need to adopt a comprehensive approach to all stages of those operations, including mandate design and periodic review, the configuration of missions with the provision of equipment and deployment processes, as well as exit strategies. Therefore, we must adopt practical and objective frameworks to assess performance, resources and the alignment of the configuration of every mission with its mandate and with the security and political environment. Egypt would like to stress the following points. First, priority must be given to political solutions, and the United Nations response to African conflicts must be adequate and comprehensive. Peace cannot be achieved through military and security solutions alone without clear political vision. In order to ensure the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, the United Nations must increase its efforts and resources in order to respond to all stages of the conflict, and strive to build peace according to the priorities of every African host country and in line with the specificities of every conflict. Secondly, it is important to be committed to the basic principles of peacekeeping, including the consent of the parties to the conflict, impartiality and the non-use of force, except in cases of defending the mandates or self-defence. Those are the main criteria for ensuring the success of peacekeeping operations and the safety and security of international peacekeepers on the African continent. Thirdly, we must design clear and sequenced mandates for peacekeeping operations in Africa. The clarity of mandates is one of the most important criteria for ensuring the success of peacekeeping operations. Mandates must be realistic and capable of keeping track of developments on the ground, including political developments. Fourthly, we must ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers. We have witnessed recently an increase in casualties and in threats facing peacekeeping operations, especially as those international operations expand in Africa. Therefore, we must focus, as a United Nations priority, on the safety and security of peacekeepers and we must allocate financial resources and provide technical capabilities in line with the challenges facing our international troops in Africa. Fifthly, we must stress the importance of national ownership and respect for the sovereignty of concerned African States. Peacekeeping operations must contribute effectively to creating the necessary security environment to allow States and institutions to carry out their responsibilities, including the provision of security and basic services to their citizens and support for the basic role of States in ending conflicts. Sixthly, we must ensure an equitable distribution of responsibilities and strengthen the partnerships of the United Nations. In order to ensure the success of peacekeeping operations, we must ensure a just distribution of obligations and tasks among troop- contributing countries, donor countries and the Secretariat. This is also linked to strengthening the strategic and operational coordination between the United Nations and the African Union (AU). In closing, my country endorsed the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in September, as part of the Secretary- General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative. We have also signed on to the Kigali Principles on the Protection of Civilians. That demonstrates Egypt’s commitment to continuing to work to achieve more effective international peacekeeping operations. The Foreign Ministry of Egypt and the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding hosted over the past few days a high-level regional conference in Cairo on developing the performance of peacekeeping operations in Africa. A number of United Nations and African officials took part in that conference, including the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. The conference sought to build on the content of the Declaration of Shared Commitments and to give troop- contributing countries the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on developing the performance of peacekeeping operations. As President of the AU in 2019, Egypt will continue to strengthen the strategic partnership between the AU and the United Nations in peacekeeping, reconstruction and development in Africa. Egypt will inaugurate a relevant AU centre in Cairo that seeks to ensure cooperation and the mobilization of efforts to achieve peace, stability and security on our continent and in the world.

I now give the floor to the representative of Ireland.

I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this important debate. I also want to thank the Secretary-General and Commissioner Chergui for their valuable briefings. Ireland aligns itself with the statement to be made by the observer of the European Union. At the outset, as a country with a long tradition of peacekeeping, the people and the Government of Ireland want to express their sincere sympathy to the peoples and the Governments of Tanzania and Malawi for the very tragic losses of brave peacekeepers recently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ireland fully supports the need to mobilize the international community to focus on and, perhaps more important, to invest in African peace and security. We are inspired by your useful concept note (S/2018/1004, annex), Mr. President. I want to touch on a few areas that we see as particularly useful, using your concept note as a guide. First, improving cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) is absolutely fundamental. Ireland’s first deployment of an armed peacekeeping contingent was in the Congo in 1960. Nearly 60 years later, we are still actively contributing to United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa and the Middle East. We, as peacekeepers, are acutely aware of the growing and diverse challenges facing United Nations peace operations in different countries and regions. The range and complexity of the challenges underscore the importance of working closely with regional partners, such as the African Union, and, very important, of empowering local stakeholders. Equally, Ireland believes it is important to ensure that the peacekeeping efforts we make respond to local needs. Mandates must match the realities of the conflict on the ground where it is happening. Resources must match the mandate; and they must of course be reinforced by political will around this table. Ireland has endorsed the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations as part of the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative. The Declaration highlights the importance of enhanced partnerships with regional organizations. Our collective challenge now, of course, is to actually turn those commitments into action and reality on the ground. That brings me to my second point, namely, that we must learn from the mechanisms in place and build upon the daily efforts we are already making. We should ensure that there is full use of the opportunities of the Joint United Nations-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. We also encourage greater communication between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council. Emphasis should be placed on operational cooperation that makes a real difference on the ground. Joint analysis, planning and reviews are all fundamental. We must also implement the Secretary General’s zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. That problem has been shamefully evident in peacekeeping operations in many regions. Efforts to enhance the United Nations-AU partnership should also place emphasis on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse and finding justice for victims. For its part, Ireland has signed the voluntary compact on preventing and addressing sexual exploitation and abuse, and we encourage all States to do the same. Ireland’s Taoiseach, our Prime Minister, is a committed member of the Secretary-General’s Circle of Leadership on that issue. Thirdly, in line with the concept note (S/2018/1004, annex), we believe we must look again at financing options from within, but also beyond the Organization’s budget. It is clear that the current United Nations financing structure for African- led peace operations is unsustainable. The ongoing question of the role of the Organization’s regular budget is an important one, and it warrants serious discussion. However, it cannot detract from the broader question of how the international community can best support Africa to finance its own initiatives for peace and security. That is a serious question that we all need to address. Ireland welcomes the launch of the African Union Peace Fund, just last week, and its ambitious targets. The transformative potential of the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will substantially reinforce efforts to achieve sustainable peace and security in the region. My country, Ireland, sees the work of the Peacebuilding Commission as central to those efforts. Finally, we see scope for continuing to invest in capacity-building and training. Ireland’s Defence Forces are currently on the ground in Burkina Faso, training troops in countering improvised explosive devices as they deploy to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali in neighbouring Mali. We also provide training in the protection of civilians, which is a core mandate of all peacekeeping missions. That sort of capacity- building is really essential for successful peacekeeping missions. Council members can rest assured that Ireland will continue to prioritize peacekeeping both now and as an aspiring member of the Council for the 2021-2022 term. African-led peacekeeping operations are crucial to global peace and security. Africa’s own investment and ownership of those operations is fundamental. Ireland therefore not only supports but speaks out in favour of reforming the Security Council so that the historic injustices of African underrepresentation can be addressed and more voices brought to the table to support the discussion on peace and security in the region. Allow me to conclude by highlighting that the first step in strengthening international support for African- led peace operations is listening. We want to listen to the informed and committed peacebuilders from the region itself, and I am delighted we are doing that today. I thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this debate, which provides us a much-needed opportunity to listen.

I now give the floor to the representative of Italy.

Let me first commend you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting on such an important theme. I also wish to thank the Secretary- General and Commissioner Chergui for their briefings. Italy aligns itself with the statement to be made by the observer of the European Union (EU). Africa is an active global player in the field of peace and security and is enhancing its own instruments to respond effectively to threats and crises affecting the continent, to prevent them from occurring and to achieve the objective of silencing the guns by 2020. We commend the strengthening of the African Peace and Security Architecture and the African Standby Force, as well as efforts to develop frameworks for international humanitarian law and for human rights, conduct and discipline compliance for African Union (AU) peace-support operations. We believe those frameworks are an essential component of the African Peace and Security Architecture. We welcome also the progress made in the operationalization of the African Union Peace Fund, which this year reached the highest contributions level since its establishment. We appreciate that the Fund is also set to finance mediation and preventive diplomacy activities. Prevention is still the best option at our disposal and avoids the human suffering and destruction produced by conflicts. Despite remarkable progress over the past few years, more remains to be done. In that regard, partnerships are essential because no one — not even the United Nations — can do everything on its own. Moreover, the involvement of regional and subregional organizations and the implementation of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations are crucial to properly addressing regional crises and finding sustainable solutions. With the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations last September, we committed once again to enhancing collaboration and planning between the United Nations and relevant international, regional and subregional organizations and arrangements, including the African Union and the European Union. We also committed to supporting the African Union in strengthening and implementing its policies, procedures and capacities. The United Nations and the African Union have a long and successful history of cooperation on the ground. We commend the progress made in improving that partnership and encourage further strengthening of the United Nations-AU working relationship, which will ensure effective and cost-efficient peace operations. The European Union plays an important role in complementing the efforts of the United Nations and other regional organizations on the ground. The EU has several training and capacity-building missions in Africa and provides financial support to many African peace-support operations through its African Peace Facility, from the African Union Mission in Somalia to the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (G-5 Sahel), where unique trilateral cooperation among the EU, the United Nations and the G-5 Sahel was put in place. Italy is ready to contribute to strengthening African capacities in the area of peacekeeping. Thanks to our carabinieri and our defence forces, from Somalia to the Sahel, Italy is sparing no effort to build capacity across the board — from border security to election security and from justice and correction practices to the fight against organized crime and trafficking. We committed additional resources this year to specific training and capacity-building programmes. On 25 October, we organized in Rome the second Italy- Africa Ministerial Conference, which focused, among other things, specifically on issues related to peace and security in Africa. Through our Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units, located in Vicenza, we provide high-quality training and specialized courses for peacekeepers on the rule of law, the protection of civilians, sexual and gender-based violence in conflict and the broader women and peace and security agenda. It is recognized that African Union-led peace operations have comparative advantages in terms of flexibility, rapid deployment in challenging environments and the capacity to carry out robust mandates. Their main challenge is still the lack of sustainable and predictable funding. The Secretary- General’s report on the subject envisages different mechanisms to finance and support African Union peace operations that are authorized by the Security Council. Those options should be fully considered and implemented. The example of the G5-Sahel Joint Force is useful in analysing the impact the lack of funding could have. As the Secretary-General stated in his latest report on the G5-Sahel Force (S/2018/1006), the Force’s existing support model is not sufficient and a more comprehensive and extensive United Nations support package is needed. Only then could the countries of the region fully realize the ambitious objectives they set for themselves with that innovative and most welcome initiative. Italy remains in favour of using United Nations- assessed contributions for African-led peace operations, provided that appropriate standards in terms of troop quality, training, equipment, financial transparency, human rights compliance, conduct and discipline are met. In order to achieve those goals, the Security Council has to show readiness in embracing the innovative spirit that the terms of the relationship with Africa require today. Ultimately, what is at stake is the idea itself of constructive multilateralism, which we should uphold and advance by showing the necessary political leadership.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Let me first join previous speakers to express our condolences on the deaths of peacekeepers from Malawi and Tanzania. I would like to begin by thanking the Chinese presidency for organizing this meeting. My thanks also go to the Secretary-General and to the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security for their valuable input. I also associate myself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. We welcome this open debate focused on increasing the level of attention to, and investment in, African peace and security in general, and on peacekeeping operations there in particular. The United Nations and the international community have a responsibility to assist Africa in strengthening its capacity to maintain peace and security. At the same time, the fact that the five largest of the 14 United Nations peacekeeping missions are deployed in Africa proves the importance that the United Nations attaches to preserving and promoting peace and security in Africa. The United Nations also has a responsibility to make use of the capacity of the African countries and arrangements in promoting peace and security. We support the principle of African solutions to African problems. Chapter VIII, Article 52, paragraph 1 of the Charter of the United Nations underlines the important role that can be played by “regional arrangements or agencies for dealing with such matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security as are appropriate for regional action”. It also obliges the Security Council, where appropriate, to utilize such regional arrangements or agencies for enforcement action under its authority. It is clear that such activities must be conducted consistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Therefore, to promote peace and security in the African continent and countries, Africa’s leading role in resolving its own security issues has to be respected. Accordingly, we should promote African Union-led peace operations authorized by the Security Council. All such peacekeeping operations should be based on respect for the basic principles of peacekeeping, namely, the consent of the parties, impartiality and non-use of force except in self-defence or defence of the mandate. At the same time, African countries and organizations should be given assistance in playing their role in promoting international peace and security, since some African troop-contributing countries and African Union peace operations are constrained in terms of financial resources, equipment and internal management, which limits their ability to respond to peace and security challenges. It shall be appreciated that more than half of the top 20 countries currently contributing troops to United Nations peacekeeping operations are African countries. In conclusion, I should stress that Africa has already proved its ability in overcoming challenges such as apartheid, and we hope it will soon also overcome its security challenges.

I now give the floor to the representative of Argentina.

First of all, I would like to thank the People’s Republic of China for taking the initiative to convene this debate and for circulating the concept note to guide our interventions (S/2018/1004, annex). We also thank the Secretary-General and the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union for their briefings. Argentina reaffirms its firm commitment to peacekeeping operations, initiated 60 years ago, in line with our resolute support for the development of a transparent and effective peacekeeping system within the framework of the United Nations. We believe that peacekeeping operations must be part of a holistic strategy that includes conflict prevention, peacekeeping and sustainable peacebuilding that integrates the perspective of sustainable development and human rights and addresses the root causes of conflicts. Against that backdrop, Argentina has been participating in peacekeeping operations in Africa for 58 years and is currently present in the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. We believe that the mandates of peacekeeping operations should be tailored to specific contexts. We also see a growing tendency to require peacekeeping operations to perform better in performing a greater number of tasks in increasingly risky and complex operational environments. In that context, there is a need for more effective and flexible missions, based on clear mandates and benchmarks for both staff and host States, with adequate advance planning and resources. Argentina has supported from the outset the conception of peacekeeping operations as policy tools to be designed and implemented as part of a broader strategy in support of viable political processes and the peaceful resolution of disputes. That is why we are convinced of the value of regional and subregional bodies for the maintenance of international peace and security, as well as for peacebuilding and the building of sustainable peace. The development of multilateralism at the regional level and cooperation with the peacekeeping operations has proved to be highly effective for the peaceful resolution of conflicts, through the promotion of political dialogue and mediation. Argentina agrees on the need for all stakeholders to renew our commitment to peacekeeping operations. That is why we support the reform of the peace and security pillar presented by the Secretary-General and have adhered to the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, launched within the framework of the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative. Through the Declaration, we reaffirm the primacy of politics in conflict resolution and the supportive role of peacekeeping operations. In that regard, with regard to the prevention of conflicts and the maintenance of peace and security in Africa, it is essential to highlight the role of regional and subregional bodies in promoting political solutions based on dialogue through their mediation efforts, as well as the action of African Union peace support operations authorized by the Council under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. In that regard, by endorsing the Declaration, we committed ourselves to support the African Union in strengthening and implementing its policies, procedures and capacities, through international cooperation and support measures, with the aim of improving the strategic partnership between the two organizations, in order to improve the planning, deployment and management of peacekeeping operations in Africa. The security of peacekeeping operations staff continues to be a major concern, as missions increasingly deploy in highly unstable scenarios and where there is no peace to keep. In that regard, we condemn in the strongest terms all attacks and acts of violence against peacekeeping personnel, and we call for all the necessary measures to be taken to bring those responsible to justice and ensure adequate accountabililty. Finally, I would like to conclude by expressing my sincere appreciation for the courageous personnel of field missions and to pay tribute to the personnel who have lost their lives over the past year in the discharge of their duty in maintaining peace and in pursuit of the ideal of a more just and peaceful world.

I now give the floor to the representative of Namibia.

