S/PV.8650 Security Council

In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Ms. Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union, and Her Excellency Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations. Ms. Tetteh and Ms. Mohammed are joining us via video-teleconference from Djibouti. 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/2019/759, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including on the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union. I now give the floor to Ms. Tetteh. Ms. Tetteh: I would like to express my appreciation to the President of the Security Council for convening this important meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, including the African Union (AU). From the outset, I would like to congratulate members of the Security Council and their colleagues at the African Union Peace and Security Council for the successful annual joint meetings between the two Councils held in Addis Ababa last week. The constructive nature of the discussions illustrated the strong commitment of the members of both Councils to addressing peace and security challenges in Africa in close cooperation and partnership and in the spirit of mutual respect and solidarity. The Security Council has before it the report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including on the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2019/759). As I had the opportunity to mention in Addis Ababa last week, the partnership between the African Union and the United Nations continues to grow from strength to strength. The Secretary-General noted in his address to the African Union summit in February that there has been a quantum leap in our joint strategic cooperation. Our collaboration in addressing peace and security issues on the continent is becoming more systematic and predictable. We both recognize that contemporary threats to peace and security in Africa are complex and interconnected and that their impact is so profound that neither organization can resolve them without cooperating with the other. We recognize and leverage each other’s relative strengths and comparative advantages in pursuit of a common objective, namely, collective peace, security and development. Our collaboration in Madagascar is a good case in point. Collaboration among the African Union, the United Nations, the Southern African Development Community and other partners, with the African Union in the lead, prevented the deterioration of a political crisis. The collaboration facilitated peaceful, free, fair and credible elections held on 7 November and 19 December 2018, respectively, and the subsequent peaceful political transition in January 2019. Similarly, our joint efforts in the Central African Republic resulted in the signing of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation on 6 February, which has led to a substantial decrease in incidents of violence, a progressive re-establishment of security structures and an improvement in humanitarian access. Commissioner Chergui of the African Union and Under-Secretary- General Lacroix remain actively engaged in supporting implementation of the Agreement and to underscore the consequences of violations, including through a joint visit earlier this month. This engagement is also of particular importance in the context of the upcoming elections in 2020. Joint African Union-United Nations efforts have also resulted in positive developments in the Sudan. There is a resolve to advance the implementation of the Constitutional Declaration of 17 August and the agreement governing the transition. The Transitional Government led by Prime Minister Abdalla Adam Hamdok, which was sworn in on 8 September, has articulated its priorities, with a primary focus on achieving lasting and comprehensive peace across the Sudan and on the country’s urgently needed economic recovery. On 11 September, the parties signed the Juba Declaration for Confidence-building Procedures and the Preparation for Negotiation, which constitutes a trust-building agreement and a road map for a comprehensive peace agreement. However, significant challenges remain, which call on us to deepen our collaboration with the African Union and regional economic communities and mechanisms and to act in a concerted manner to address the challenges that we continue to face. As illustrated in the report of the Secretary-General, we continue to face challenges to lasting peace and security on the continent resulting from political and socioeconomic exclusion and discrimination, weak governance institutions, in some cases poor public sector management, including with regard to election management bodies, and the challenges of contested elections where the electoral process is called into question. Respect for the rule of law, human rights and the challenges associated with the delivery of basic services and the equitable management of natural resources, added to the negative effects of climate change and food insecurity, continue to create challenges for us on the continent. With regard to climate change in particular, we are witnessing an impact across a continent manifested by floods, hurricanes and the resultant humanitarian crises. Those weaknesses are in some instances compounded by external interference, proxy conflicts, violent extremism, terrorism, organized crime, corruption and the absence of effective State authority in large parts of the continent. There is serious concern about the situation in South Sudan, as Council members witnessed in Juba last week and from their deliberations with members of AU Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa. The implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan is lagging behind agreed benchmarks and timelines, and slow progress on the implementation of pre-transitional tasks, including the transitional security arrangements, and the outstanding decision on the resolution of the number of states and boundaries, for instance, continues to threaten the implementation of the provisions of the Revitalized Peace Agreement. As the Council members who were in Addis Ababa last week and the AU Peace and Security Council underscored, it is critical that the 12 November deadline for the formation of the reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity — as previously agreed by the parties and endorsed by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)  — be maintained and respected to avoid a breakdown of the peace process. We hope that momentum will be maintained to address the outstanding issues and return South Sudan to a path leading towards peace and stability. The close attention of, and follow-up by, IGAD, supported by the African Union and the United Nations, will be important in that regard. In Somalia cooperation between the Federal Government of Somalia and some federal member states remains a challenge. Yet it is critical in order to make progress on political, security and economic reforms. We recognize that, in order to have a universal mandate and universal election in 2020 or 2021, the Federal Government and the legislature have to deliver on their commitments to adopt the electoral law by December, complete the constitutional review by June 2020, adopt an amended federal Constitution establishing the Constitutional Court and the Judicial Service Commission, continue the national reconciliation process and ensure the participation of all sectors of society, including women, in political decision-making. At the recently concluded Somalia Partnership Forum in Mogadishu, international partners agreed to a mutual accountability framework to narrow their joint focus to priority areas in order to achieve key priority outcomes before December 2020. The situation in Libya remains of concern to the United Nations, the African Union and the wider international community. Military actions and inflammatory rhetoric continue to escalate, and conditions on the ground are not conducive to direct dialogue among the parties. An estimated 135,000 people remain in immediate front-line areas, with more than 270,000 more in areas directly impacted by the conflict, including migrants, some of whom are being held in inhumane conditions in official and unofficial detention. Council members also heard concerns expressed by the AU Peace and Security Council last week, including with regard to the continued violations of the arms embargo, which is exacerbating the crisis, further undermining the territorial integrity of Libya and fuelling instability within the region. The challenges in the Sahel region remain daunting, including terrorism, violent extremism, drug smuggling, trafficking, transhumance issues and intercommunal violence, which are exacerbated by the absence of State authority in vast areas, particularly in border areas. We are witnessing the impact of climate change and food insecurity on peace and security, with the lack of access to basic rights, services, economic opportunities, increased violence and challenges to the role and participation of women, which continues to hinder development. The Joint AU-United Nations Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, which was signed in April 2017, provides the approach and mechanisms to effectively address those complex challenges. The United Nations and the African Union have agreed to strive, wherever possible, to reach a common understanding of conflict situations and, through consultative decision-making, develop a collaborative approach. We have agreed to exchange information and analyses