As I have not yet had the chance to speak before the Security Council this month, I congratulate the People’s Republic of China on its assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of November and thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this open debate on the important topic of peace and security in Africa. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General and the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security for their insightful briefings. My delegation aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries and with the statement delivered by the representative of Côte d’Ivoire on behalf of the three African countries that are members of the Security Council. Nine days ago, the world stood still for a moment to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the end of the First World War. While it is indeed a moment to celebrate the armistice with Germany that came into effect on 11 November 1918, that annual day has also become a moment for the world to stand still and reflect on and commemorate the countless lives that were lost during that war and so many other subsequent conflicts. Following the recent shootings of innocent young people in a bar in California and the unthinkable attack on worshippers in a synagogue, a grief-stricken mother of a young woman cried out for people to stop sending her thoughts and prayers, for nothing would take away the pain and sorrow caused by the cruelty of violence and death. This is the world we live in today, it is one where we all hate that we are confronted with what seems to be never-ending conflicts, death, destruction, terrorism, violence and threats to peace and security. It is in that real world where we, the United Nations and in particular the Security Council, now more than ever have our work cut out to live up to our obligations under the Charter of the United Nations to promote, encourage and seek peaceful means to end conflicts. My delegation therefore commends you, Mr. President, for affording us this opportunity today to reflect once again on the important topic of peace and security. At the General Assembly’s recent general debate (see A/73/PV.8), His Excellency Mr. Hage G. Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, referred to peace and security as the bedrock of our collective determination to achieve sustainable development. He recognized that partnerships are key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and that strategic partnership between international and regional bodies, such as the United Nations and the African Union (AU), are fundamental for the realization of our common objectives and desires for peace and security. There are currently eight United Nations peacekeeping operations on the African continent. Strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the AU is key to strengthening those peacekeeping operations. In April 2017, the United Nations and the AU signed the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. As stated in the concept note for this debate (S/2018/1004, annex), the Framework provides guidance for deepening peace and security cooperation at all levels between the two organizations. Security Council resolutions have also underscored the important United Nations-AU partnership with regard to peacekeeping cooperation. The capacity of the United Nations and the AU to cooperate on matters of peace and security has been demonstrated. The organizations have successfully cooperated in various ways — in Somalia with the African Union Mission in Somalia and in Darfur with African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. Africa has assumed its full share of peacekeeping contributions, and due recognition should be given to the contributions of African countries and for their peacekeepers who have valiantly stood in harm’s way and on innumerable occasions laid down their lives for the cause of keeping peace in the world. In that regard, we wish to pay tribute to the peacekeepers from Tanzania and Malawi who lost their lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo just last week. Their sacrifice should only strengthen our resolve to continue pursuing peace. The African Union’s commitment to finance 25 per cent of its peace activities bears further witness to its unflinching commitment to securing peace on the continent. Namibia supports the call by the AU and the African members of the Security Council for predictable financing for AU-led peace support operations authorized by the Council through United Nations-assessed contributions. Namibia remains fully committed to the African Union initiative to silence the guns in Africa by 2020 as a step towards reducing conflict and war. Namibia reaffirmed its commitment to peacekeeping by endorsing the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative during the General Assembly high-level week. As a small country with a population of approximately 2.3 million people, Namibia has been a long-standing troop- and equipment-contributing country. Namibia is close to achieving the Department of Peacekeeping Operations target of 15 per cent of women participating in peacekeeping missions by the end of December, as 13.3 per cent of deployed Namibian peacekeepers are women. Women played an incalculable role in Namibia’s long-fought liberation struggle. That, in part, is what led us to vote in favour of resolution 1325 (2000). The resolution reaffirms that peace processes, mediation, conflict resolution and negotiations are far more likely to be successful if women are included. While progress has been made since the adoption of the resolution, 18 years ago, much remains to be done, as was highlighted during the annual open debate on women and peace and security (see S/PV.8382), held a month ago in the Chamber. Given the new developments on the African continent, including the appointment of Ethiopia’s first female President and the increasing participation of women in politics across the continent, we trust that that will lead to more countries embracing gender equality. There can be no sustainable peace, security or development without gender equality and the full participation of women and young girls. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to remind members that, on 10 and 11 April 2019, Namibia will host, in Windhoek, the third capital-based Focal Points Network Meeting. The theme for the event will be “Women, Peace and Security: Towards Full Participation”. All Member States and members of civil society are invited to participate in Namibia.

I now give the floor to the representative of Norway.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the five Nordic countries — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and my own country, Norway. As long-standing and consistent supporters of peace and security in Africa, the Nordic countries welcome this timely debate. We commend African countries, as well as the African Union (AU) and other African entities, for their increasingly active engagement in peace operations in Africa, to the benefit of our collective security. The most recent example is the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel, which several Nordic countries support, both directly and through participation in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. However, in spite of those efforts, and in spite of positive developments in several countries, the situation remains challenging. We believe that the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative will benefit all peace operations in Africa. As outlined in the initiative, a comprehensive approach is needed to sustain peace. We would also like to emphasize the importance of providing adequate training for personnel and using innovations and modern technologies. The Nordic countries would like to highlight four additional issues. First, peace operations should always support a political process. Joint visits and assessments by the United Nations and the AU and/or other African partners are vital for developing a common approach so that threats to peace and stability can be dealt with effectively. The revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan illustrates the importance of a united message for moving political processes forward. Secondly, much more needs to be done to increase the number of women peacekeepers. Seminars such as the one organized by Rwanda, Indonesia and Norway here in New York in May are one way of sharing experiences. We were encouraged to see the joint visit to South Sudan last month by the Head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, UN-Women and the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security. That was a welcome sign of willingness to join forces in mobilizing women and promoting the gender perspective as key to the success of peacekeeping. Thirdly, we applaud the work of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege and the many others who are engaged in addressing sexual and gender-based violence in conflicts in Africa. We call on the United Nations and the AU to join forces in countering that scourge, including through peacekeeping. We have to make sure that peace operations also effectively prevent and combat sexual exploitation and abuse. The Nordic countries will continue to support that important work. Finally, the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the AU must be further strengthened as well with regard to financing. The Nordic countries are in favour of a system that combines assessed contributions from the United Nations with AU funding. It should be based on transparent financial reporting, and AU-led operations should comply fully with United Nations standards, including the human rights due diligence policy.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Philippines.

First of all, allow me to introduce to the Security Council my colleague Military Adviser Ruben Fajardo. He is the main officer responsible for the increase in the number of peacekeepers whom we deploy to various missions. We thank him for his service. Peacekeeping remains a flagship agenda of the United Nations. More importantly, it is a core element in sustaining peace. The Secretary-General’s latest report on the work of the Organization emphasizes that, “Sustaining peace is relevant to all the United Nations peace and security tools and entails an emphasis on partnerships, national ownership and recognition of the interlinkages of the United Nations work.” (A/73/1, para. 57) We therefore commend China for convening today’s open debate on peacekeeping operations in Africa. We also commend Secretary-General António Guterres’ strong commitment to a culture of prevention and partnership through the Action for Peacekeeping initiative and the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, which was endorsed by 150 Member States, including the Philippines. For more than 50 years, the Philippines has consistently played an important role in 19 United Nations peacekeeping operations in Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa. Along with North American F-86E Sabre jet fighter planes and equipment, the first Philippine United Nations-formed unit was composed of members of the Philippine Air Force Limbas Squadron deployed to the United Nations Operations in the Congo in 1963. I would like to highlight three points. First, as a troop- and police-contributing country, the Philippines is committed to international efforts for peacekeeping operations in Africa. In general, the Philippines continues to support the Secretary-General’s initiatives to advocate for integrated approaches to addressing security, development and humanitarian challenges in the African region. Specifically with regard to strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa, we believe that much could be accomplished through capacity-building, training, or peer-learning exercises, and through the exchange of best practices and lessons learned. Voluntary contributions are also very important, and the Philippines is a contributor to the Peacebuilding Fund. Secondly, the Philippines will continue its active engagement with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in the deployment of Filipino peacekeepers. Nationally, our deployment policy is guided by the Philippine National Council for United Nations Peace Operations and approved by the Office of the President. We therefore strongly support the recommendations of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations to further improve the safety and security of our peacekeepers. To date, Philippine military, police and civilian personnel are deployed to United Nations peacekeeping and special political missions in Darfur, the Central African Republic, Somalia and South Sudan. Thirdly, the integration of women in peacekeeping operations is part of our effort under the women and peace and security agenda, as we promote the important contributions of women in peace negotiations and peacebuilding and their roles in shaping the narratives of peace. There are 17 female military, police or civilian personnel serving in peacekeeping and special political missions in Africa. Philippine participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations and peacebuilding missions in Africa demonstrates my country’s enduring commitment to working with key actors and stakeholders to ensure international peace, security and stability.

I now give the floor to the representative of Germany.

I join others in thanking the Chinese presidency for convening this open debate on peace and security in Africa. I also join others in paying tribute to the peacekeepers from Malawi and Tanzania who lost their lives recently in a heinous attack. We also thank the Secretary-General and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security for their briefings. We commend the engagement of our African partners expressed in their statements during this open debate. Germany aligns itself with the statement to be made by the observer of the European Union (EU). I will focus on three points: first, the support of the United Nations and the international community for African countries; secondly, efforts by the United Nations and the international community to help African Union-led peace operations obtain more predictable and sustainable financing; and, thirdly, the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on peacekeeping; First, Germany was among the first countries to endorse the Declaration of Shared Commitments on Peacekeeping Operations, put forth by the Secretary-General in August. We are committed to its implementation. We take the shared commitment of improving cooperation with regional organizations very seriously, in particular with the African Union. It is important to strengthen regional organizations to enable them to secure peace and stability in their own regions. Throughout the past years, Germany has already stepped up its contribution to crisis prevention efforts and peacekeeping on the African continent. We support capacity-building for the African Peace and Security Architecture, provide training and specialized equipment to a large number of African troop- and police-contributing countries. We are also contributing to the Africa-wide roll-out of best practices in controlling small arms and light weapons by United Nations peace missions in order to stop their proliferation and prevent them from falling into the hands of non-State actors. In addition, we support the ongoing process of enhancing the performance and effectiveness of United Nations peacekeeping operations through bilateral and multilateral programmes. For instance, Germany provides mobile training teams for predeployment training in the area of improvised explosive devices to troop- and police-contributing countries in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. We have already trained troops from Egypt, Guinea and Senegal. We also provide in-mission training to further increase command capabilities in high-risk missions in Africa, and we support peacekeeping training institutes in Mali, Ghana and Kenya. Moreover, in the context of the EU, as will be highlighted by the observer of the European Union, Germany is actively engaged. The EU currently supports seven African missions. Germany is the largest contributor to those projects. For instance, in the case of Mali, in the context of the EU Training Mission, currently led by a German Force Commander, we provide training for the soldiers of the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel and deploy personnel to two civilian missions — the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (EUCAP) Sahel Niger and EUCAP Sahel Mali — which advise their host countries on security sector reforms. Let me now turn to the question of financing. While Germany recognizes that financing is an integral aspect of any peace operation, we would like to the see a broader debate on performance and human rights compliance, as well as the nexus of peace operations involving prevention and peacebuilding activities. It is important to take a holistic approach involving civilian and military means and addressing all phases of a conflict from the outset. At the same time, there is a need to enhance the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of financing for AU-led peace operations authorized by the Security Council. We believe that establishing a mechanism through which AU-led or AU-mandated peace operations could be partly financed through United Nations assessed contributions should be given further consideration, on the understanding that such funding would be on a case-by-case basis, complement African contributions and respect the primacy of the Security Council. In addition to the aforementioned, we would be reassured if two aspects received due attention: first, the establishment of a robust accountability and compliance framework to ensure strategic and financial oversight; and secondly, a human rights and conduct-and-discipline framework in accordance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law. While there can be no doubt that the United Nations and the international community must help provide the resources peacekeeping missions need to deliver on their mandates, we also commend the AU’s ongoing efforts to enhance self-reliance and the financing of its activities. In conclusion, the African Union is undoubtedly one of the United Nations most important partners in peace and security on the African continent. Germany, jointly with our African partners, is committed to supporting and further developing the United Nations- AU partnership, in line with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. Based on the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, we would like to see this partnership develop even further and to address all phases of a conflict, from prevention and peace operations to post-conflict peacebuilding. We are on a good track. We should sustain that momentum and maintain the political will to take the next step, with a view to sustaining peace.

I now give the floor to the representative of Estonia.

Estonia aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the observer of the European Union (EU). At the outset, allow me to thank the Chinese presidency of the Security Council for this month for convening today’s very timely open debate. Today, half of all United Nations peacekeeping missions are on the African continent, including the largest and the most complex ones. That makes improving the overall performance and safety of peacekeeping operations in Africa of paramount importance. The importance of the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (see S/2015/446) and the report authored by former United Nations Force Commander, Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, entitled Improving security of United Nations peacekeepers, cannot be overstated. Estonia fully supports striving towards more realistic, robust and tailored mandates for peacekeeping operations. In addition, it is important to enable closer coordination among United Nations mission commanders that would help set up achievable tasks for the successful fulfilment of mandates. In order to build truly successful peacekeeping operations, we need better-prepared troops. Providing sufficient training that is suitable to the conditions on the ground, the right equipment and interoperability of forces is the responsibility of all of us. Fully trained forces with greater capabilities and fewer caveats are critical to ensuring that our troops are prepared and able to carry out the tasks we ask of them. Estonia commends the work of the Security Council in mainstreaming the gender aspects in the mandates of the United Nations peacekeeping missions. We also strive to ensure gender parity in our own peacekeeping troops. The greater inclusion of women peacekeepers is crucial to raising awareness and improving the implementation of gender aspects in peace operations. The importance of including the question of women and children in the context of peace and security cannot be overemphasized. It goes without saying that the zero- tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse must be fully implemented, and all perpetrators must be held accountable. In discussing peace and security in Africa, I want to underline the importance of addressing the root causes of conflict. Agenda 2063 of the African Union highlights the fact that forging synergies between governance and peace and security is crucial for addressing conflicts in a holistic manner. We very much welcome African efforts on concrete structural conflict prevention initiatives, early warning, mediation and preventive diplomacy, and encourage further efforts to those ends. Furthermore, Estonia fully supports the Secretary-General’s prevention agenda and all his efforts in that regard. None of us will be able to resolve the conflicts of this world alone. Forging synergies between partners and taking the most of what the multilateral system has to offer will bring us closer to lasting peace and economic well-being. For our part, Estonia will continue contributing to Africa’s peace and security. Our troops remain on the ground in Mali as part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the French-led Operation Barkhane. We fully stand by the EU-United Nations strategic partnership on peace operations and crisis management and strive for deeper trilateral cooperation between the United Nations, EU and the African Union on peace operations, conflict prevention and crisis management. In conclusion, in order to strengthen peacekeeping operations  — be they in Africa or elsewhere in the world — we need tailored country- and region-specific mandates and better-prepared forces with greater capabilities and fewer caveats. We need to focus on prevention and address the root causes of conflict. We need to involve all stakeholders on the ground, starting from larger regional organizations and ending with the local communities in conflict areas. On our side, Estonia will continue to promote these ideas throughout our bid for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the period 2020-2021.

I now give the floor to the representative of Mexico.

We thank China for convening this debate on a topic of great relevance to the Organization and the international community, particularly in a context marked by enormous challenges to international peace and security. During its more than seven decades of existence, the Organization has played fundamental roles in the maintenance of peace in conflict zones around the world. The men and women who have sacrificed themselves for the cause of peace under the banner of the United Nations deserve to remain in our memory, and they have all of our gratitude. Changes in how the international community addresses peace, security and stability challenges have been consolidated in the concept of sustainable peace — a new paradigm in which the pillars of peace and security converge with those of sustainable development. The centrality of the prevention of conflicts and their reoccurrence must be promoted and perfected in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and meeting their targets. In Africa and throughout the world, the inclusion and development of communities with a healthy social fabric, in which all people can develop their potential, are of vital importance to their prosperity, the prevention of conflict and even the prevention of violent extremism. The role of communities, women and youth must be adequately reflected in the solutions offered by the United Nations, and this exercise in inclusion is the only one that can guarantee the transition from a situation of parties in conflict to societies with a healthy social fabric that can be fertile soil for sustainable peace, as already mentioned. Mexico once again welcomes the approval of the restructuring of the peace and security pillar, as well as the reform of the management of the Secretariat. We call for the Secretariat to fully implement the reforms and make available to the Member States complete information on the results achieved, the prevailing challenges and any additional adjustments that may be required. We welcome the fact that one of the objectives of the reforms is to increase the effectiveness and coherence of peace operations, guaranteeing the primacy of policy and the flexibility of their approach in order to respond more quickly and effectively to crisis warning signs and the outbreak or intensification of conflicts. The legitimacy and trust placed in those operations demands the effective fulfilment of the tasks entrusted to it: saving lives, preventing massive atrocities, and laying the foundations for sustainable peace and development. For this reason, we believe that reforms should enhance their effectiveness, responsiveness and accountability. Mexico has joined the 150 countries that have endorsed the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations as a collective effort to contribute to refocusing peacekeeping efforts with realistic expectations. This will make these operations stronger and more secure by endowing them with well-equipped, well-structured and well-trained forces, and by mobilizing the broadest support for political solutions, including United Nations cooperation with regional and subregional organizations. Today, I refer in particular to the African Union, promoting the strategic nature of that alliance in light of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. Since rejoining peace operations in 2015  — and aware that the priority needs of the Organization are focused on providing peacekeeping operations in Africa with indispensable and well-trained personnel so that its mandates can be fulfilled  — Mexico has gradually increased its participation in these operations by deploying observers to the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. Moreover, since 2017 Mexico has participated in the Integrated Multidimensional Mission of the United Nations in the Central African Republic, and this year began its involvement in the Multidimensional Mission of the United Nations in Mali. Furthermore, I am pleased to report that, as of this year, my country has its own joint training centre for peace operations, where we also offer training for personnel from other countries. Mexico wishes to express its firm commitment to continuing its participation in operations deployed in Africa. We emphasize the importance of the Secretariat privileging the preparation and predeployment training of personnel participating in peace operations. In this context, we join the calls of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations in its most recent report (A/72/19) for the Secretariat to formulate practical, implementable, realistic and effective recommendations to reduce peacekeeping fatalities and injuries from acts of violence. We reiterate that, in order to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness and security on the ground, it is essential that peace operations deployed in Africa have a clear and express mandate from the Security Council that ensures the ownership of the operation by the host State, whose opinions must be heard at all times. Peacekeeping operations must be evaluated continuously; they must be properly equipped and count on clear and viable strategies that enable solutions to multidimensional security problems; and they must be endowed with the necessary resources to reach their maximum potential. All this must follow on from an essential change in their approach and raison d’être — they must ensure that sustainable peace is achieved.

I now give the floor to I now give the floor to the Chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member States. Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, align themselves with this statement. The European Union and its member States thank the Chinese presidency of the Security Council for organizing this debate on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. Indeed, peacekeeping operations remain a vital instrument for the promotion of international peace and security on the African continent. Peacekeeping remains a crucial tool for promoting conditions conducive to political solutions. In this regard, the European Union and its member States support the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative launched in March and subscribe to the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. By engaging in discussions on the subject of African peacekeeping operations, we are paving the way for the autonomy and stability of the continent, which are two essential preconditions for our collective security. The issue of operations under Chapter VIII that are conducted at the regional level warrants our full attention. In 2015, the conclusions of the Independent High-level Panel on Peacekeeping Operations (see S/2015/446) emphasized the importance of further developing the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. They also underscored the need to be able to guarantee, on a case-by-case basis, the financial resources allocated to operations mandated by the African Union and authorized by the Security Council. The European Union and its member States reiterate their support for the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security adopted by the United Nations and the African Union. We welcome the convening of the high-level meeting held on the margins of the General Assembly, which was attended by representatives of 150 countries. This event demonstrated the desire to reinforce regional partnerships and to support the capacity development of the African Union in particular. This crucial partnership has been strengthened in particular by resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017), which advocate greater collaboration between the United Nations and the African Union and the strengthening of both the African Peace and Security Architecture and peace support operations mandated by the African Union Peace and Security Council. The European Union and its member States welcome the recognition of African responsibility in managing the security challenges on their continent. We are particularly attached to the primacy that African States have granted to the African Union in this area. This predominant responsibility of the African Union must be valued, recognized and respected more than ever. In addition, the growing participation of African countries in peace operations on their continent is part of the larger framework of the Silencing the Guns by 2020 initiative, while participating in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063 — all initiatives taken and developed by the African Union. Africa is changing, as is peacekeeping. The challenges involved in maintaining and implementing peace in African theatres of operations are among the most significant we face. Peace support operations mandated by the African Union are generally conducted in degraded security environments, without the agreement of all actors party to the conflict and in spaces where the principles that govern peacekeeping operations deployed by the United Nations are undermined. In this context, African peacekeepers are increasingly called upon to act as mediators or follow lengthy processes of disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and reconciliation. Moreover, the constant evolution of threats  — especially terrorist threats  — implies a change in the content of mandates and in the way missions are deployed on a daily basis. The control and monitoring of ceasefire zones are no longer enough. Troops must enjoy logistical support adapted to such engagements and the means that will enhance their work. Furthermore, peacekeeping missions led by the United Nations are seeing an increase in the participation of African contingents. All these constraints reinforce the need for troops who are equipped, trained and prepared for these purposes. It is also imperative that they commit themselves to respecting human rights and international humanitarian law. Any behaviour that runs contrary to this would undermine their work and thereby endanger the desired outcome. Finally, the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda — the top priority of the strategic partnership between the European Union and the United Nations on peace operations and crisis management for the period 2019-2021 — is fundamental. It also means actively promoting the full and genuine participation of women at all levels and positions of responsibility, on an equal footing, by systematically taking into account gender issues at all stages of peace processes. That is the meaning of the work that our three organizations carry out together. The African Union Peace and Security Architecture proposes that security issues be taken into account in their entirety. The recent revitalization of the Peace Fund is certainly one of the indispensable tools for securing the resources needed for crisis management. The decision to include the European Union and the United Nations among the members responsible for ensuring the governance of the Fund is testament to the richness and mutual trust that nurture relations among our three institutions. The support of the European Union and its member States for the Architecture — in its broader dimension and in the spirit of the final communiqué released following the AU Peace and Security Council meeting held in November 2017 in Addis Ababa — has been in effect for more than 15 years. It goes well beyond the €1 billion committed through the African Peace Facility, both to support African peacekeeping operations and for the development of Africa’s own capabilities, including the participation of our 28 member States, bilaterally or through the voluntary contributions of the United Nations. Furthermore, the European missions deployed with the agreement of the United Nations, within the framework of the European Security and Defence Policy, provide another form of support with their presence on the ground, whether autonomous or together with African or United Nations actors. The cases of Mali and the Central African Republic are concrete examples of that closeness and complementarity. Moreover, the European Union and its member States are already working on a daily basis to support African contingents, be they in Somalia with the African Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia, in the Lake Chad basin with the Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram, or with the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel. Given the realities on the ground, that support adopts new forms and involves ever more flexible and creative actions. In the same vein, the European Union and its member States are preparing for the future. A new financial instrument with a wider range of possibilities in relation to the African Peace Facility is being redefined and will be known as the European Peace Facility. We are also following with interest the development of other trust funds and their capabilities. We hope to continue to make progress, both within the framework of the relationship established with the African Union, which was formalized by the signing of a protocol of understanding on peace, security and governance, and by harmonizing our political approaches and initiatives on the ground beginning with the prevention phase, and in assisting each other’s actions to support governance within the multilateral framework of the United Nations. The European Union and its member States insist on the need to produce immediate and targeted responses in anticipation of crises. Prevention and mediation have a real added value in that respect, especially when it comes to rectifying governance gaps. We should collectively learn from the crises endured and responses undertaken, whether in a United Nations or African context. In the Great Lakes region, for example, we need to collectively analyse the value added by certain subregional organizations, operating within a regional framework and under the political control of the African Union Peace and Security Council, by assessing their capacity to anticipate appropriate economic or political responses, particularly in terms of governance, where appropriate. That is the spirit of partnership enshrined in the communiqué released following the trilateral meeting held in September on the margins of the General Assembly. On that occasion, the senior leaders of our three organizations recognized the important role of peacekeeping operations that are mandated or authorized by the African Union, and confirmed the resolve of the three organizations to strengthen collaboration, coordination and planning between their respective missions and operations, in a spirit of complementarity. At the same time, they expressed their wish to continue thinking about ensuring predictable, sustainable and flexible financing for those operations. We hope that today’s debate will make it possible to capitalize on what has already been accomplished and contribute to the improvement of peacekeeping operations in Africa. Allow me to conclude by paying tribute to all of the Blue Helmets who have sacrificed their lives in the course of their missions.

I now give the floor to the representative of Pakistan.

Let me begin by conveying my delegation’s gratitude to the Chinese presidency for convening today’s debate, and to the Secretary-General and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security for their insightful and informative briefings. Let me at the outset also pay tribute to the eight peacekeepers from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the 12 members of the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo, who were killed last week in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and another peacekeeper from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, who lost his life in the Central African Republic over the weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen heroes from Tanzania and Malawi. As a country that has faced similar tragedies time and again, we fully appreciate and relate to their pain. Such incidents also remind us all of the importance of investing in the safety and security of the Blue Helmets. Today’s debate is important on many counts. It takes place at the initiative of a permanent member of the Security Council that is also one of the world’s top 10 troop-contributing countries, as well as a major financial contributor to United Nations peacekeeping, and it focuses on a region in which peace and security continue to dominate the Council’s agenda. Pakistan was the first country to accede to the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, adopted during the high- level week of the General Assembly in September. More than 150 Member States have now joined, committing themselves, inter alia, to strengthening peacekeeping partnerships with the Africa Union and supporting the African Union in capacity-building. The Declaration also reaffirms the need to provide predictable, sustainable and flexible funding for AU- led peace operations, especially those authorized by the Security Council. The situation in Africa needs a comprehensive approach to effectively address the many challenges it faces  — one that relies on strengthening cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations. Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations emphasizes the importance of a cooperative, interdependent and mutually reinforcing relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations. More often than not, countries of a region are better equipped to understand the challenges faced by their region and also to respond to them. We acknowledge and appreciate the AU’s commitment to stabilizing conflict situations and resolving disputes in Africa. The growing dialogue between the Security Council and the African Union for a better and effective response to peace and security issues in Africa is also a welcome development. In addition, there is engagement in Africa by other United Nations bodies, including the General Assembly. The recent annual session of the Peacebuilding Commission, focusing solely on the Sahel region, is another example of that cooperative approach. The brave peacekeepers of Pakistan, one of the world’s top troop contributors to the United Nations, have and continue to be deployed in Africa. They have contributed to many of Africa’s success stories, from Liberia to Côte d’Ivoire to Sierra Leone. Our well- trained and professional peacekeepers have protected civilians, provided much-needed medical care and rebuilt communities. They have worked in difficult and, at times, dangerous situations, but have never shied away from fulfilling or failed to fulfil their mandates. Pakistan remains committed to exploring and supporting initiatives that help improve peacekeeping to make it fit for purpose and adapt better to changing environments and needs. But successful peacekeeping is a two-way street. Its success depends as much on the dedication and professionalism of peacekeepers as on the adequacy of resources and realistic and achievable mandates. We therefore urge the Council to invest in flexible, sustainable and predictable resources, and better utilize triangular cooperation avenues to listen to and include the views of troop-contributing countries — the Council’s eyes and ears on the ground — at the time of evolving and updating mandates. That will help the Council, the Secretariat and troop- and police-contributing countries. All of us will benefit from that. Successful peacekeeping is our success. The credibility of the United Nations depends on it, and so does international peace and security.

I now give the floor to the representative of South Africa.

I thank you, Sir, for convening this important debate on the issue of peace and security in Africa: Strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. First, we would like to pay tribute to the Blue Helmets killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African Union-United Nations and United Nations operations elsewhere in Africa and in the world. We also thank the Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security for their briefings. Secondly, my delegation aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. South Africa is among the top 20 troop-contributing countries and is presently deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. South Africa has also pledged a formed police unit ready to be deployed to a United Nations peacekeeping mission. Furthermore, South Africa is also active in the finalization of the African Standby Force and its rapid deployment capability. My delegation further wishes to emphasize the following four points. First, we welcome the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative, which was launched during the high-level week in September. Collaboration, particularly with regional organizations, is the cornerstone of making peacekeeping more effective. The complementary relationship between the United Nations and the AU is demonstrated by the important role that the African Union plays in peace operations on the African continent. We should continue to explore ways to enhance that cooperation, including through the implementation of resolution 2033 (2012). Both the AU Peace and Security Council and United Nations Security Council should undertake regular joint field missions and make special envoys and representatives of both organizations available for briefings to both Councils. Secondly, we welcome the two agreements signed between the United Nations and the African Union — the joint framework for the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, which form the platform for renewed cooperation between the two organizations. South Africa hopes that those agreements will be fully implemented in order to help Africa achieve inclusive and sustainable peace, security and development and help the continent achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Thirdly, we would like once again to echo the call of the AU and the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (see S/2015/446) for sustained, predictable and flexible funding mechanisms for African Union peace operations. In that regard, we welcome the adoption of resolutions 1809 (2008), 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017), which stress the same need as the report, particularly for the African Union-led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council. Actions taken to implement the resolutions will take peacekeeping on the African continent to the next level. Progress in that area will be in line with the partnership pillar of the Action for Peacekeeping initiative and its consistency with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. We call for support of the draft resolution that will be presented by the three African countries that are members of the Security Council, which addresses the issue of financing for AU-led peace operations, as Africa has the political will and human resources to deploy, but needs to enhance some of its capacities in order to respond to conflicts. Furthermore, we also welcome the AU initiative of establishing the African Union Peace Fund, aimed at developing a mechanism of self-financing for Africa’s peace and security activities, which was launched recently at the AU Summit in Addis Ababa and of which South Africa’s Minister of Finance is a member of the board of trustees. Lastly, there will never be sustainable peace without development. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the appropriate steps are taken to ensure that countries emerging from conflict are given the necessary support to ensure that they do not relapse into conflict. Post-conflict reconstruction and development, including peacebuilding, are necessary components of the peace process. Our approach to peacebuilding needs to be re-engineered as a supporting mechanism to peacekeeping and towards restoring institutional capacity and governance structures in the maintenance of the rule of law, curbing violence, restoring justice and socioeconomic development, as well as prioritizing community and national reconciliation. In conclusion, we should recall the political declaration adopted at the Peace Summit (General Assembly resolution 73/1), commemorating the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, which highlights the role of the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations that have a multitude of tools and mechanisms to support peace, and expresses our desire to continue to review the effectiveness of the tools at our disposal to address the armed conflicts at hand.

I now give the floor to the representative of Belgium.

Belgium fully aligns itself with the statement made by the observer of the European Union and would like to make the following comments in its national capacity. I would also like to pay tribute to the peacekeepers who fell in the service of peace, especially the Blue Helmets from Malawi and Tanzania, who showed exceptional courage last week in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Central African Republic. We thank the Chinese presidency of the Security Council for organizing this debate on a highly topical subject. The African Union and subregional organizations now play the leading role in peace and security on the continent. Not only are they more involved in peacekeeping and peace enforcement activities, but they are also at the helm of the political processes that pave the way for sustainable conflict resolution and are at the forefront of preventive diplomacy and mediation efforts. Neither the United Nations nor the African Union alone can address all the peace and security challenges facing Africa. The partnership therefore represents not a choice, but a necessity. I welcome the fact that the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, to which 150 States and 4 international organizations have subscribed, gives priority attention to the partnership. For Belgium, operations under African command contribute to international peace and security. They therefore warrant multilateral support. The question is not as much about the principle as about the specific modalities for funding such operations through the United Nations budget. In that context, we commend the African Union and its member States for the progress made in setting up and financing the Peace Fund, which will ultimately have to fund African peace operations to the tune of 25 per cent of. We are also very pleased with the ongoing work of the African Union and the United Nations to develop a joint communiqué to describe the progress made and a road map for the next steps. There can be no question of imposing more stringent criteria on missions conducted by the African Union than those applied to United Nations operations or of lowering such criteria. In theatres where an African Union mission works together with a United Nations mission, the reference and compliance frameworks and the obligations with regard to respect for international humanitarian law and human rights and to civilian populations should be consistent. That is a fortiori the case for theatres where the African Union conducts operations alone. The increasing involvement of African States in crisis management also means strengthening African capacities to rapidly deploy forces. Belgium and the European Union support the African Union and African troop contributors in the areas of both troop capacity- building and rapid deployment. Finally, the Security Council is clearly not the ideal forum to discuss specific funding modalities. However, whatever solution is reached, it must be compatible with the budgetary requirements that we, the Member States, require of the United Nations. Lasting solutions can come only from a candid and sustained dialogue between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council. We must establish a genuine multiparty dialogue that involves all the parties concerned: the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Secretariat, regional organizations  — the African Union as well as the European Union — Member States, troop contributors and the financial donors. I am convinced that we can move the consensus on this issue forward. It is in that spirit that we will approach our term on the Security Council starting on 1 January 2019.