on the root causes of conflicts on ongoing developments as the basis for subsequent joint assessments to help identify how the two organizations can work together to prevent and continue to address them. We have agreed to share early-warning information and analyses of potential hotspots and work together to prepare options and coordinate and collaborate on measures for conflict prevention. We have also agreed that good offices and mediation transcend conflict prevention and extend throughout the conflict cycle. We have agreed to collaborate closely in good offices, preventive diplomacy and inclusive mediation activities on the continent in coordination with other subregional organizations and regional mechanisms. Furthermore, we have agreed to collaborate in electoral matters, improving good governance, the protection of human rights and humanitarian assistance. To that end, during the reporting period, the African Union and the United Nations undertook mediation and good offices missions across the continent, notably to Madagascar, the Central African Republic and Libya. Special Representatives and Envoys from the two organizations conduct joint field visits and hold regular consultative meetings, including the meeting currently taking place in Djibouti. The practice of joint briefings to the two Councils by senior officials of both the United Nations Secretariat and the AU Commission continues to be mutually beneficial and is now the norm. That has provided us with an opportunity to broaden discussions to incorporate the views of both organizations and to consider new information and perspectives on conflict situations. Our partnership review and coordination mechanisms remain vibrant and active, including the third annual conference of the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the AU Commission, which took place in May, the consultative meetings of the Joint Task Force on Peace and Security at the Commissioner and Under-Secretary-General level, which took place in February and September, and the desk-to-desk Consultative Meeting on the Prevention, Management and Resolution of Conflict, held in March. Those mechanisms have provided an opportunity to take stock of the progress and the challenges that we are facing in enhancing our partnership and chart the way forward. We have conducted regular conflict- prevention and joint horizon-scanning meetings and joint technical visits to the headquarters of the regional economic communities to share information, carry out joint analyses, support ongoing coordination activities and strengthen working relationships. We have supported the participation of women in mediation and conflict prevention, in particular through the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation, also known as FemWise-Africa, in coordination with the AU Peace and Security Department and the African Union’s High Representative for the silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020 initiative, which the United Nations is also supporting. In that regard, the AU has identified its priority as the intensification of efforts to enhance operational and structural conflict prevention with an emphasis on the nexus linking peace, security, development and the imperative to respond early and decisively to prevent the occurrence or escalation of conflict. We welcome the discussions between members of the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council on the modalities for joint field visits. As I had the opportunity to state last week, joint visits between senior officials of the Secretariat and the AU Commission have become an important and regular feature of our work. The benefits are clear to us, particularly in developing a common understanding of complex conflict situations and their root causes, assessing the state of play as well as delivering joint messages. We look forward to further discussion and resolution of this issue by members of both Councils, recognizing that this will contribute significantly to further strengthening our partnership. We recognize that the financing of AU peace-support operations remains an important strategic issue for the African Union. In that connection, I would like to commend the commitment of AU member States to support peacebuilding activities through their contributions to the African Union Peace Fund, which currently stands at $131 million. I also welcome the efforts of the Chairperson of the AU Commission to fully operationalize the governance architecture of the Fund. Furthermore, we look forward to the AU Peace and Security Council’s engagement with the United Nations on this issue following the AU Assembly meeting that should take place in February 2020. In conclusion, I thank the Council members for their continued strong backing for the AU-United Nations partnership for peace and security in Africa, and for their support to the United Nations Office to the African Union.

I thank Ms. Tetteh for her briefing. I now give the floor to Ms. Mohammed. Ms. Mohammed: I am honoured to deliver this statement on behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, who could not join us because of pressing commitments on the continent. I wish to start by warmly congratulating the delegation of the Republic of South Africa for the distinguished manner in which it has conducted the work of the Security Council during this busy month of October. I would like to mention, in that regard, the contribution of the President of the Security Council to ensuring the success of the thirteenth annual consultations between our two Councils, held in Addis- Ababa last week. It was a clear illustration of the strategic partnership we aspire to consolidate between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations. This topic also testifies to the strategic importance of the issue at hand and bears witness to the continued support of South Africa to the AU-United Nations partnership, which enjoys unprecedented momentum. I thank the President for giving us this opportunity to brief the Council and share our reflections on the state of our partnership. Since the signing of the Joint Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security and the subsequent Framework on Development, in 2017, the frequency of our joint efforts has increased as we seek to effectively address the complex peace and security challenges in Africa. I firmly believe that our strategic cooperation will continue to strengthen as we increasingly conduct joint analyses and response, exchange information and develop a common understanding of our respective comparative advantages. In the course of our enhanced partnership, we have made significant progress. One of our key achievements can be seen in the joint field visits, the most recent headed by the Deputy Secretary-General and the AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security to the Horn of Africa over the past few days within the context of the solidarity missions of women, peace and security, which both Special Representative of the Secretary-General Hanna Tetteh and I were honoured to join. At the risk of repeating some points made by Special Representative Tetteh, I should like to highlight the following. In the Central African Republic, joint AU- United Nations efforts resulted in the signing of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation. In accordance with the recommendations made during the seventeenth AU-United Nations Joint Task Force, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations and the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security conducted a joint visit to the Central African Republic earlier this month. The AU and the United Nations remain actively engaged to support the full implementation of the Agreement, especially in light of the upcoming presidential elections in 2020. In a similar vein, our combined efforts have contributed to positive developments in the Sudan. The accelerated implementation of the Sudan’s 17 August Constitutional Declaration and the agreement governing the transition is a priority for both the AU and the United Nations. It is worth noting that the removal of the Sudan from the list of State sponsors of terrorism is critical to the Sudan’s economic recovery. In South Sudan, while some progress has been made, both the United Nations and the AU play a role in supporting the South Sudanese parties in their path towards peace and stability by resolving the outstanding issues relating to the peace agreement and redeploying efforts to support elections at the end of the transition period. The importance of accelerating the full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan cannot be overemphasized. In Somalia, the AU and the United Nations have underscored the need for the resumption of dialogue between the Federal Government and the federal member states towards achieving necessary milestones in the road map towards elections in 2020-2021. Working with United Nations colleagues in Addis Ababa, the AU has already begun a conversation on the development of a political strategy to facilitate coherence in our long- term engagement in Somalia. In Libya, the situation remains a source of concern for the African Union. The AU has openly expressed its frustrations and the need for the it to be more involved and not sidelined. It is therefore imperative for the United Nations and AU to have a coordinated approach in the support we can offer to Libyan actors to support the peace process. In Mali, the collaboration among the