I now give the floor to the Permanent Observer of the Observer State of the Holy See to the United Nations. Archbishop Auza (Holy See): The Holy See thanks the presidency of the People’s Republic of China for convening this open debate on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa  — a topic that affects the whole international community, whose response has come, in part, in the form of peacekeeping operations, seven of which are currently active on the African continent. It is through the presence of the immediately recognizable blue helmets that the United Nations is most visible around the globe. In a world that is increasingly fragmented, peacekeeping operations provide a concrete opportunity for the international community to collaborate through diplomatic activities, financial contributions, expertise, troops and personnel. Frequently working amid immense challenges, those missions have the arduous task of re-establishing peace, protecting civilians and facilitating political processes with a view to restoring justice and laying the foundations for lasting stability. At times, the men and women serving under the United Nations flag literally build bridges, only to have the enemies of peace destroy them. Armed groups and terrorist organizations on the African continent, often manipulated by political machinations from within or from beyond the borders of the country, cause chaos to reign. A peacekeeping operation can at times be something of a misnomer. It seemingly implies that peace is already enjoyed and simply needs to be maintained. Sadly, we know that all too often that is not the case. Today, United Nations peacekeepers serve in some of the most dangerous and hostile environments on the planet, risking their lives to ensure the delivery of the most basic services to those in need. Caught in conflicts that they have come to defuse, some have made the supreme sacrifice. We are right to pay tribute to them, while also ensuring that the positive impacts that United Nations peacekeeping missions have made and continue to make are not overlooked or undermined in the face of unrealistic expectations or stretched or limited resources or because of the abhorrent cases of human rights abuses and sexual exploitation that have come to light. While it may be true that significant financial resources are devoted to Africa in terms of development programmes, it is nonetheless worthwhile recalling that the cost of peacekeeping represents only a tiny portion of the world’s military spending — a very small fraction indeed. Strengthening peacekeeping operations certainly requires increased financial support, which should go hand in hand with the indispensable diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing or resolving conflicts. For that to happen, the international community must be prepared to invest. As Secretary-General Guterres has remarked, the chances of success increase dramatically when we work together with Member States and share burdens, risks and responsibilities. We urgently need a quantum leap in collective engagement. For truly effective and collective engagement, we must look to the young and vibrant populations of Africa, who deserve to have better access to quality education and to decent work in order to realize their great potential, thereby enabling those young men and women to be key players in building up their own countries and taking their rightful place as future leaders. The alternative is the sad reality that leaves many young Africans without schooling or training of any kind. Without prospects, they become prey to a future of exploitation and violence. As a preventive measure, the international community, in particular through United Nations peacekeeping missions, should seek greater collaboration with local populations so as to put the incredible resources, both human and natural, with which the African continent has been endowed to good use. The abundant natural resources in Africa become a curse when their exploitation does not benefit the people and, worse, when wars and conflicts are exacerbated or even artificially provoked to provide a smokescreen for the illicit and abusive exploitation of those precious natural resources. During his in-flight press conference on his return to Rome from the Central African Republic, Pope Francis noted the sad reality that there were Powers that sought only to take the great wealth of Africa but did not think about helping it to grow. Heightened attention to peace and security on the African continent, as well as the very specific role of strengthened peacekeeping operations, will help African countries to prosper. That will benefit not only the countries of the region but even those beyond it.

I now give the floor to the Head of Delegation and Permanent Observer of the International Committee of the Red Cross to the United Nations.

I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for giving the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) the opportunity to contribute to this important open debate on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. The largest peacekeeping operations are currently deployed in Africa. Regional coalitions have also increased in response to the security challenges on the continent. The ICRC is aware of such challenges because we operate in those very same contexts. Forty per cent of our budget is dedicated to and spent in that region. From South Sudan to the Sahel, the ICRC is mandated to protect and assist victims of armed conflict on a neutral, impartial and independent basis. Today, I want to address two points with regard to how the international community can effectively assist the African Union (AU) and African States in building their capacity for peace and security. First, we can support the commitment of African States to respecting, and ensuring respect for, international humanitarian law and other applicable legal frameworks. It is critical that United Nations and AU-mandated forces are clear about which legal frameworks govern their operations. Promising steps have been taken by the AU to establish a framework that will foster greater respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The AU and its member States have also committed to maintaining high standards in the conduct and discipline of their peacekeeping personnel. On our part, the ICRC has long assisted African States in the integration of international standards into their national law. The ICRC is currently supporting the AU in the enhancement of its compliance framework. In addition, every year the AU and the ICRC co-organize a round table in Addis Ababa to discuss challenges to and best practices of peacekeeping operations, addressing international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians. Secondly, we can provide assistance in terms of training. At this time of enhanced partnership, the United Nations, the AU, Member States and international organizations must ensure that troops and police are adequately trained in applicable standards. Training modules need to be comprehensive, tailored to the mandate and relevant to operational needs. For example, many peacekeeping operations conduct law- enforcement tasks. Therefore, police components need to be reinforced, and when military contingents are involved, law-enforcement principles should be translated into actionable military guidance. On the ICRC’s part, we contribute to the training effort. Last year, we conducted sessions on legal standards and humanitarian priorities for more than 25,000 peacekeepers, including 16,000 from African States. The ICRC also participates in the AU-led discussions on training standards, including on the operationalization of the African Standby Force. In addition, the ICRC has expertise on health to share, from its first aid and pre-hospital emergency care programmes, to the treatment and management of the weapon-wounded. The determination of the AU and African States to resolve their own challenges is commendable. In engaging together on peacekeeping operations, the ICRC has seen the benefits of close collaboration on both the respect for legal norms and on training. Developing the capacity for peace and security of the AU and African States is critical and requires sustained partnerships within the international community.

I now give the floor to the representative of Guatemala.

Guatemala thanks your delegation, Mr. President, for convening this debate and for preparing the concept note (S/2018/1004, annex). We also thank Secretary-General António Guterres and Mr. Smaїl Chergui, African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, for their briefings. Before beginning, allow me to first strongly condemn the attack on the bases of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Governments and the peoples of Malawi and Tanzania for the hapless murder of their Blue Helmets. I recall that in 2006, Guatemala also suffered the irreparable loss of soldiers who were fulfilling their mandate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The sacrifice of our troops is a sign of the great value of protecting the most vulnerable civilian populations who are at the greatest risk. Those who fall while on peace missions are heroes for the entire international community. One of the most noble tasks of the Organization is peacekeeping, in which my country is honoured to participate. The positive strategic partnership for peace among Member States, which, despite great asymmetries, share a common objective, demonstrates the irreplaceable value of multilateralism, concerning which a debate was just held on 9 November (see S/PV.8395). For more than two decades, Guatemala has actively participated in peacekeeping, and even made the ultimate sacrifice in an ambush by elements of the so-called Lord’s Resistance Army, as we mentioned. As stated in the concept note, peacekeeping is stronger when there is a greater sense of ownership and joint cooperation. That is precisely what we have noted in recent years regarding the participation of the African Union as an essential partner in efforts to protect civilian and vulnerable populations in conflict situations. Through the African Union’s peace support operations, the ability of the United Nations, in particular the Security Council, to maintain international peace and security is also strengthened, which highlights the importance for both organizations of working more closely in the field of peace and security, including joint cooperation, operational evaluation and joint reporting, when appropriate. From our perspective, the active and strong relationship between the African Union and the United Nations reaffirms regional and national leadership in peacebuilding, which means that the responsibility for the stabilization of a society is not the task of only the international community, but also the host country and subregion concerned, even if deployment is temporary. Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations indicates that cooperation among regional organizations and the United Nations to address peace and security issues is a task that should be fulfilled. For that reason, we believe it is important that, at the next session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, to be held in February 2019, the General Assembly be able to strengthen African peacekeeping capabilities. For that reason, the strategic partnership is key to the ongoing task of peacekeeping. In real terms, our contributions to the Organization of personnel who are deployed in such operations are symbolic in comparison to the resources that are invested in war or punitive operations. History itself is testament to that. Stabilization can come from a peacekeeping operation, but it should be harnessed, taking into account the priorities of the country where it is located and highlighting the fact that they are not permanent missions, while of course trying to address the root causes of the conflict in subsequent efforts to build peace. My country reaffirms its commitment to continuing to participate in peace missions in Africa, since our vocation is peaceful and our history reminds us of the priceless value of the absence of conflict and, consequently, of building peace.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is honoured to speak on behalf of the 120 States members of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. We express our gratitude to the delegation of the People’s Republic of China for convening this debate on a topic of great importance to the Movement, bearing in mind that 88 per cent of the peacekeeping personnel deployed in the field come from non-aligned countries. The Movement reiterates its commitment to the promotion of the peaceful settlement of disputes under the provisions of Article 2 and Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations, all relevant resolutions of the Organization and international law as a whole, convinced that it will contribute to the strengthening of international peace and security. At the most recent ministerial conference in April, member States reaffirmed their position on operations, which must be carried out in strict compliance with the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. At the same time, they stressed that respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, as well as non-interference in the internal affairs of States, are fundamental elements for promoting peace and international security. In that regard, the Ministers reiterated that respect for the principles of peacekeeping  — namely, consent of the parties, impartiality and the non-use of force, except in self-defence and in defence of mandates — is essential to the success of operations, particularly those mandated to protect civilians. The implementation of tasks assigned to operations must be supported by a broad political process that is based on national ownership and backed by the international community, as well as on the consent and commitment of the parties concerned. Operations should not be used as an alternative to address the root causes of conflicts or to manage conflicts themselves. From the outset, they should receive political support and human, financial and logistical resources, as well as clearly defined mandates and exit strategies to guarantee the safety of the personnel deployed in the field. Moreover, we reiterate the importance that we attach to the deliberations and reports of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, which is the only body mandated to consider all aspects of peacekeeping operations, including the development of concepts, policies, doctrines and strategies. In that regard, we emphasize the need to establish a relationship of shared responsibility among the Security Council, police- and troop-contributing countries and the Secretariat, with a view to making objective evaluations and harnessing the potential of mandates and operations. That will ensure the formulation of clear mandates responding to the challenges on the ground. However, it will come to pass only if such cooperation is continuous and substantive, including before the renewal of mandates. The Movement welcomes the determination of the United Nations to strengthen its relationship with regional and subregional organizations, in particular with the African Union, in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations and the recommendations of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations. We are convinced that such cooperation is essential, while taking into account African potential, as long as peace and stability prevail. States members of the Movement reaffirm their support for efforts to strengthen African peacekeeping capacities and underline the importance of implementing the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed on 19 April 2017. In that regard, and in line with our principled position in favour of African solutions to African problems, we stress the importance of securing financial support for African Union-led peace operations mandated by the Security Council so that deployed missions  — including the African Standby Force, which has demonstrated its ability to respond to complex security situations — can maximize their effectiveness on the ground. In conclusion, we believe that the security of United Nations mission personnel remains a matter of great concern. We therefore categorically condemn all attacks and acts of violence against peacekeeping personnel, and we call for measures to be taken to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. In that regard, the Movement pays tribute to the work of the men and women peacekeepers who carry out their duties in the context of armed conflict and who work in adverse conditions, even at the risk of their lives. We express our sincere recognition of all peacekeepers, including those who have lost their lives on the ground while defending the flag of the United Nations and the cause of peace.

I now give the floor to the representative of Indonesia.

Indonesia thanks China for convening this timely open debate. Let me start by condemning the recent killing of United Nations peacekeepers from Malawi, Mali and Tanzania in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those peacekeepers. We also thank the Secretary-General and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security for their valuable comments. Ever since the Asian-African Conference in Bandung over six decades ago, in 1955, Indonesia and Africa have worked together to achieve equality among all nations and spur decolonization. Indonesia remains committed to standing shoulder to shoulder with Africa. We initiated the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership in 2005 to accelerate cooperation in politics, the economy, society and culture. The Partnership was reinvigorated in 2015, and it is currently manifested in numerous multifaceted support projects between Indonesia and Africa. At the same time, we are undertaking South-South and triangular projects and programmes whereby peace can be achieved through development, since we believe in the concept of sustaining peace. Peace and security in Africa are also among Indonesia’s top priorities. That is being realized, among others, through Indonesia’s contribution to eight United Nations peacekeeping missions in the African region, in which nearly 1,400 Indonesian troops and police are participating. We are in the final stages of sending an additional 1,000 Indonesian peacekeepers to our recent rapidly deployable battalion for deployment to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to our formed police unit to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. As a strong believer in the important role of female peacekeepers, particularly in winning over the hearts and minds of host communities, those two Indonesian contingents will also include a number of female personnel. We will continue to play a greater role in helping sustain peace efforts in Africa. We warmly welcome various positive developments in several African countries that are illustrated, inter alia, by the closure of United Nations missions or the adjustment of mission mandates. The closure of the United Nations Mission in Liberia is certainly a clear example of such a development. I must say that I am happy, as the Ambassador of Indonesia to the United Nations, to see that three of our peacekeepers were among the last to leave Liberia after honourable service to Blue Helmet contingents and the people of Liberia. I am happy to see that the United Nations has been successful in that regard. The termination of United Nations sanctions against Eritrea last week was also another positive development that needs to be nurtured. Notwithstanding laudable advancements on the continent, many African countries confront serious conflict and governance issues. The work of the African Union — as a strong and principled force for dialogue, peaceful resolution and cordial relations, with the promotion of constitutionalism, democracy, human rights and State building — is crucial. It is also welcome that the AU and United Nations are increasingly working better together. As vital as national ownership by African countries is, a robust partnership among them and the United Nations, along with other partners, to support peace and security on the continent, is essential. In that regard, we would like to welcome the worthy intention expressed by the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council to formulate common positions and recommendations on conflict areas in Africa. Indonesia fully supports the AU Agenda 2063, with its key pillar of a conflict-free Africa, as well as the five thematic priorities of the AU road map 2016-2020. The AU master road map of practical steps for Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020 is also laudable. A successful outcome of those will significantly elevate people’s well- being. Those mechanisms need to be fully supported by all relevant regional and international actors. Secondly, the question of how to strengthen peace and security in Africa cannot be answered without spelling out how the needed financial support will be provided. The commitment of African leaders to financing 25 per cent of the costs of AU peace support operations is a concrete sign of their resolve. It should be responded to befittingly. Indonesia is pleased that resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017) and the subsequent report of the Secretary-General on options for authorization and support for AU peace support operations (S/2017/454) underlined, among other things, the need for adequate, sustainable, flexible and predictable financing for AU-led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council. We need to act upon that. Responding to the proposals of the High Representative for the AU Peace Fund, the Secretary- General’s report pointed to five financial models and various decision-making options to support AU- initiated peace support operations. Recognizing that each situation may warrant its own particular solution, we expect that the collective wisdom of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, the Fifth Committee and the Security Council will lead to a cogent answer. Thirdly, and as a final point, we should also innovatively explore the utilization of the near universal endorsement for the Action for Peacekeeping Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations to fill gaps in bolstering support for peacekeeping missions in Africa. All stakeholders should consider how to actualize their commitments under the Declaration in the specific contexts of peacekeeping missions in Africa. To conclude, Indonesia once again fully stands behind the United Nations-AU partnership to sustain peace, particularly by improving peacekeeping operations. We will continue to work actively in United Nations and non-United Nations forums to ensure that robust support is extended to Africa.

I now give the floor to the representative of Israel.

We welcome the convening of this important meeting and would like to thank Secretary- General Guterres and African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security Chergui for their briefings this morning. The maintenance of international peace and security is the foremost reason for which the United Nations was created, and traditionally, the most instrumental tool that the United Nations has to fulfil that goal is peacekeeping operations, most of which are located on the African continent. Peacekeeping operations in Africa have faced unprecedented challenges in recent years, as they are increasingly targeted by armed groups whose attacks are also steadily increasing in complexity and intent. Strengthening those operations in the most immediate future requires enhancing the safety and security of peacekeepers, as highlighted in the report authored by former United Nations Force Commander, Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, entitled Improving security of United Nations peacekeepers. In the long run, that must go hand in hand with development efforts, support for the political process and humanitarian assistance, all of which are far more effective when done in cooperation with regional organizations, such as the African Union, which can work as a multiplier for the efforts of the United Nations. If we wish to ensure that peacekeeping remains sustainable, we must adjust our mindsets to match the realities on the ground. We must recognize that wearing a blue helmet no longer guarantees protection. Last year proved to be the deadliest year in decades for United Nations peacekeepers, with 61 fatalities due to malicious acts, all of which were in Africa. While we are encouraged to see a much lower number of casualties so far this year, the tragic incident this week in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which sadly took the lives of eight United Nations peacekeepers, reminds us that there is still much work to be done, and we wish to express our condolences to the families of those peacekeepers. Israel is committed to strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa and enhancing their protection. We have expanded our partnership with the United Nations to improve camp security, and we are providing the training and capabilities necessary to fulfil peacekeeping mandates. Israel is determined to invest in African peace and security and has increased its support in recent years for the development of the continent, which goes hand in hand with supporting peacekeeping in the region. We are encouraged by the recent developments in the Horn of Africa, which exemplify how peace and stability can be achieved. However, as many delegations have stated here today, we also agree that we must be respectful of Africa’s leading role in resolving its own security issues. In that regard, utilizing United Nations partnerships with regional organizations and supporting their peacekeeping activities, as stated in the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, should be an important part of our collective efforts in the region. Africa is blessed with a great resource, which is its people — men and woman who, together and supported by the international community, must lead the continent out of conflict. Many of those men and woman serve bravely in peacekeeping missions in the region and dedicate their lives to the pursuit of peace. Israel is actively engaged in lending knowledge, expertise and training to those peacekeepers and is working closely with the Medical Services Division and the Department of Field Support to improve the standard of medical care in peacekeeping by facilitating life-saving first-aid training, medical field training, medical evacuation and standards of health care in hospitals. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with the relevant United Nations departments, as well as offering our expertise in medical training to troop-contributing countries, especially those serving on the African continent Last but not least, allow me to convey Israel’s strong support for the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and sexual harassment. We are encouraged by the efforts made so far to combat those phenomena, both at Headquarters and in the field, but much more still needs to be done. The efforts to strengthen peacekeeping operations in Africa and empower the continent to strive for peace are inherently weakened by such incidents. The United Nations must be trusted not to harm the local populations it is meant to protect; otherwise, its ability to be truly effective is severely compromised. Israel has a profound understanding of the need for peacekeeping operations that work effectively and fulfil their mandates. We hope that we can all work together to strive for those goals, and we thank the peacekeepers for their important work and dedication to the cause of peace.

I now give the floor to the representative of Rwanda.

I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for convening this debate. I thank the Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, Mr. Smaїl Chergui, for their statements. Rwanda aligns itself with the African Union position on this subject matter. Let me also convey our condolences to the people and the Governments of the Republic of Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania for the recent tragic loss of their gallant peacekeepers, who lost their lives in the pursuit of peace. This debate could not have come at a more opportune time. In Addis Ababa, the African Union has just concluded an extraordinary session of the African Union Assembly, which focused entirely on the institutional reform of the African Union. It is of central importance to note in this debate that those reforms are aimed at ensuring the effectiveness of delivery in the area of peace and security, among other priorities. It should be encouraging to us all, including the Security Council, that the African Union is taking greater strides towards better efficiency and delivery of services. Africa currently hosts the largest number of United Nations peacekeeping operations, which, combined, account for 75 per cent of all peacekeeping personnel, the majority of whom are African troops. In addition, over 60 per cent of all Security Council resolutions concern Africa. Africa is clearly a central part of the business of the Council. That should be a wake-up call for a more substantive involvement of the African Union in matters of peace and security concerning our continent. Rwanda has made a long-standing contribution to sustainable peace across the continent. As a troop- and police-contributing country, we believe that, if regional peace arrangements are adequately supported, then we can make more progress. I will make my statement from the vantage point of a country that is fully committed to global peace and security. In that regard, my remarks will focus on two key issues: first, enhancing cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in the realm of peace and security in Africa; and secondly, funding for peace operations in Africa. I think that we can all agree that the partnership between the United Nations and the AU is indispensable with regard to sustainable peace and security on the continent. Our partnership must be based on regional peace frameworks and mobilize further support for regionally led peace processes and initiatives. Such initiatives have yielded positive results, including a number of contemporary cases of which we are all aware. Rwanda would like to reiterate its position in support of the United Nations-AU partnership framework. The need for cooperation among international and regional organizations is crucial in the context of contemporary global challenges. The unprecedented role of regional organizations in achieving security and stability has arisen from a mutual understanding that the most effective method for peace attainment is the joining of efforts and resources. Moreover, Rwanda recognizes the importance of close coordination and cooperation, based on strategic assessment, planning and reporting that are, in turn, based on respective comparative advantages, as well as burden-sharing on the basis of collective responsibility, to handle conflict in a timely manner. Rwanda acknowledges the progress of the cooperation between both institutions and supports the idea of increased mutual engagement, as spelled out in the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. It is our belief that, over time, with a spirit of trust and support, this would allow for greater mutual understanding and synergy, ultimately leading to more effective peacekeeping operations. We reaffirm our support for the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, particularly concerning performance and accountability. We need to build effective peacekeeping operations that are based on strong partnerships in building predictable readiness capabilities in terms of the skills and logistics required that are tailored to mission-specific challenges. Regarding funding for peace operations in Africa, Rwanda welcomes the launching of the African Union Peace Fund at the just-concluded AU Extraordinary Summit. This is a critical step towards realizing the African commitment to financing peace and security operations on the continent. Rwanda also welcomes the initiative taken by the three African Security Council members in proposing a draft resolution on the stable financing of African Union peace operations, which we hope will be adopted very soon. It is our understanding that the draft resolution will provide a framework that will enable the Council to further consider the financing of AU-led peace operations from United Nations assessed contributions and that such a decision would be made on a case-by- case basis. If such an agreement were to be reached, we believe that we would be closer to resolving the issue of the sustainable and predictable funding of AU peace operations. In this regard, supporting the Peace Fund initiative and the adoption of the Security Council draft resolution on the funding of African peace operations is a great stride that needs the support of the United Nations and the Security Council in particular. The African Union is also committed to enhancing accountability in its partnership with the United Nations and other partners. The ongoing institutional reforms of the AU are also geared towards putting in place a transparent accountability framework for the Union’s effective performance. In conclusion, allow me to reiterate Rwanda’s firm commitment to global peace and security. We have demonstrated time and again that our commitments are matched with action, be it through the performance of our peacekeepers or our political support to strengthen the peacekeeping activities of the United Nations and the African Union.

I now give the floor to the representative of Botswana.

Mr. President, my delegation joins others in warmly congratulating your country, the People’s Republic of China, on its assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of November. We particularly commend you and your delegation for having convened this open debate under the important theme “Peace and security in Africa: strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa”. We also thank the Secretary-General and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, His Excellency Ambassador Smaïl Chergui, for providing invaluable insights in their briefings on the subject matter. At the outset, my delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by delegation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. As we engage in today’s debate, my delegation joins others in paying a befitting tribute to all of the peacekeepers deployed around the world for their gallant efforts and commitment to sacrificing their precious lives to achieve peace and comfort for their fellow human beings. We have recently once again been reminded of the unavoidable price of peace by the regrettable loss of life of Tanzanian and Malawian uniformed personnel in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As we mourn their heroic demise and convey our heartfelt condolences to their families and other loved ones, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that their loss and that of others before them was not in vain but will embolden our collective resolve and focus to enhance peace and security globally, particularly in Africa. Despite the notable overall progress made over the years since the old days of frequent inter-State wars, Africa is still mired mainly in festering and active conflicts, some of which, of course, have delicate cross-border dimensions. This trend and the sometimes fragile peace agreements reached unfortunately have a great opportunity cost. Efforts to restore and rebuild peace are without a doubt an endless drain on the already scarce resources required to realize the socioeconomic aspirations of our continent. The double jeopardy situation we face is that as a result, the African continent finds itself at cross- roads of competing needs in simultaneously dealing with conflict prevention, mediation, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, in parallel with the imperative to implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. In that regard, my delegation wishes to reiterate Botswana’s commitment to the various initiatives taken in that respect, which will go a long way towards strengthening the international community’s response mechanisms in addressing issues of peace and security, especially in Africa, including the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (see S/2015/446); the reform of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission; and the Secretary- General’s recent Action for Peace Initiative. There is no doubt that United Nations peace operations have proved to be a critical intervention instrument in building and sustaining peace and stability in conflict-affected areas. Important cumulative lessons in countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone have shown that while a peacekeeping mission cannot go on indefinitely, it can nonetheless provide the countries affected a second opportunity to re-establish peace and rebuild sustainable economies. When interventions are better managed — through proper phase-to-phase transitions from peacemaking and peacekeeping to peacebuilding  — the real end result is indeed achievable. While preserving basic principles such as consent by parties to a conflict, we must nonetheless resist the temptation of presumed cost savings through premature withdrawals, as history has taught us that sometimes the cost of future redeployment is even higher. It is also important to note that as the Security Council mandates the respective operations, the Council must be mindful of the fact that while situations may seem similar, there could be unique characteristics in every case. In this context, close cooperation and collaboration between the penholders and the various key stakeholders, including the regional blocs and potential troop-contributing countries that may understand the situation better, must be ensured. We agree with the recommendations arrived at by the reports and several initiatives alluded to earlier, but we wish to further highlight some critical areas for reflection, particularly in relation to the effective maintenance of peace and stability in Africa. First, we share the view that in order to achieve genuine and sustainable peace, the primacy of local context and politics, as well as the underlying regional dynamics, must be fully taken into account. Clearly, peacekeeping contingents must support — and should benefit from  — homegrown solutions as a guarantor for the required buy-in and future sustainability of the peace when peacekeepers have withdrawn. Secondly, it cannot be overemphasized that, ultimately, the primary responsibility for absorbing external peacekeeping assistance rests with the national actors themselves. Apart from subsequent ongoing long-term development and peacebuilding support, peacekeeping is meant to be a temporary intervention measure whereby the United Nations and other international actors can support and facilitate efforts in such areas as national dialogues for peace. It is therefore within the purview of host countries’ responsibility to help address the underlying drivers of conflict and meet the legitimate interests of their wider populations in order to sustain peace. Thirdly, at the local level, we believe that peacekeeping and peacemaking processes must always aspire to inclusive participation and to equitable economic distribution of the peace dividend as a pathway to building credible institutions and restoring good governance, democracy and the rule of law, bearing in mind the special interests of the most vulnerable groups in our societies, such as the innocent women and children who more often than not bear the bigger brunt of these brutal conflicts. It is for this reason that on the occasion of today’s commemoration of 20 November as Universal Children’s Day, Botswana has joined others who supported that noble initiative in a letter addressed to the Secretary-General by the Permanent Representatives of Qatar and the United States calling for the prevention of the widespread abduction of children in conflict and crises. With a view to overcoming the many obstacles to peace and security on our continent, Africa has unquestionably demonstrated the determination needed to provide both financial and personnel support to peace operations. Alongside many other Non-Aligned Movement member States, who collectively contribute some 88 per cent of peacekeepers globally, our delegation would like to take this opportunity to commend our fellow African countries, especially our now top contributor, Ethiopia, for taking this collective responsibility seriously. But Africa and other developing countries cannot do it alone, and it certainly requires enhanced capabilities from the international community. To borrow the Secretary-General’s own words, “Enhancing African capacities is essential both in the context of our collective response to international peace and security challenges as well as for the African continent’s own self-reliance.” (S/PV.8006, p. 2) This statement, we believe, recognizes that African countries and regional institutions such as the AU currently face serious gaps in their capacity to support their own peace operations. In that context, it is worth recalling that the peace dividend we are observing today in Somalia is in part the result of the bold and unprecedented decision taken by the General Assembly and its subsidiary Committees in 2009 to make an exception by authorizing a United Nations- funded support package for the African Union Mission in Somalia. That deliberate act of true partnership was a commendable step in providing critically needed logistical and life support to the Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers who, among others, were part of an AU-mandated mission at the time and braving a vicious Al-Shabaab insurgency. The Somalia case is therefore a good partnership success story, in that while it is an exception to the rule that the United Nations cannot provide direct financial support to operations sanctioned by other regional bodies, similar support by partner organizations should not be discouraged if it can bring the desired result. We noted with satisfaction the signing in April 2017 by the principals of the two organizations of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, in recognition of the nexus between peace and security and development, and in January of the United Nations- African Union Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding on Peacebuilding. We also welcome partnerships such as that of the European Union with the AU, as well as the growing bilateral collaboration between individual member States, which will greatly enhance the prospects for peace and security in Africa. We see such joint efforts as indispensable to Africa’s capacity development, particularly in strengthening the region’s contribution to peace and security initiatives on the continent. We also want to underscore and express our appreciation for the United Nations support to the AU Peace and Security Council initiative to declare September of every year until 2020 to be Africa Amnesty Month for the Surrender of Illegally Owned Weapons and Arms, in line with the Silencing the Guns by 2020 initiative. Finally, the role of subregional organizations is a very important pillar for the maintenance of peace and security in Africa. We fully recognize the efforts to bring peace to various parts of Africa by regional economic communities and other entities such as the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Economic Community of West African States, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the East African Community. Our experiences with the SADC-mandated operations in countries such as Lesotho confirm that the involvement of such entities and their knowledge of local conditions and close cultural and ethnic ties across boundaries make them a main pillar of conflict resolution and management. It would be remiss of me to end my remarks without advocating for the full participation of women, in particular, and of young people and other civil-society groups, in the prevention and management of conflicts on the continent. These groups, especially women and children, are not only vulnerable but also bring unique capabilities without which our attempts to effectively address conflict would be undermined. I would like to conclude by affirming Botswana’s unwavering commitment to continuing to play its part and provide needed support to the international community’s collective efforts to promote and protect international peace and security, particularly in Africa. With our uninterrupted track record of stability, our strong desire to see peace prevail on our continent remains one of the main objectives of Botswana’s foreign policy. We firmly believe that durable peace and stability represent the key foundation for achieving sustainable socioeconomic progress, including the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