AU, the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the role played by each organization are critical to contributing to a more secure environment in the region and working to finalize a harmonized strategy on the Sahel. There is a need for international partners to continue to support the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and provide the resources and assistance required by the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel to fully play its role in combating terrorism and transnational organized crime. With regard to other parts of the Sahel region, the AU, the United Nations and ECOWAS have remained committed to supporting regionally owned and driven initiatives to combat the complex peace and security challenges. Despite our coordinated efforts, we continue to bear witness to widespread violent extremism, drug smuggling, human trafficking, transhumance issues and intercommunal violence. Socioeconomic inequalities are being further exacerbated by climate-related security risks in the region. In addition to the joint AU-United Nations efforts I have mentioned, our organizations continue to work together to support free, fair and credible electoral processes, strengthen good governance and promote the protection of human rights across the continent. The AU and the United Nations, in cooperation with the relevant regional economic communities, will continue to work with Member States ahead of upcoming elections to foster national cohesion and inclusive political and electoral processes. There is an increasing need to enhance our joint regional approaches to climate security, especially for the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and other affected areas. The impacts of climate change are exacerbating existing tensions across those regions and have manifested as increased intercommunal tensions and clashes in various parts of the continent. While the AU has deployed various efforts towards ensuring the provision of timely responses in disaster situations, joint preventive efforts should also be considered. While recognizing the progress in our joint efforts in the prevention and management of conflicts, cooperation between the AU and the United Nations should be enhanced with regard to peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction. Furthermore, our organizations should enhance joint work in technical areas such as mission planning and management, financial management and accountability for peace operations. From the African Union’s perspective, the strategic partnership with the United Nations should be based on shared values, mutual respect and solidarity. While increased joint analysis and planning can certainly strengthen the partnership, the lack of joint response has been a major source of frustration for both organizations. Joint priorities must be reflected in our joint analysis to foster a harmonized approach and result in joint responses. A demanding area in the partnership has been the joint assessment of ongoing missions, particularly the African Union Mission in Somalia, and the dynamics that tend to characterize the conclusions that guide the elements of mandate renewal. Where there have been disagreements between the two bodies, the view of the United Nations has often prevailed. While there are different considerations behind those dynamics, there is a perception that the African Union’s position does not matter in the grand scheme of things, which undermines rather than enhances the relationship. I believe that dynamic was also evident in the efforts to address the Libyan crisis. In conclusion, the relationship between our two Councils essentially drives the partnership of the two organizations. I commend the Councils for regularly engaging in joint briefings by senior officials in both the AU Commission and the United Nations Secretariat, as it provides an opportunity to broadly discuss our perspectives and findings on various conflict situations and enables us to develop a shared understanding of the dynamics on the ground. It is therefore vital to continue strengthening both political and institutional engagement between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council, taking into account our mandates, comparative advantages and common objectives.

I thank Ms. Mohammed for her briefing. I now give the floor to the members of the Security Council.

I would like to begin by thanking you, Mr. President, for convening today’s meeting and for leading our very successful visit to the African Union (AU) headquarters last week. I would also like to thank the two briefers for their statements. I would now like to highlight three points. My first message is that the partnership between the United Nations, the African Union and African subregional organizations is of strategic importance for preventing and resolving crises in Africa today. France is staunchly committed to supporting that partnership in the framework of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. We also wholeheartedly support the development of trilateral cooperation between the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union. A great deal of progress has been made under the leadership of the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and that partnership has already borne fruit. In the area of prevention, the efforts of the African Union, supported by the United Nations, the Southern African Development Community and other partners, including France and the European Union, brought increased transparency and credibility to the presidential elections held in 2018, specifically those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar. More recently, the African Union and Ethiopia have helped to bring about an agreement in the Sudan, with the support of the United Nations and the Friends of the Sudan contact group. In the area of conflict resolution, the work of the African Union and the United Nations in the Central African Republic led to the signing on 6 February of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic between the Government of the Central African Republic and 14 armed groups. Since then, the African Union and the United Nations have been working in close cooperation to ensure successful implementation of the Agreement. In the Sahel, the joint action of the United Nations and the African Union is essential to achieving full implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali. In the fight against terrorism, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali is providing logistical support to the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (G-5 Sahel), whose role will be strengthened by the initiatives adopted in September in Ouagadougou by the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States, with a view to curbing the spread of the terrorist threat. It was in that context that we proposed establishing a new partnership for security and stability in the Sahel, a Franco-German initiative that was launched in conjunction with the current President of the G5-Sahel, President Kaboré of Burkina Faso, at the Group of Seven summit in Biarritz. My second message is that the strategic importance of the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union is also due to the growing strength of African peace operations, which respond to a real need and enable rapid intervention in crisis hotspots before they escalate. We therefore support the sustainable and predictable development and funding of those operations by the African Union and the United Nations, including through mandatory contributions. We will of course continue to take into account the views of our partners in the African Union and the three African members of the Security Council in order to arrive at solutions that respond to operational needs and can achieve consensus in the Council. In that context, we believe that the efforts of the United Nations and the African Union should be continued on several other tracks — budgets and finance, human rights compliance and reporting between the two organizations. France is ready to provide full support in that regard. My final message is that a broader approach to crisis response is necessary, both upstream and downstream. In terms of prevention, tangible results have already been achieved, as I mentioned earlier. But we must do more, particularly with regard to synergies between African Union mechanisms such as the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation and those of the United Nations, such as the High-level Advisory Board on Mediation. Other aspects are our ability to develop a common vision on the issues affecting the continent, and the annual consultations between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council, which took place just last week and which play a very useful role. I would also like to emphasize the role of the three African members within the Security Council as a bridge between the two Councils, and lastly, the joint efforts we can make to ensure that crises are not repeated in future, particularly by investing in the education of our younger generations and by taking meaningful action to counteract climate change. Before concluding, I would like to stress the central role of the French-speaking communities in growing the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, and the need to strengthen that role in both organizations, since the heart of those communities is in Africa and is therefore key to a better common understanding of the challenges facing the African continent.