I now give the floor to the representative of Morocco.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate China on organizing this open debate, which is of particular interest to my delegation, and to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the leading role that China is playing in peacekeeping. I also thank the Secretary-General for his statement and for the action he has initiated since he took office, sparing no effort to strengthen and reform peacekeeping and provide Africa with substantial support. We thank him for his efforts and reiterate our full support to his mission to reform peacekeeping in order to enable it to adapt to today’s challenges, including through the follow-up to his Action for Peace initiative. My statement today will address three main points. First, with regard to the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) in the areas of peace and security, the concept note (S/2018/1004, annex) clearly details the importance of Africa in every aspect of peacekeeping — first in its role as a theatre of operations, including for the five most important missions of the United Nations, which served as the standard for the Secretary-General’s action plan on troop safety and security, but also because of the participation of African troop- and police-contributing countries in United Nations operations. Furthermore, almost 80 per cent of peacekeeping operations personnel are deployed in Africa, which unfortunately continues to be the focus of nearly 70 per cent of the Security Council’s work. It is therefore clear that the two organizations have no choice but to strengthen their cooperation in the area of peace and security on a basis of mutual respect and their respective comparative advantages. The Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed in April 2017, reinforces that strategic partnership. In that regard, we welcome the commitment of the United Nations, under the leadership of the Secretary-General. However, we have to consider the human and financial resources at the disposal of each of the organizations, which are a key element in the implementation of joint projects aimed at promoting complementarity. A good example of such complementarity is the case of the Central African Republic, where the African Union is leading the political process through the African Initiative. In fact, as a result of the recent strategic assessment of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Special Representative of the Secretary- General Parfait Onanga-Anyanga is now part of the panel of facilitators for the African Initiative. My second point is about African troop- and police-contributing countries. Morocco has been contributing to United Nations peacekeeping operations since 1960. An overwhelming majority of the deployments from the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces continue to be to peacekeeping operations in Africa. They are currently deployed within MINUSCA in the Central African Republic, and in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). In that context, the Kingdom of Morocco is in the process of finalizing the deployment to MONUSCO of a fifth rapid deployment battalion, which represents a significant contribution by the United Nations to our brother country’s peace, stability and security. I would also like to point out that many African troop- and police-contributing countries have accumulated significant experience and expertise in peacekeeping. We therefore believe that training support would be more effective if provided by African countries. Morocco, which has recognized experience in United Nations peacekeeping, has been sharing it bilaterally with many African countries, including through scholarships to various military academies and by sending experts abroad. We are in discussions with the Secretariat about involvement in triangular partnerships. It is clear that the supply of assistance is much greater than the demand. The coordination mechanism established by the Secretary-General must now be implemented in order to ensure the most effective support possible. We also welcome the Secretariat’s efforts to make continuing improvements to the procedures and criteria related to deployment, training, recruitment and reimbursement so as to adapt them to current peacekeeping requirements. My last point is on the financing of African peacekeeping operations. Whether they are financed by the AU or subregional organizations, this is a crucial issue about inescapable facts. Considering the challenges it has to deal with, Africa has pledged to finance 25 per cent of the cost of such operations, and in that regard, we welcomed the official launch on 18 November of the African Union Peace Fund, aimed at eventually achieving our African organization’s financial independence. At the level of the United Nations, it will be vital to continue discussing financing, but not in the Security Council alone. After more than 15 years of discussions, it is high time to step on the gas in order to make sure that Africa’s positions and demands on this issue are taken into full consideration. Every military operation should be able to rely on predictable funding to ensure its success. We need an innovative and flexible approach and real political will to advance this key issue for all African countries. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that peacekeeping is a noble endeavour, a symbol of international solidarity and a flagship activity of the United Nations, with soldiers who often work in difficult conditions, risking their lives. I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all who have made the ultimate sacrifice, often thousands of kilometres from home, for peace and stability, on behalf of the United Nations. Morocco, in its capacity as a member of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and as an active participant in United Nations peacekeeping efforts, will spare no effort to strengthen relations between the AU and the United Nations for the sake of peace and stability on our continent.

I now give the floor to the representative of Romania.

At the outset, I would like to commend the People’s Republic of China for holding today’s debate. I am confident that under China’s presidency the Security Council will continue to build on this important topic. Romania associates itself with the statement delivered earlier by the observer of the European Union. In the light of the recent sacrifices made by the Blue Helmets, I would like to recall the words of former Deputy Secretary-General and President of the General Assembly Jan Eliasson when he said, “For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost — the United Nations personnel who sacrificed their lives for a noble cause. Even as we mourn our fallen colleagues, we are all uplifted by their unflinching commitment and are inspired to strive even harder for the collective cause so eloquently envisaged in the United Nations Charter: a world free from the scourge of war.” (GA/SM/374) Romania has a long-term commitment to the core purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the peace, development and justice nexus, which is also our motto as a candidate country for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for a term from 2020 to 2021. As a security provider, my country attaches great importance to the effectiveness of the United Nations Organization in the pursuit of peace and stability. Since 1991, when the first Romanian military peacekeepers were deployed to the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission, more than 12,500 Romanian military, police and close-protection personnel have served under the blue flag all over the world in 25 United Nations missions. Romania is currently one of the foremost European contributors of police officers to United Nations missions. Our national contribution to the United Nations missions on the African continent covers the entire spectrum of security in six peacekeeping operations and special political missions in the Central African Republic, Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Darfur and Libya. We also recall the recommendations of the High- level Independent Panel on Peace Operations, and see them as a tool for achieving the Organization’s most valuable goal, global peace. At the same time, Romania strongly supports the efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General, through his Action for Peacekeeping initiative, aimed at ensuring that the primary focus is on political solutions and on strengthening the protection of civilians and improving the safety and security of peacekeepers through effective performance in the field and accountability at all levels. Following its endorsement of the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, Romania notified the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) that in line with our peacekeeping commitments, starting in October 2019 we will contribute a military utility helicopter unit made up of four helicopters to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. They will not only provide transportation services, but will also be able to carry out aerial medical evacuation tasks, which should now be a standard requirement for all utility helicopters in United Nations peacekeeping operations, as recognized in resolution 2436 (2018). Romania is also committed to maintaining its current rate of 20 per cent female participation in peacekeeping operations as military observers and military staff officers by implementing a set of measures designed to increase the pool of female officers fit for such missions and ready to be deployed in accordance with the positions allocated by DPKO. Moreover, for the second consecutive year, Romania is supporting the work of the Office of the Special Coordinator on improving the United Nations response to sexual exploitation and abuse with a military expert on military loan, and in doing so is one of only two countries that have made available the services of qualified military personnel to assist the Office of the Special Coordinator. Lastly, Romania welcomes resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017), which we regard as a cornerstone of the foundation for solid and sustainable peacekeeping cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union, and we stand ready to contribute further to that cooperation.

I now give the floor to the representative of Canada.

I would first like to thank China for organizing today’s open debate on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. On behalf of Canada, I also express my sincere condolences to the families of the Malawian and Tanzanian Blue Helmets and Congolese soldiers recently killed in an operation of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) against the Allied Democratic Forces in the Beni area. The Council has often been called on to address complex and enduring conflicts in Africa, including in Somalia, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and South Sudan. These conflicts continue to cause enormous loss of life, population displacement and economic hardship. Another reality, however, is sometimes forgotten. African States play a leading role in international efforts to manage and resolve conflicts and crises, and we particularly have in mind United Nations successes in countries such as Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia. It is important to emphasize the determination and perseverance of the African Union (AU), its member States and African subregional organizations, which have resulted in so many lessons learned and so much strategic patience and cooperation. Needless to say, the partnerships that have been established attest to what we can achieve together. The strengthening of peacekeeping operations in Africa is not merely a question of resources, resolve or means but rather of our ability to join forces in order to innovate and maximize our impact. Enabling African States to act collectively through the United Nations, the African Union and other African regional organizations is a practical step. That is why Canada supports the full implementation of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. In addition to the annual joint consultative meeting on peace and security between the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Security Council, we believe firmly that there are other opportunities to strengthen cooperation and collaboration between the two Councils, including through joint field visits. Together we can accomplish more. We therefore encourage efforts to find more predictable, flexible and sustainable funding mechanisms for African-led peace operations. In that regard, we commend AU member States for the leadership that they have shown in mobilizing African-sourced funding under the auspices of the African Union Peace Fund. We also look forward to the Security Council’s forthcoming discussion and debate on the subject and hope to see concrete progress on developing such mechanisms. (spoke in English) If we are to get results, all Member States have to pull their weight. That is why Canada has committed new resources to United Nations peacekeeping, including the provision of a helicopter task force to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The task force has been used during essential medical evacuations of injured peacekeepers and civilians doing critical work in very dangerous and isolated environments. We have also deployed police to MINUSMA, leveraging the long experience of Canadian police in United Nations peace operations. Those contributions build on our long- standing and ongoing engagements in Africa, including in MONUSCO and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, and we are working with the United Nations to provide additional critical enablers, including the deployment of a tactical airlift detachment to the Regional Service Centre in Uganda in 2019 to provide critical logistical support to missions across Africa. Recognizing the vast experience of African troop- and police-contributing countries, we are building new partnerships and sharing our experiences and capabilities, and also learning from those of others. For example, we are partnering with Ghana and Zambia under the Elsie Initiative on Women in Peace Operations. Together we will test innovative approaches for reducing barriers to uniformed women’s meaningful participation in United Nations peace operations. In that regard, we would like to congratulate Superintendent Phyllis Osei of Ghana, who yesterday received the United Nations Female Police Officer of the Year Award for her work in Somalia. We have partnered with Senegal and Ghana to deliver the United Nations senior mission leaders course. We have partnered with the École de maintien de la paix Alioune Blondin Beye in Bamako to deliver essential training to peacekeepers. We have partnered with UNICEF and the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative to strengthen mission capacities to end the use of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and the Sudan, including working in collaboration with the African Union Mission in Somalia and the African Union. We have partnered with Mali to support the implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali and related stabilization efforts. Ahead of the next United Nations ministerial meeting on peacekeeping, we are partnering with Ethiopia to organize a preparatory meeting on women, peace and security and peacekeeping on 28 and 29 January 2019. Together with our co-host, we welcome the participation of all Member States in that important exercise. We believe that those kinds of partnerships enable each of us to put our strengths and experiences forward in order to build a safer and more peaceful world. Partnership, working in concert with multilateral institutions and in defence of our rules-based international order, is at the heart of Canada’s approach to international peace and security. It is the approach that we take to peacekeeping in Africa and one that we hope to bring to the Security Council should we be elected to a non-permanent seat for the term from 2021 to 2022. Together we can develop a more secure, inclusive and prosperous world.

I now give the floor to the representative of Sierra Leone.

I am honoured to participate in today’s open debate on peace and security in Africa and strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. I congratulate you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of November, and also thank you for convening this important meeting. And I would like to thank the Secretary-General and the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union (AU) for their insightful briefings this morning. Sierra Leone conveys its deepest condolences to the Government and the people of the Republic of Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania for the recent loss of some of their peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We must pay tribute to the gallantry, bravery and courage of peacekeepers by giving them the appropriate tools and mandate to expand the frontiers of global peace, security and stability. Strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa is immensely important to the international community. That is especially so given that Africa’s efforts to maintain regional peace and security are fraught with well-documented challenges, including a lack of sustainable, adequate and predictable financing and the difficulties of operationalizing the establishment of the African Standby Force and implementing sustainable post-conflict reconstruction and development initiatives. The attention and support of the Security Council and the wider international community is therefore required in order to address the challenges of strengthening peacekeeping operations across the continent. And addressing those challenges requires an effective political strategy. In our view, the political strategy should incorporate the need to increase the role that eminent regional leaders can play through their good offices in resolving conflicts, as well as the political engagement of all parties to conflicts for inclusive solutions. Sierra Leone commends the Secretary-General for his reform agenda, which prioritizes the primacy of political solutions in addressing the root causes of conflicts and their prevention, and through that achieving sustaining peace. Sierra Leone also welcomes the signing of the Joint United Nations-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, and we look forward to a more constructive and productive engagement in that regard. In that context, Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, which provides for cooperation between regional organizations and the United Nations in addressing matters of peace and security on the continent, should be central to peacekeeping mandates. That will require a more coordinated and integrated approach to resolving conflicts in Africa. In that regard, we should focus on African initiatives emanating from the AU Peace and Security Council, decisions adopted by the AU Assembly and the role of subregional organizations in resolving conflicts. We therefore acknowledge with appreciation the Secretary-General’s annual report (S/2018/678) on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the AU, particularly on the importance of meeting the financing requirements of AU peace operations. Given the evolving role of subregional organizations, it is important to cascade that partnership down to subregional economic communities, in view of their effectiveness in addressing and promoting subregional and continent-wide initiatives for conflict resolution and peacebuilding. The performance of Africa’s regional organizations, particularly subregional economic communities, in ensuring peace and security on the continent through peacekeeping operations cannot be overemphasized. In that regard, it is important to further build on and strengthen the mediation capacities of the African Union and the subregional organizations, as well as civil-society organizations engaged in mediation efforts. The funding of peacekeeping operations in all their complementary aspects, including peacebuilding and State-building efforts, remains a huge challenge to the work of silencing the guns in Africa. In that regard, it is imperative to ensure that the international community seeks lasting solutions to the problem of the funding constraints that continue to inhibit the success of peacekeeping operations. Sierra Leone therefore supports the Security Council’s future adoption of a resolution aimed at establishing United Nations assessed contributions for financing Council- mandated AU peace support missions. The launch of the AU Peace Fund on 17 November is integral to the AU’s ongoing reforms and a clear indication of Africa’s commitment to resolving conflicts on the continent. It will substantially increase the capacity of the African Union as a first responder in the areas of mediation, preventive diplomacy and peace operations. Sierra Leone applauds the Secretary-General for the launch in March of the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, as well as the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, which has so far been endorsed by more than 150 Member States. For Sierra Leone, as a troop- and police-contributing country, the Declaration of Shared Commitments resonates with our commitment to the maintenance of international peace and security. While the Declaration aims to strengthen peacekeeping operations, the United Nations and the international community, in addition to providing funding, should make greater efforts to assist African troop- and police-contributing countries with the requisite technical support, including training and equipment, that they need to enhance their peacekeeping capabilities. In conclusion, if we are to strengthen peacekeeping we must also understand and appreciate the nexus between peace, security and development both during and after peacekeeping operations. That is critical to building the resilience that can prevent relapses into conflict, which in turn is essential in order to protect the investments made in peacekeeping.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Sudan.

We thank you, Mr. President, for organizing today’s open debate on this important issue, and we appreciate your wise leadership of the Council for the month of November. We would also like to thank Secretary-General António Guterres and Mr. Smaїl Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union (AU), for their insightful briefings this morning. I would like to express my condolences regarding the peacekeepers from Tanzania, Malawi and Mali who lost their lives while carrying out their sacred missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered this morning by the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, and we would like to add the following comments in our national capacity. We must reaffirm the importance of Africa in African-led peacekeeping operations. The partnership in peacekeeping between the United Nations and the AU is a successful one, and of the several examples of that, the most notable is the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), which is nearing its closure. UNAMID is a success story in terms of African-led joint coordination and efforts. It was preceded by the African Union Mission in the Sudan, which was transformed into the hybrid operation that is currently preparing for closure and has successfully made the transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding and development. The drawdown began in September on the margins of the high-level week of the General Assembly. After reviewing the situation on the ground, the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations recommended in its report (see S/2015/446) that the partnership between the United Nations and the AU be strengthened by providing additional funding specifically directed to African-led peacekeeping operations. That recommendation was implemented through the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, which was signed in April 2017 here in New York. However, the Framework will become effective only when the necessary financial and political obligations are implemented. In coordinating peace efforts in Africa, we must consider regional and subregional perspectives, along with those of neighbouring countries, so that we can resolve conflicts where they arise and address them on the basis of the principle of African solutions for African problems. We urgently need to improve the coordination between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council, in addition to enhancing the partnerships between the Security Council and the regional and subregional organizations working to maintain peace and security in Africa, such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. And we want to focus on the importance of strengthening the capacity of African countries with regard to all the various aspects of peacekeeping forces — military, police and civilian personnel — so that we can truly silence the guns in Africa by 2020. We also want to highlight the importance of enhancing partnerships between peacekeeping operations and host countries. In that regard, we note the successful coordination experience of the Government of the Sudan and UNAMID establishing a triangular mechanism that brings together the Sudanese Government, the United Nations and the AU and oversees all of that peacekeeping operation’s developments and needs. We all know the growing importance of ensuring financing for African-led peacekeeping operations, which will help them to address conflicts before they intensify and spin out of control, at which point such conflicts are much more difficult to address. In that regard, we note the AU’s efforts to establish a Peace Fund providing 25 per cent of the funding needed for AU-led peacekeeping operations, enabling the African continent to contribute to addressing its own security challenges. The latest developments in the Horn of Africa promise a bright future for the region following the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan and the efforts to advance the peace process in the Central African Republic, in addition to the positive developments between Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia and bilaterally between Somalia and Eritrea. All these positive developments will require support from regional and international partners so that we can foster development efforts in those countries and enhance regional complementarity, which is continuing to make progress.