It is a pleasure to speak before you today, Madam President, and I thank you for presiding over today’s meeting. I also thank the briefers, whose presence here sitting alongside us and each other I see as a symbol, not only of the close cooperation between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations, but also of the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). To have two women leaders here is wonderful, and in that respect we are already seeing the implementation of resolution 2493 (2019), which we adopted yesterday. While that is of course an ongoing process, the joint trips to Africa with the Deputy Secretary-General that Ms. Mohammed mentioned in her statement are a very positive sign. I would like to thank both women and the United Nations Office to the African Union in Addis Ababa and the African Union for preparing and conducting last week’s field trip, which was very well organized and extremely useful. Cooperation of this kind between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council is very important, as we saw last week. From my perspective it could become even more concrete, maybe sometimes a bit less formal and more focused on joint analysis, joint action and joint solutions. As the briefers said, the cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations must cover the whole conflict cycle, from prevention through mitigation and mediation to post-conflict reconstruction. In that context, I would like to highlight two entities that have not yet been mentioned, the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund. We encourage all countries affected by conflict to make use of those institutions. As a member of the European Union I will be forgiven for also mentioning the cooperation that takes place between the European Union and the African Union, as well as trilaterally with the United Nations. What happens in Africa matters to Europe, and vice versa. We are one another’s closest neighbours and therefore this cooperation is very important. We support bilateral and trilateral cooperation between the African Union, the United Nations and the European Union at the strategic, political and tactical levels. I do not wish to go into the situations of specific countries, but I will say that I share the positive assessment of cooperation in many conflict situations that was given by both briefers with regard to Madagascar, the Central African Republic, the Sudan, Somalia and the Sahel. With regard to the Sahel, I would refer to what Ambassador De Rivière has just said on the German-French cooperation initiative, as well as on United Nations assistance for peace operations mandated by the Security Council and led by the AU. I think that we need to work harder in that area. Turning to cooperation in general, I wish to come back to something that both briefers mentioned. It is important that we work together in considering conflicts to ensure that the root causes are properly addressed. We must do so by ensuring respect for the rule of law and human rights and that adequate services are rendered to the population. I was struck by the fact that both briefers also referred to climate change and security as a root cause of conflict. As Ms. Mohammed mentioned, climate insecurity leads to intercommunal conflicts, which is also something that must be addressed. With regard to our trip to South Sudan last week, Germany maintains, of course, the same position — as does everyone around this table — on the full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, with regard to the transitional Government, elections, the Constitution and a constitutional court. Both the President and the leader of the opposition must place their people’s well-being before their own. It is absolutely necessary that the people suffering there, whom we saw with our own eyes, finally benefit from a better solution. On the situation in Libya, I would once again like to underline how important the participation of women in this peace process is. Ms. Mohammed highlighted the need for the African Union to be more involved. Again, I can only highlight that the African Union is fully involved with the European Union and the League of Arab States, which also plays an important role, in the Berlin process. We can confirm that, from our perspective, the African Union plays a key role and that we can reach a solution only if all players involved act together and prevent the situation from further deteriorating. As Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya, I once again make a plea for the arms shipping into Libya to stop.

Let me begin by extending my thanks to today’s briefers, Special Representative Hanna Tetteh and Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed, for their very insightful briefings on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU). Let me now focus on some crucial elements that we find particularly important. Poland strongly supports the strategic partnership between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in Africa. Therefore, we welcome the progress made in the partnership between the United Nations and the AU over the past year — the period covered by the Secretary-General’s report under consideration (S/2019/759). In recent years, the African Union has taken on important responsibilities and its role in promoting peace and security has only expanded. In particular, we commend the results achieved in the Central African Republic through close cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union Commission. We also highly commend the African Union’s mediation efforts with respect to the structure of the Sudanese transitional Government. There is no doubt that the principle of African solutions to African problems remains relevant. Earlier this year, we endorsed our commitment to peace and security on the African continent with the adoption of resolution 2457 (2019) concerning, inter alia, the Silencing the Guns initiative. Poland believes that this will be an additional step towards stabilizing the situation on the continent through enhanced international cooperation. Strong local, regional and global partnerships are needed to manage the demands in the region and bring about balance and growth. Strategic cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations should continue to be manifested in multiple consultative mechanisms on peace and security challenges in Africa, including on early warning and conflict prevention and resolution. The United Nations and the AU, as well as the regional economic communities and regional mechanisms, must carry on their cooperation at all levels and on a wide range of issues, from capacity development and policy design to crisis response operations. Close cooperation does not mean, however, shifting full responsibility onto regional and subregional organizations. The United Nations should address conflicts in a comprehensive way, using all available instruments, from prevention through peace settlement and peacekeeping to comprehensive post- conflict restoration. Poland believes that continued United Nations support to the African Union in efforts to equip it with the capacities, tools and means necessary for effective action is critical. It is of utmost importance in enabling both organizations to face new threats and address complex sources of instability in Africa. Therefore, we consider regular interactions between the Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council to be an essential instrument to deepen this partnership, as we saw last week in Addis Ababa. In that regard, we also stress the importance of the United Nations Office to the African Union in providing support and ensuring concerted action between the two Councils. In conclusion, let me reiterate Poland’s full support to strengthening United Nations-African Union cooperation and expressing our appreciation to the Secretary-General for his continued efforts focused on strengthening the partnership with the African Union, as well as other regional partners in Africa. Let me assure Council members that Poland stands ready to work closely with African partners, not only on African issues but also on ways to address global challenges.

I wish to thank both of our briefers for their updates. The African Union is an essential partner to the United States and the United Nations in Africa. This is true in part because some 80 per cent of United Nations peacekeeping troops and budgets are committed to Africa, but also because of the good work that the African Union does in some of the world’s most challenging security environments. I had the pleasure of seeing this work first-hand during my time with peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan just last week. The African Union has made vital contributions to peace on the continent, including brokering Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic and helping to create a road map for peace in the Sudan, but it can do even more to increase these contributions going forward. In Burundi’s upcoming presidential elections, the African Union’s election support will be critical to a peaceful, transparent and inclusive process. The African Union should also encourage the Government of Burundi and the East African Community to advance inter-Burundi dialogue. In Cameroon, violence in the Anglophone regions merits the African Union’s urgent attention. The African Union and the United Nations should schedule a joint visit to assess the situation and urge the parties to peacefully resolve their differences. We also recognize that instability in Libya directly impacts African Union member States, so we appreciate the African Union’s commitment to supporting Special Representative Salamé’s efforts to reach a political solution. It is vital that the United Nations succeed in that task, and we welcome the African Union’s participation in the Berlin format. That brings us one step closer to a political solution. We remain deeply concerned by the violation of the Council’s arms embargo on Libya. Member States that supply illicit weapons to the country undermine Libya’s stability and we hope that the African Union will join the Council in stopping the flow of those weapons and look forward to supporting the African Union’s Silencing the Guns by 2020 initiative. Of course, achieving peace sometimes requires asking our friends to make hard choices. As the Secretary-General’s report on United Nations-African Union cooperation (S/2019/759) notes, many of the joint efforts made by the United Nations, the African union and regional economic communities focus on the primacy of politics. So, we are encouraged by this past week’s consultations, during which the United Nations and the African Union Peace and Security Council largely agreed on several ways to address challenges in South Sudan, the Sahel and the Central African Republic. Verbal commitments, however, are not enough. Both parties could follow through by calling on South Sudan’s leaders to reaffirm commitments to the cessation of hostilities and to compromise on outstanding issues to form a transitional Government by 12 November. Finally, the United States supports the efforts of the United Nations and the African Union to secure predictable, sustainable and reliable financing for future operations. Work remains to achieve the conditions that this Council set out in resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017). As I stated last month, the mechanism using United Nations-assessed contributions requires a deliberate approach with appropriate safeguards, and any resolution on that topic must address long-standing United States policy positions, including with respect to financial transparency and trade measures. We have additional concerns regarding adequate burden-sharing and adherence to United Nations standards for conduct and peacekeeping operations. From the effectiveness of operations to their fiscal help, stricter African Union adherence to these principles will directly translate to greater peace and security on the continent. When the African Union does good work, lives change for the better. That is why the United States has spent more than $1.5 billion on training-support for 23 partners in Africa since 2005, including for military and police personnel deployed to African peacekeeping missions in six different countries. I urge all Member States to join us in developing the capacities of African troop and police-contributing countries. As we have noted in several previous meetings, the African continent is brimming with potential. Africa has a dynamic population with hundreds of millions of people, each with unique callings. A strong partnership between the United Nations and the African Union is one of the keys to realizing those callings, so I look forward to working with the members of the Council to strengthen the United Nations-African Union relationship.

First of all, like others before me I would like to thank South Africa, particularly my brother Jerry, for the visit to the African Union (AU) last week, which not only provided us with insights on the issues in Africa, but closer engagement with our brothers and sisters of the African Union Peace and Security Council. I would also like to thank the briefer, my sisters Hanna and Fatima, for their presentation. We also met with them while visiting Addis Ababa this past week, and this additional information is certainly a contribution to our understanding on the issue. Indonesia shares the view that partnership with all stakeholders is pertinent to addressing peace and security challenges in Africa, and we welcome the significant progress made between the United Nations and the African Union. The Silencing the Guns by 2020 initiative and the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic are but two examples of such progress and achievement. I should like to underline that success in any initiative entails unity, solidarity, partnership and the involvement of all. In that regard, I would like to applaud the African Union for its commitment to finding solutions to African challenges. Now, please allow me to address some key points. The first concerns the importance of maintaining communication between the United Nations and the African Union. We join the Secretary-General in highlighting the fact that a strong partnership between the Organization and the AU is essential to effectively seeking solutions to Africa’s increasingly complex peace and security challenges. We welcome the joint meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council last week and urge more strategic discussion between them to find the most suitable solutions and concrete actions, and ensuring full implementation of the various agreements related to many conflict cases. Closer collaboration would entail finding ways and means for both organizations to complement each other’s roles and mandates, and provide impact on the ground on preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities. We should be innovative in our approach to enhancing our partnership, with focus on outcome-oriented solutions, hybrid peacekeeping and pursuing projects on socioeconomic objectives. This would of course include focusing on both organizations’ comparative advantages to which many have alluded. Secondly, development and capacity-building are prerequisites for sustainable peace in Africa. We recognize the African