I now give the floor to the representative of Djibouti.

I would like to thank the Chinese presidency for organizing today’s open debate on the important issue of strengthening African capacities in the area of peace and security. I am grateful to the Secretary-General and the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union (AU) for their contributions to our discussion. I would also like to thank you, Mr. President, for the concept note (S/2018/1004, annex) prepared for this meeting, which once again demonstrates how important your country considers our continent to be. Djibouti associates itself with the statement made earlier by the representative of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. (spoke in English) This year marks the seventieth anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping and one in which we have achieved several key milestones, including the approval of reform of the Organization’s peace and security architecture, the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, which my delegation has endorsed, and the implementation of the action plan to strengthen the safety and security of United Nations peacekeepers. Djibouti welcomes the Secretary-General’s reform initiatives aimed at making peacekeeping more effective and efficient, as well as achieving a more coherent and coordinated approach to conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding. (spoke in French) Of the total of 16 United Nations peacekeeping operations, nine are deployed in Africa and account for more than 80 per cent of uniformed personnel and approved financial resources. Of the 30 countries that are the main contributors of uniformed personnel to United Nations peacekeeping operations, 19 are African States. Furthermore, 50 per cent of peacekeeping personnel come from African Union member States. Today’s debate is being held in the wake of the eleventh Extraordinary Summit of the African Union, held in Addis Ababa three days ago. At the Summit our Heads of State and Government made important decisions aimed at accelerating institutional reform of the organization, particularly through the launch of the Peace Fund, which will enable the institution to advance the irreversible steps it is taking towards financial autonomy and greater efficiency. I want to emphasize Djibouti’s commitment to peacekeeping operations through our contribution of nearly 2,000 men serving in Somalia and a formed police unit in Darfur, as well as women and men in other United Nations peacekeeping operations. Djibouti’s presence enables us to make a concrete contribution to the peace and stability of our continent. In that regard, I would like to focus on the following three points. First, the United Nations and the international community should promote greater cooperation and strategic coherence in the context of conflict prevention in Africa. Establishing a process for planning and defining the joint mandates of African Union peace operations authorized by the Security Council is essential to their effectiveness. More real-time consultations with the African Union and other relevant regional organizations, along with joint assessments and reviews, among other things, are vital for recommending coherent options to decision-making bodies for the timely prevention of conflicts, including, but not limited to, preventive diplomacy. Greater flexibility in the interpretation of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations would substantially reduce divergent approaches in areas related to peace and international security. The United Nations-AU Joint Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed in April 2017, provides a good basis for institutionalizing that practice. Secondly, we must work together to resolve seemingly intractable conflicts by building resilience through sustainable post-conflict reconstruction and development initiatives. That means supporting the African Union’s efforts to combat violent extremism by increasing investment in political, humanitarian, human rights and development strategies. In addition, the African Union Special Fund on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism and the Nouakchott and Djibouti processes constitute important coordination platforms for supporting the African Union in its fight against terrorism. Thirdly, funding for African peace support operations continues to be the subject of endless discussion. With the progress that has been achieved in Somalia, the Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic, the African Union and its subregional organizations have demonstrated their capabilities in acting as first responders to African conflicts. In complementarity with the United Nations, they are contributing to collective security as provided for in the Charter of the United Nations. We hope that the draft resolution to be introduced next month under Côte d’Ivoire’s presidency of the Security Council, on behalf of the three African countries that are members of the Council, will lead to a more harmonious AU- United Nations partnership in preventing, mediating and managing violent conflicts, as well as in more joint efforts to increase resource mobilization. Lastly, I would like to reiterate that the growing need for women in peacekeeping operations today is more evident than ever if we are to be able to prevent and resolve conflicts, support complex political transitions and maintain peace through national stakeholders. (spoke in English) Finally, I would like to conclude by paying tribute to the brave women and men who are working to implement their peacekeeping tasks, as well as to the Malawian and Tanzanian peacekeepers who recently lost their lives in the field while defending the cause of peace.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Republic of Korea.

I would like to begin by thanking you, Mr. President, for convening today’s open debate on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. I also want to thank Secretary-General Guterres and Commissioner Chergui for their informative briefings. Given the complex, interconnected nature of today’s global challenges, it is widely recognized that the United Nations cannot maintain peace and security around the globe alone. At the same time, in recent years a growing number of actors have gained a better grasp of the realities on the ground and of the resources and expertise needed to address Africa’s peace and security challenges. Building strong, strategic partnerships with these stakeholders is now an imperative. As the Secretary-General said, the world already has the resources to deliver. The United Nations, which has a brand like no other, is best placed to convene and coordinate these different actors. It is in that context that we welcome the fact that more than 150 Member States and regional organizations have endorsed the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, which aims to make peace operations more fit for purpose by enhancing collaboration between the United Nations and the relevant actors. The role of regional and subregional organizations in Africa has become especially important for implementing these shared commitments. Since its establishment nearly two decades ago, the African Union (AU) in particular has been making considerable progress in strengthening ownership and enhancing its capacity to promote peace and security on the continent. Regional economic communities have also been playing an increasingly proactive role in their respective regions. Most notably, the Economic Community of West African States took the lead in helping to resolve the political crises in The Gambia in late 2016 and deployed forces to maintain stability in the country. The comparative advantage of regional and subregional organizations vis-à-vis the United Nations has been particularly evident in peace enforcement and counter-terrorism operations. A clear division of labour of those activities would allow the United Nations to better focus on its core mandate of peacekeeping. We therefore join others in calling on the United Nations to work more effectively with those regional actors by providing the necessary support, in line with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. In that regard, we welcome the recent progress made in enhancing the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the AU, including the signing of the Joint United Nations-AU Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. It is also encouraging to note the greater number of joint briefings and field visits by senior officials of the two organizations. Going forward, I wish to highlight three areas in which we would like to see further progress. First, it is important that the AU and the United Nations work together more strategically to facilitate sustainable political solutions on the ground. Based on a joint analysis and assessment of the situation, the mandates of the United Nations and AU peace operations should be designed as part of a broader common political strategy. We hope that the ongoing reforms at the United Nations and the AU will allow the two organizations to better achieve that end. Secondly, we encourage the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council to closely align their agendas and to convene more regular meetings between them to make effective joint decisions and actions. Thirdly, there is a need to provide predictable, flexible and sustainable financing for AU-led peace operations, as recognized by the Security Council and the wider membership through the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. We positively view the Council’s intention set out in resolution 2378 (2017) to consider practical steps to finance AU-led peace operations through United Nations assessed contributions on a case-by- case basis, provided that the standards ensuring oversight and accountability are met. In that regard, we welcome the progress that the AU, in close cooperation with the United Nations, has made in developing compliance and reporting frameworks. We also welcome the AU’s initiative to enhance its financial self-reliance by revitalizing the AU Peace Fund and meet its commitment to fund 25 per cent of African peace operations. We understand that the United Nations and the AU will soon present a joint road map to address existing concerns on the accountability and compliance frameworks. We hope that those initiatives, including the draft resolution on the financing of AU-led peace operations to be introduced by the three African members of the Council next month, will help to move the discussions forward. Next year, the Republic of Korea is expected to join the ranks of the top 10 financial contributors to the United Nations peacekeeping budget for the first time. We feel a greater sense of responsibility to ensure that peacekeeping operations remain an effective tool for maintaining peace and security in Africa. In addition to deploying troops to South Sudan, we have been supporting the AU’s efforts to strengthen its capacity to maintain peace and security through the Peace Fund. More specifically, we deployed a level-2 hospital in Gao, Mali, in July and we are now supporting the Continental Logistics Base of the African Standby Force in Cameroon, which will provide the adequate infrastructure for the rapid deployment of African troops. To enhance women’s participation in AU peace operations, we are helping to build the necessary capacity within the Peacebuilding Commission. In closing, I wish to assure the Council of my Government’s commitment to playing its due part in strengthening peace operations in Africa.

I now give the floor to the representative of Senegal.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate the Chinese delegation, under its presidency of the Security Council for this month, for prioritizing multilateralism as an essential mechanism for preserving international peace and security and promoting economic and social progress. I would also like to commend the initiative to convene this important debate on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. As a major troop- and police-contributing country, Senegal commends the concern shown by actors, including the Council, in the spirit of triangular dialogue, with regard to making peacekeeping operations more effective and able to respond to the pressing current and future needs and challenges. I thank the Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, Mr. Smaїl Chergui, for their excellent contributions. I would also like to commend the statement made by the representative of Côte d’Ivoire on behalf of the three African members of the Council and reaffirm Senegal’s support for the continuing efforts to find definitive answers to the issue of predictable financing for African Union peacekeeping operations authorized by the United Nations. The conclusion is clear: most of the activities planned within the framework of cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, particularly for peacekeeping operations, involve Africa. This debate is therefore timely in that it offers the opportunity to evaluate efforts to support Africa in its resolute determination to take control of its destiny, including with regard to peace and security, without which the sustainable development that we all seek to achieve through the Sustainable Development Goals would be futile. While we welcome the expressed will of the African Union to fully assume its role as a key player in seeking political solutions to disputes in Africa, including through the AU Peace Fund, which was launched three days ago at the eleventh extraordinary summit of the organization, my delegation commends the tangible progress made in the context of the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. The Action for Peacekeeping initiative and the subsequent Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, which has been endorsed by 151 Member States, including Senegal, and four regional organizations, are a renewed opportunity to make prevention and mediation a top priority in Africa. In the spirit of the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (S/2015/446) and resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017), we call on the two organizations, including the United Nations-AU Joint Task Force on Peace and Security, to continue consultations on the issue of predictable and sustainable support for African Union peace operations in order to help make the African Union initiative to silence weapons by 2020 a reality. My delegation also welcomes the attention given by the Peacebuilding Commission and the Economic and Social Council to the situation in the Sahel, not only in terms of the challenges ahead but also in terms of the opportunities in the region, which deserves the full support of the international community. I also welcome the continued focus of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union, in particular the strengthening of the African Union’s peacekeeping capacities. Moreover, given the increasing commitment and involvement of French-speaking countries in peacekeeping operations, as well as the deployment of peacekeeping missions in those countries, mainly in Africa, my delegation reaffirms the importance of promoting multilingualism in the context of those missions. For its part, whether it be in a regional or subregional context, Senegal will continue to work, together with actors such as the United Nations, the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union, to make prevention and mediation priorities in seeking and maintaining peace in Africa. In the context of that preventive approach, which calls for deep reflection on the crises in Africa, President Macky Sall, among other initiatives, established the Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa, the fifth of which was held on 5 and 6 November. If the expected outcomes of the peacekeeping operations deployed in Africa are to be achieved, those missions must be based on a well-defined political strategy, with focused, clear, realistic and achievable mandates, while taking into account the peacebuilding dimension. Beyond regional and subregional organizations, it is necessary to strive to make cooperation with neighbouring States a reality on the ground, while establishing a relationship of trust among missions, States and host populations. More than anywhere else, there is also the issue of adapting missions deployed in Africa to the sociocultural realities and the environment on the ground. In Mali, for example, our troops operate in a sensitive context, with targeted attacks against Blue Helmets, United Nations personnel, the people and civilian infrastructure. That means appropriate equipment and training in order to operate effectively and safely. In the same vein, we must consider, where necessary, the use of modern technologies. The experience of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic has shown that the responsible use of those tools has a positive impact. Given that missions have become multidimensional, cooperation between the United Nations and the AU will need to place greater emphasis on training and capacity-building. In that context, Senegal has set up a dedicated training centre, in accordance with United Nations standards, where contingents undergo predeployment training that takes into account not only feedback but also, and above all, awareness of the issue of sexual abuse and exploitation. Senegal remains ready to share its unique experience in peacekeeping, including through South- South and triangular cooperation. It is equally essential for both organizations to make the zero-tolerance policy of sexual abuse and exploitation a high priority. The same is true for the increase in women’s participation in peacekeeping operations, in accordance with resolution 1325 (2000). We join in offering our condolences to Tanzania and Malawi, whose Blue Helmets have recently fallen in theatres of operation. I reiterate the strongest condemnation of any attack on United Nations personnel and join in paying tribute to the men and women who, sometimes at the risk of their lives, put themselves at the service of the noble ideals of our Organization. As a champion of pan-Africanism and having enshrined in its Constitution its readiness to surrender all or part of its sovereignty in order to achieve African unity, Senegal reaffirms its ongoing commitment to work for international peace and security, particularly in Africa, including by pursuing its high-quality contribution to the peacekeeping operations.

I now give the floor to the representative of Portugal.

Allow me first of all to commend you, Mr. President, for convening this open debate. Portugal attaches particular importance to peacekeeping efforts in Africa. Six of the seven United Nations missions and peacekeeping operations in which Portugal participates are in Africa, namely, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. With respect to MINUSCA, Portugal participates with its largest contingent — 165 military personnel and 13 police officers, including a rapid reaction force — operating without restrictions or reservations in circumstances that require a high level of mobility and rapid response, in particular to deal with the situation of unprotected civilians. With regard to MINUSMA, our participation is a concrete example of best practices of cooperation among the various States Members of the United Nations. That initiative, which takes the form of a pilot project on sharing air capacity in the context of United Nations peacekeeping operations, illustrates well the huge potential that joint work brings to strategic coherence, the efficient use of available resources and the improvement and effectiveness of missions. The increasing scope and complexity of mandates have not always been matched by the resources and capacities required by missions to address contemporary, asymmetrical and, often, transnational threats. We therefore fully share the importance attached by the Secretary-General to conflict prevention, the stabilization of tensions, the primacy of politics and the use of diplomacy as a preferred means to achieve lasting peace. Indeed, Portugal is one of the 151 signatories to the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, further to the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative. In that regard, my country supports the strengthening of cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in the context of peacekeeping operations, in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. The complementary action of the European Union, including through trilateral cooperation in various scenarios and formats on the African continent, represents value added. As to how that cooperation can be improved, we support the measures contained in the Secretary- General’s report on options for authorization and support for African Union peace support operations of 26 May 2017 (S/2017/454). Indeed, that document sets out various modalities to ensure flexible and predictable funding for missions. It proposes responsibility and audit procedures. In that context, it stresses the need for African Union peacekeeping forces to be properly trained on respect for human rights and the code of conduct in peacekeeping operations. Portugal also supports peace operations in Africa through the African Peace Facility of the European Union. We believe that it is essential to ensure predictable and sustainable funding for African peace operations, whether led by the African Union or regional organizations through the African Union. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that Portugal remains ready to participate in the training of military contingents from other troop-contributing countries, as is the case within the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries.

I now give the floor to the representative of Algeria.

I thank China, Mr. President, for organizing this open debate. I would first like to offer our condolences to Malawi and Tanzania. It is a cruel reminder of what it costs to have peacekeepers all around the world. Although not explicitly provided for in the Charter of the United Nations, peacekeeping has evolved over the past seven decades to become the most visible part of the United Nations actions and activities. Let us remind ourselves that peacekeeping has been brought about from the thirtieth floor by bold diplomats, not as part of the Charter. It was an innovation. Yet that situation can be likened to a double-edged sword in that any failure to deliver properly in that area could have a detrimental impact on the credibility of the United Nations. There are many examples to testify to that reality. The focus on Africa in today’s debate is also very pertinent for two reasons. First, Africa remains the main theatre of United Nations peacekeeping efforts, with 7 out of the 14 peacekeeping operations, and no doubt the most complicated and robust ones, currently operating in Africa. Secondly, it is on African soil that United Nations peacekeepers face the most serious and complex challenges, ranging from the fact that they are deployed in dangerous environments where there is no peace to keep to the increasing threat of terrorism and violent extremism, which poses fundamental questions about the doctrine and practice of United Nations peacekeeping. In other words, while the peacekeeping context in Africa has changed dramatically over the past decade, the same cannot be said of the concept and practice of United Nations peacekeeping, which, despite some notable exceptions, continues to be underpinned by the formal principles of impartiality, neutrality and the limited use of force. Therefore, while acknowledging the steps taken so far to adjust peacekeeping to that new environment, including the recent adoption of the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, which my country has of course fully endorsed, that should not be the end of the process. Collectively, we should continue to analyse recent trends and explore ways and means to make sure that peacekeeping is fit for purpose given the new realities on the ground. On that note, allow me to underline the following key points, which we believe to be important. First, peacekeeping cannot succeed without a viable political process. It is therefore important and urgent to redouble efforts to accelerate the pursuit of political solutions. Undertaking offensive military operations, although necessary in some cases, should not translate into a preference for military solutions. Even in counter- terrorism contexts, beyond reducing the violence, our objective should remain to encourage as many stakeholders as possible to join the political process. Secondly, while the mandates of peacekeeping operations continue to expand — and I would like to quote the Secretary-General, who has said that current mandates “look like Christmas trees” (S/PV.8218, p. 3) — we should be mindful of the fact that peacekeeping on its own is only one element in the effort to restore peace and security to countries in conflict. In other words, while peacekeeping should be empowered to create the conditions for lasting stability, it cannot address all the underlying causes of the situations that motivated its deployment. It is therefore crucial for the international community to step up its commitment towards post-conflict situations well beyond the duration of the mandates of peace operations. The need to strengthen the nexus between peacekeeping and peacebuilding in order to achieve sustainable peace cannot be overemphasized. Thirdly, I would like to draw the attention of the Council to a real risk that we have already seen in a number of situations. Owing to their ever-growing responsibilities, in certain cases peacekeeping operations have substituted for failed States in providing the population’s basic needs, including security. They have increasingly become an alternative that, instead of promoting the rebuilding of national capacities, has had the opposite effect on that process. In dealing with that situation, we should bear in mind that the only way to achieve sustainable peace is by building strong, responsive and accountable State institutions at the local and the national levels that will be responsible for delivering essential services. Fourthly, and lastly, it is necessary to strengthen partnerships for peacekeeping operations. As the nature of international peace and security threats has evolved, no single organization has the legitimacy and the capabilities required to act alone. Since its establishment in 2002, the African Union has demonstrated a clear comparative advantage in two particular kinds of situations: first, in missions where offensive operations are needed and the United Nations is unable to deploy; and, secondly, where the Security Council is unable to mobilize the requisite political consensus to initiate action. It is therefore important to build a strategic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union based on mutual respect, solidarity and, most important, adherence to the principle of comparative advantage. That brings me to the issue of financing, which remains one of the most important challenges facing such a partnership in the area of peace and security. Funding is indeed a central concern when it comes to launching and sustaining African Union peace support operations. The ongoing African Union Mission in Somalia testifies to that reality. That is why the African Union has consistently called for predictable and sustainable financing through United Nations assessed contributions for African Union-led peace operations. Let me draw attention to the decision that was taken only two days ago at a summit with regard to the reinstatement of the Peace Fund of the African Union. When Africa calls on the Security Council to do more regarding the issue of funding, the call should be understood in the context of the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, which entrusts the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security to the Security Council. Therefore, by providing responses to threats to peace and security, the African Union is doing so on behalf of the United Nations.

I now give the floor to the representative of Kenya.

I thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this important debate. My delegation also welcomes the informative briefings by the Secretary- General and the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security. Kenya recognizes the vital role played by peacekeeping as a critical tool available to the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security. We remain firmly committed to peacekeeping for a better world. Kenya would once again like to pay tribute to the Blue Berets and Blue Helmets who have paid the ultimate price for peace. In particular, we pay a special tribute to the peacekeepers of Mali and Tanzania who lost their lives last week serving in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our prayers are with their loved ones. Peace and indeed security are a vital component of development and the well-being of people throughout the world. Africa, too, faces some peace and security challenges that continue to undermine development on the continent. In an effort to address them, the African Union-led peace operations face several difficulties, including inadequately resourced peace missions with regard to both personnel and equipment and the inability to fund the post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding that are necessary for a country emerging from conflict. That is frequently compounded by a lack of funds dedicated to such peace operations due to the overreliance on donors. Most of those challenges can be appropriately addressed by deepening the strategic cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU). The Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed by the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the AU Commission, presents an excellent opportunity to boost coordination between the two organizations strategically and operationally. The regular interaction between the two organizations, including through the hosting of joint biannual meetings, has led to a better understanding of the strategic environment surrounding conflicts on the continent. The two institutions should take advantage of the opportunity presented by the partnership to ensure a greater degree of coherence and coordination and constantly involve each other in the planning and execution of peace and security operations to synergize their efforts. That will help to align the visions of the two bodies. We appreciate the basic principles of peacekeeping as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the primacy of politics as key to conflict prevention and resolution. However, the circumstances surrounding the peace and security environment have changed over time. Let me, for instance, highlight a few, such as the African Union Mission in Somalia, which faces threats that continue to challenge the conventional peacekeeping doctrine. Similar threats are facing the Group of Five for the Sahel initiative in Mali, where peacekeepers are a direct target. That calls for a rethink of doctrine and concept of operations in such missions so as to align them to the new realities on the ground. Similarly, although authorized by the Security Council, such missions suffer from a mismatch of resources as a result of reliance on voluntary sources that are rarely predictable. Accordingly, funding such peace operations from the assessed contributions remains the most viable option to ensure sustainability. With regard to training, it is worth noting that no two missions are identical in either context or environment. Each mission presents unique challenges by virtue of the threats it faces and its environment. It is for that reason that equipment and predeployment training need to be tailored to suit each mission’s environment and threats. Africa is host to the five largest peacekeeping missions and contributes over half of the peacekeepers in those missions. It is therefore important that training be conducted in environments similar to those in which they operate. Kenya has, for instance, offered the internationally recognized International Peace Support Training Centre to the United Nations for the training of peacekeepers. The Centre offers excellent training facilities and training areas with a capacity to accommodate an infantry battalion. We look forward to partnering with the United Nations and other stakeholders to advance peacekeeping training.

I now give the floor to the representative of Nigeria.

We thank the presidency of China for convening this important debate. My appreciation goes to Mr. António Guterres, the Secretary-General, for his leadership and commitment to peace and security in Africa, as well as his insightful remarks. I am also grateful to Mr. Smaïl Chergui, the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, for his illuminating presentation. We welcome the Secretary-General’s report on United Nations-African Union cooperation on African Union-led peace support operations, as well as the laudable adoption of resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017), which focus on the need for sustained, predictable and flexible funding for African Union-led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council. The root causes of conflicts in Africa are multifaceted. A comprehensive approach is required for their resolution. Above all, our response must be situated within the rubric of the quest for collective security, which does not rest on any one country or region but on the international community acting in concert. We must therefore have a shared strategic vision of our goals, recalling that peacekeeping in Africa is an integral part of the maintenance of international peace and security, for which the Security Council has primary responsibility. Nigeria’s experience in Sierra Leone and Liberia has taught us a great deal about the challenges of regional peacekeeping, principally in financing, equipping and mission-support arrangements. Africa constitutes a majority of matters on the Council’s agenda. Invariably, those matters are also on the agenda of the African Union, which is frequently called upon to respond. Such demands placed on the AU far outweigh its resources and capacities to respond effectively. The consequences of ineffective response would include mission failure, increased instability and a reluctance among potential partners to contribute to what is perceived to be a failing system, among others. Therefore, we must use our political authority to ensure that, where regional capacities exist, appropriate support follows. Without a truly strategic partnership, the enormous investments in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding will continue to be arbitrary and will not achieve the desired end. Although financing AU peacekeeping operations remains a daunting challenge, the landmark Prodi report of the African Union-United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union peacekeeping operations of 2008 (S/2008/813), the Brahimi report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (S/2000/809) and the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (S/2015/446) remind us that financing options are not difficult to identify. The problem persists because stakeholders have failed to adopt the far-reaching and creative alternatives required. Given that the current financial frameworks for partnership in peacekeeping are not conducive to building a sustainable long-term strategy, it is imperative that the Council endorse a financing option that guarantees the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of funding for AU peacekeeping operations mandated by the United Nations. In that regard, Nigeria welcomes the Action for Peace initiative of the Secretary-General and looks forward to its implementation. We encourage the AU to continue with its institutional reform process, as well as the development of a long-term capacity-building road map. We believe that the United Nations Secretariat can play a key role in pulling that framework together in order to improve the technical support to the African Union. There may also be scope to support initiatives such as the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre, in Jaji, Kaduna state, to enhance its capacity to train and prepare AU troops for the planned African Standby Force. Nigeria recognizes the increasingly important role women play in conflict resolution and in building stable communities. It welcomes their increased participation in peacekeeping operations, as they have no doubt brought a critical skill set to peacekeeping, particularly in addressing gender-based issues in the various missions that they serve. Incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse continue to occur in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Nigeria strongly condemns that abhorrent practice of a few who take delight in abusing those they are meant to protect. Last year, our President Muhammadu Buhari joined the Secretary-General’s circle of leadership to champion the fight against that menace. Nigeria will continue to lend strong support to ending sexual exploitation and abuse in all its forms and ramifications. We strongly urge the Secretary-General, with the support of all Member States, to continue to intensify efforts to find sustainable funding for peacekeeping missions in Africa. It is only by acting together that we can demonstrate the shared responsibility of the international community for the maintenance of peace and security. In conclusion, we would like to pay tribute to all those who have made the supreme sacrifice in serving as Blue Helmets around the world. We also offer our deepest condolences to their families, friends and Governments. Nigeria salutes the courage of peacekeepers, humanitarian workers, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders for their hard work, often in difficult circumstances, to ensure the safety and security of the world.

I now give the floor to the representative of Turkey.

We would also like to join previous speakers in thanking you, Mr. President, for organizing this open debate. Allow me at the outset to pay tribute to the United Nations peacekeepers who put their lives at risk in the line of duty and express our deepest sympathy for those who paid the ultimate price for the noble cause of peace, most recently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. Peacekeeping is the flagship activity of the United Nations aimed at assisting host countries in the difficult transition from war to peace. The intensification and sophistication of asymmetrical threats posed by terrorist and extremist groups is a serious challenge to United Nations peacekeeping, both in terms of force protection and the implementation of the mandate. In that context, peacekeeping missions should be supported logistically so as to be well equipped, trained and prepared to meet the challenges. We need to have in place predictable, professional and flexible logistic support systems, as well as the necessary tools and means for increasing the performance of our troops and police. Peacekeeping is constantly evolving and being tailored to meet new challenges. The United Nations has come a long way in that endeavour, and its peacekeeping capabilities have progressed considerably over time. We welcome the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Action for Peacekeeping initiative, which we fully endorse. The diversity of challenges associated with peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts requires the contribution of a wide range of actors, including regional and subregional organizations, civil society and the private sector. As the dimensions of conflicts and crises now outpace the United Nations response capacity, we should adapt our approaches to respond to present and future crises. Various regional organizations, such as the African Union (AU), have become established actors in peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts, and the United Nations should be able to support and make use of the capabilities of those organizations. In that regard, we value the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union and other regional and subregional bodies on the continent. Turkey encourages the expansion of the United Nations-AU partnership so as to include the areas of institutional capacity- building, security sector reform, the protection of civilians, human rights, gender mainstreaming and combating organized crime. We must take stock of the positive efforts of the international community to reform peacekeeping missions to fully restore peace and tranquillity throughout the continent. The ultimate objective of our missions in Africa needs to be generating success stories of African ownership and responsiveness in cooperation with the international community and national authorities, consistent with the concept of African solutions to African problems. Somalia is a textbook example of the partnership and collaboration of the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union (EU). We greatly appreciate the noble endeavour of the African Union Mission in Somalia in the pursuit of bringing peace and stability throughout that country. In that regard, a special debt of gratitude should be extended for the sacrifices made by the troop-contributing countries. With that notion in mind, we also maintain our support for Somalia in numerous areas through bilateral means. We are particularly focusing on capacity-building for Somali institutions in terms of military and policing in close cooperation with our international partners. Peace and security constitute important pillars of our approach towards Africa. Turkey has allocated resources to the activities of the Eastern African Standby Force from its annual contributions to the African Union. We are also working on providing further support to the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises. Turkish peacekeepers continue to serve in various United Nations, NATO and EU missions across the globe, including in Afghanistan, Africa, the Balkans and the Middle East, where they contribute to the training of security personnel and the capacity- and institution-building of military and security forces and provide technical assistance to and strengthen civilian and law enforcement institutions. We will maintain our support, and we look forward to contributing to upcoming debates on responding to the multitude of challenges faced by international peacekeeping today.

I now give the floor to the representative of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh thanks the Chinese presidency for organizing this open debate. We thank the Secretary-General and the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security for sharing their thoughts on further advancing the strategic partnership between the two organizations with a focus on peacekeeping operations. We align ourselves with the statement delivered earlier by the representative of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. We continue to underscore the primacy of Africa’s leading role in resolving its own peace and security issues. It is critical that the political peace processes spearheaded by the African regional and subregional organizations be duly factored into the mandate, design and delivery of the United Nations peacekeeping operations concerned. The positive impact of United Nations-AU joint analyses of conflicts and early- warning assessments, supported by joint visits and statements, has been evident in both policymaking and implementation. The issue of financing United Nations- authorized African peace support operations has been addressed in the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, under the Action for Peacekeeping initiative. Resolution 2378 (2017) reaffirmed the need for considering practical steps for partly financing AU peace support operations through United Nations assessed contributions on a case-by-case basis. It is imperative that the Secretary-General’s constructive suggestions for United Nations-AU joint action and funding be given due consideration at the relevant legislative bodies, especially against the backdrop of sustained resource mobilization for the AU Peace Fund by African countries themselves. We agree with the Secretary General that, in the case of complex peacekeeping theatres in Mali, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, the traditional structures of peacekeeping operations need to be revisited through a multidimensional and multi-stakeholder approach. The threats posed by various non-State actors in those contexts require further interface and coordination between the United Nations and the relevant regional and subregional entities deployed on the ground. 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. We reaffirm our readiness to further cooperate with the AU, preferably through the United Nations and in full respect for the AU’s ownership of its mandated operations. In that connection, we wish to make the following points. First, the continued fatalities and casualties suffered by United Nations peacekeepers in certain African peacekeeping theatres remains a critical area of concern. Unwarranted yet targeted attacks against United Nations peacekeepers are tantamount to war crimes, and there should be no impunity for perpetrators. It is critical that further investment be made in improving the capacity of the host States concerned in bringing those responsible for such heinous crimes to justice. Secondly, we maintain that it would be self- defeating to engage United Nations peacekeepers in direct counter-terrorism operations. In certain African theatres, the United Nations peacekeeping mission may provide support to the relevant State in strengthening its counter-terrorism strategies and capabilities. Thirdly, we attach importance to peacebuilding support for the host States as part of peacekeeping mandates in order to facilitate the smooth transition from peacekeeping operations. The role of peacekeepers in peacebuilding and sustaining peace is well recognized and should be supported through needs-based, context- specific priorities identified through consultation with the host States in an inclusive manner. Fourthly, sharing best practices with and training interested African troop- and police-contributing countries have always been one of Bangladesh’s priorities, building on its three decades’ experience of peacekeeping. We maintain our offer to organize customized training programmes for African peacekeepers, including female peacekeepers, in our dedicated training institutes.