Union-United Nations Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development last year and look forward to hearing updates on its progress. More possible collaboration and synergy should be explored through better coordination between the United Nations, the African Union and international financial institutions. We recall the collaboration undertaken by the Organization and the World Bank through the 2017 joint report Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict. It provides the key message that economic policies, including economic incentives, can be tools for prevention. Indonesia also supports the work of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and Peacebuilding Fund in addressing the root causes of conflict. We welcome the work of the country configuration of the PBC in preventing countries from relapsing into conflict through development. The clear majority of African issues in its agenda re-emphasizes the important role of the PBC in Africa. Thirdly, the existing partnership between United Nations and the AU should be complemented with additional international support. Indonesia and Africa have been close since the Bandung Conference of 1955, and we will continue to support Africa through technical cooperation and capacity-building programmes. In April 2018, we held the Indonesia-Africa Forum and subsequently the Indonesia-Africa Infrastructure Dialogue in August 2019. These events have resulted in concrete economic cooperation in various strategic sectors, including infrastructure, trade, connectivity and strategic industries. We believe that economic development will certainly address some of the major issues that Africa currently faces. We also maintain our commitment to maintaining peace in Africa through our participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Currently, Indonesia is the largest personnel-contributing country sitting on the Council, with around 3,000 personnel, including 128 female peacekeepers. We are preparing more female peacekeepers who are adept and able to contribute to capacity-building in their field. We are currently contributing to seven United Nations missions in Africa. Interregional support is equally important. Just like the AU, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is also working closely with the United Nations through its partnership with the Organization. We are working together to strengthen the cooperation between ASEAN and the AU on issues of common interest. Indonesia will remain committed, as a true partner of Africa, to maintaining peace and security. Allow me to reiterate Foreign Minister Marsudi’s words at the Security Council ministerial meeting on peace and security in Africa, under the Russian presidency this past month. Partnership with Africa should be “based on good faith, honesty and sincerity. This is the spirit of togetherness that we need to replicate at the global level: a partnership that will not cause any harm to Africa; a partnership that will bring mutual benefits to Africa; and a partnership that will bring equality and common progress to Africa.” (S/PV.8627, p. 15) In conclusion, I would like to reiterate once again our conviction in the truth of the principle that neighbours know best. Just as in the case of Africa, this principle can offer solutions to the issues at hand. In our experience in the ASEAN region, being a neighbour is not only about geography; it is also about camaraderie and about caring and sharing, and it is always about humanity.

We thank Ms. Hanna Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union, and Ms. Fatima Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations, for their detailed briefings. We have thoroughly studied the latest report of the Secretary-General, issued in September, on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union and the activities of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2019/759). We fully support the report’s declared intention to further strengthen the organizations’ strategic partnership on questions of peace and security in Africa. There is no question that the challenges facing Africa and the international community as a whole require that we pool our efforts and harness the comparative advantages of regional organizations. We welcome the visible intensification of the African stakeholders’ initiatives in this area, including through the creation of the African Peace and Security Architecture. We believe that an approach that emphasizes African solutions to African problems is an effective way to overcome security challenges. We believe that cooperation between the United Nations and African regional organizations should be based on the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. It is important to ensure that for each concrete case we develop a solution for settling the crisis that is tailored to local specifics. We believe that in most instances it is regional actors that are best informed about situations in their areas of responsibility. At the same time, in the light of the role played by the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security, we do not think that the Council can remove itself from the work of resolving problems in that area on the African continent. We understand our African partners’ concerns about the provision of resources for African peace-support operations. It will be important to further enhance predictability, reliability and flexibility in financing African operations and joint missions. We are ready to continue to engage in constructive dialogue in drafting Security Council resolutions on African peacekeeping. We have noted the significant focus in the Secretary-General’s report on the Silencing the Guns by 2020 initiative, which we fully support, and we welcome the decision of the African Union Assembly to proclaim 2020 the year of that African initiative. We see serious potential in expanding the cooperation between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council. The annual meeting of the two Councils, the most recent of which was held in Addis Ababa last week, represents a good opportunity for them to synchronize watches, so to speak, and harmonize their agendas. I want to take this opportunity to thank the African Union for its warm hospitality. We also appreciated the value of the visit to Juba organized on the eve of the meeting in the Ethiopian capital. We hope that the discussions that took place will help all the parties implement the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. In conclusion, I would like to stress that one of the priorities of Russia’s foreign policy is developing relations with African countries and their regional organizations. Our positions on many regional and global issues are close or fully coincide. This was convincingly demonstrated during last week’s first- ever Russia-Africa Summit, held in Sochi. We are firmly focused on implementing the outcomes of the summit, including with regard to creating a permanent mechanism for partnership through dialogue and partnership and the intensification of mutually beneficial cooperation with African States and regional organizations, for which we hope to have their support.

The United Kingdom attaches great value to the role of the African Union (AU) in preventing, mediating and resolving conflicts on the African continent. This is an important element not only of our collective work as the Security Council but also of the United Kingdom’s own bilateral strategic partnership with the African Union. We are proud to provide national support for African Union priorities in this area, including the continental early-warning system, electoral observation missions, peace-support doctrine development and predeployment training for African troop- and police-contributing countries. We very much commend the determination of the United Nations Secretary- General and the Chairperson of the African Union to reinforce the partnership between the United Nations and the AU on peace and security. Let me pay tribute personally and specifically to the valuable work of the United Nations Office to the African Union, under the leadership of Special Representative of the Secretary-General Tetteh, and of her counterpart here at the United Nations, Permanent Representative Observer Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed, who both do excellent work for their respective organizations. The United Nations-African Union partnership in peacekeeping and in peace-support operations continues to develop. The United Kingdom supports in principle access to United Nations assessed contributions for future AU-led peace-support operations on a case-by- case basis and subject to certain key conditions. A key consideration in any future Council decision on this issue is the African Union’s own commitment to funding 25 per cent of the costs of its own peace-support operations. This is an important symbol of African determination to take ownership of African-led solutions to conflicts on the continent. Robust financial reporting arrangements, clear joint planning and coordination structures and strong compliance frameworks for human rights, international humanitarian law and conduct and discipline will also be key. May I at this point express my disappointment at finding that in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia discussions this year, posts dealing with just these issues were not supported by members of the Group of African States in the Fifth Committee. We encourage the Secretariat and the African Union Commission to continue their work on these important technical areas. At the Niamey meeting held on 8 July, Member States agreed that detailed proposals for effective division of labour between the AU and African subregional organizations would be developed. We very much welcome this. An enhanced partnership between the United Nations, the African Union and subregional organizations will be crucial in supporting progress on issues such as the continued implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, and let me here echo the words of my colleagues about our visit to Juba this month under the leadership of the South African presidency of the Council and, of course, our American colleagues. We left Juba with a clear agreement that we needed to stick to the 12 November timeline and that all parties needed to compromise for the good of the people of South Sudan. The Security Council and the African Union expressed their commitment to being part of and monitoring the implementation of any outstanding tasks after the transitional Government was formed and expressed also a determination to take action against spoilers. Let me also say how important that partnership was in the Sudan’s transition to civilian governance; the African Union was strongly supported by the Council through the events of this summer, and, of course, for a sustainable political settlement in Somalia. On Libya, I would very much welcome an increased African Union role, as we discussed when we were in Addis Ababa. It is extremely important, as our German colleague has pointed out, that the African Union be fully represented as a key part of the Berlin process. But I would also just like to highlight the key role that other regional organizations, including the League of Arab States, play, which I have no doubt the Kuwaiti Ambassador and the observer of the European Union will mention. Closer coordination among the United Nations, African Union and subregional organizations should also support earlier and more effective action to prevent slow-burning political crises from developing into conflicts, with each leveraging their comparative advantage. I think that this is entirely consistent with the African Union’s initiative to silence the guns by 2020 and the focus that the Secretary-General and, indeed, the Council has put on conflict prevention. We particularly recommend greater collaboration with regard to Cameroon, where inclusive discussion and follow-up on the recommendations of the national dialogue are urgently needed to maintain momentum towards peace. Close coordination among subregional actors, the African Union and the United Nations is also vital to resolving the political crisis in Burundi and making progress towards credible and inclusive elections in 2020. We and each of our colleagues on the African Union Peace and Security Council have, of course, our own role to play in strengthening the United Nations-African Union partnership on peace and security under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. Our recent annual consultations in Addis Ababa were a reminder of how valuable it is for us to discuss these issues and seek ways to leverage our comparative advantage. I can only agree with the Ambassador of Germany that it would be great to see even greater frankness, perhaps most importantly where we do not agree, and a greater focus on actions that we can take together. Let me just say that I hope we can keep the channels of dialogue between our two Councils open through the coming year, ensure that our consultations foster the development of even deeper and more meaningful coordination, and do more together to make a reality of peace on the continent of Africa.

China would like to thank you, Madam President, for presiding over today’s meeting. We also thank Special Representative Tetteh and Ambassador Mohammed for their briefings. Last week, the Security Council held the thirteenth annual consultation with the African Union Peace and Security Council, which produced effective results and sent a positive sign for further cooperation between the two Councils. This consultation epitomizes the deepening cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU). In recent years, there have been frequent interactions between the United Nations and the AU, and their relations have undergone considerable improvement. Cooperation is particularly productive in the areas of conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The two Councils signed such strategic cooperation documents as the Joint United Nations- African Union Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security and the Africa Union-United Nations Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Secretary-General Guterres and AU Commission Chairperson Faki Mahamat held the successful third AU-United Nations annual conference. The pattern for bilateral cooperation is taking shape and has multiple layers in several areas at high levels. Thanks to the support of the United Nations and the AU, peace and security in Africa today have improved, although the continent continues to face a series of new situations and challenges. Now is the time to advance cooperation between the United Nations and the AU. Such cooperation should be only be strengthened, not weakened. The United Nations and the AU should be the champions of multilateralism. The two parties should continue to strengthen cooperation and jointly uphold multilateralism, the free-trade system and the international order underpinned by international law. The international community should support African efforts to seek African solutions to African problems. The AU and other regional and subregional organizations are uniquely positioned with special advantages, rich experience and the ability and wisdom to properly address hotspot issues in Africa based on the situations on the ground. The United Nations and the AU should explore innovative cooperation. Because cooperation between the two parties in addressing hotspot issues in Africa becomes increasingly close, a more effective mechanism should be put in place to strengthen their collaboration in such key areas as conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict reconstruction. AU-led peace operations, which have become an important method of responding to African conflicts and crises, significantly complement United Nations peacekeeping operations. The United Nations should help the AU establish a reliable, stable and predictable funding mechanism for its own peace operations. It is hoped that the Security Council and the United Nations Secretariat will heed the views and concerns of African countries and support the efforts of African countries and regional organizations in maintaining peace and security on the continent, with a keen focus on the aspirations and urgent needs of African countries. The United Nations and the AU should be at the forefront of win-win development. The two parties should further expand their cooperation in order to address the root causes of African issues. Since the key to solving all problems lies in development, and poverty and underdevelopment are the root causes of hotspot issues, the way forward is to achieve sustainable development. The implementation of the 2030 Agenda should be closely integrated with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Supporting economic and social development in Africa should guide enhanced cooperation between the two parties in the future. It is also an important way to help Africa address the root causes of conflict. China actively supports advancing cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union and has made tireless efforts to this end. China will always adhere to Mr. Xi Jinping’s concept of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith and uphold the greater good, while pursuing shared interests. China actively participates in African efforts for peace, security and development. At this very moment, more than 2,000 Chinese peacekeepers are safeguarding peace in five United Nations mission areas in Africa. In September 2015, President Xi Jinping announced the establishment of the China-United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund, which will support, as priorities, Africa’s peacekeeping, counter-terrorism and sustainable development efforts. As of today, 34 projects benefiting Africa have been launched. As such, the Fund has become a new platform for tripartite cooperation among China, Africa and the United Nations. The Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was successfully held in September last year. The unanimously adopted Beijing Declaration on Building a Closer Community of Destiny between China and Africa identified the peace and security sector as one of the eight major cooperation priorities in support of ongoing African efforts to silence the guns in Africa by 2020. A China-Africa peace and security cooperation fund will be set up to support the maintenance of peace, security and stability in Africa, as well as the two parties in their related peacekeeping and stabilization endeavours. China is willing to continue working with the international community to further promote cooperation between the United Nations and the AU in order to bring peace, stability and development to the African continent.

We would like to thank you, Madam President, for convening today’s meeting. We also thank Ms. Tetteh and Ms. Mohammed for their briefings. We attach great importance to strengthening multilateralism and cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union, as well as other regional and subregional organizations and international financial institutions, so as to meet contemporary challenges with greater consistency, effectiveness and efficiency. We recognize in the African Union Master Road Map of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa by the Year 2020 an example of the commitment and responsibility of African countries with a view to building a continent free of conflict, which means addressing such root causes of conflict as poverty, inequality, climate change and weak institutions. In those objectives, and as indicated in the Secretary-General’s report (S/2019/759), there is a clear convergence of interests and responsibilities between the United Nations and the African Union, from peacekeeping and security to the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which will require fostering synergies and complementarity that leverage the comparative advantage of each of these bodies. With regard to conflict prevention, we recognize the efforts of the African Union to promote the Continental Early Warning System, as well as to establish the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation, to strengthen the role of women in the context of the African peace and security, including through a network of mediators ready for deployment. We believe those mechanisms could be put in place to enable them to be used in peacekeeping operations, particularly in countries that will hold elections next year. Regarding peace operations, we highlight the additional work being carried out in Darfur, Somalia and South Sudan, among others. We also believe that it is possible to strengthen the existing cooperation based on the experience gained in the field in combating the scourge of terrorism. Greater cooperation with innovative initiatives, such as the Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram or the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel, should be explored in greater depth. We believe it important to continue exploring options so that the United Nations can contribute to strengthening the capacities and efficiency of such forces in order to provide them with predictable, sustainable and flexible funding. Similarly, given that there can no peace without justice, we recognize the importance of the United Nations continuing to work closely with the African Union in developing capacities to prevent, investigate, address and report violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. We also deem it necessary for both organizations to jointly coordinate in peacebuilding and peacekeeping phases so as to address the root causes of conflicts and promote the rule of law and economic growth based on greater citizen participation, in particular by women and young people, the private sector and civil society organizations. To that end, we believe that the Peacebuilding Commission is an appropriate platform for promoting synergies in such areas. In conclusion, I would like to highlight the work carried out by the United Nations Office to the African Union along with other regional and subregional entities on the ground, which provides a space for interaction that can offer strategic guidance for cooperation and mutual coordination.

We thank Ambassador Fatima Mohammed and Ms. Hanna Tetteh for their briefings. The Dominican Republic acknowledges the commitment and strong strategic partnership in the area of peace and security between the United Nations, the African Union and other subregional organizations in the pursuit of more systematic and coherent solutions to the peace and security challenges in Africa. In that regard, we welcome the recent joint annual consultative meeting of the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council held in Ethiopia. We also commend the progress made in the implementation of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security and the African Union-United Nations Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the joint efforts to implement the African Union initiative to silence the guns in Africa by 2020. Despite progress made in conflict resolution in several countries of the region, the challenges posed by violent extremism, terrorism, organized crime, corruption, impunity and the adverse effects of climate change, among others, continue to threaten political and socioeconomic stability in a large part of Africa. We are aware that the challenges to African peace and security are complex and need broad cooperation to address them properly. We recognize that the situation requires more robust support and more proactive and better coordinated prevention initiatives. We should not wait for conflicts to break out. The United Nations, particularly the Security Council, together with regional structures should strengthen the systematic implementation of standardized assessment procedures for potentially violent situations. There is a need to invest in education, job creation in countries and initiatives that particularly benefit women and young people, recognizing their contribution in their communities, especially as mediators and peacebuilders. It is increasingly necessary for the United Nations and regional bodies to develop more closely coordinated efforts that complement each other and generate synergies to deliver consistent and unified messages. In that regard, we hope that the modalities for joint visits to Africa can be agreed to strengthen the collective perspective. In the same vein, we view positively the upcoming assessment report on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union, as well as the structure and capacity of the United Nations-African Union partnership, and we look forward to its conclusions. It is clear that to ensure sustainable peace and rapid response mechanisms, the United Nations needs regional peace support structures with the capacity for early deployment, as well as the equipment and capacity to overcome the challenges facing the continent. In that regard, we welcome the adoption of the Declaration of Shared Commitments, and we hope that procedures will be adopted to increase the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of financing for peacekeeping operations and African Union-led joint forces authorized by the Security Council. Finally, we applaud the excellent work being done by the United Nations and the African Union in their ongoing mediation and cooperation to find solutions to the peace and security challenges in Africa. A more coordinated partnership and closer cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, particularly between the Security Council and the Peace and Security Council, are essential tools to find predictable and lasting solutions.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on presiding over this important meeting, which reflects the significance of the relationship between the United Nations and the African Union. I also appreciate the valuable briefing of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, who described in depth the considerable ongoing progress and development in the relations between the two organizations concerning the implementation of the framework agreement signed by them in April 2017. I also thank Ms. Fatima Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations, for her comprehensive briefing on the joint efforts under way in certain African States dealing with conflicts. With regard to the field visit of the Security Council members to Juba and Addis Ababa few days ago, I would like to thank Ambassadors Matjila and Craft, who led the meetings, and all those who contributed to the good preparation of the visit in Addis Ababa in view of the fruitful and constructive meetings between the members of the Security Council and of the African Union Peace and Security Council. We are aware of the high levels of cooperation, coordination and partnership between the two Councils, as was clearly demonstrated in the meetings on matters of mutual interest, as well as the genuine desire of members of both Councils to further promote closer relations. As described by the Secretary-General in his latest report (S/2019/759) on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, the systematic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union has made significant progress in terms of its orderly and predictable nature and through the joint strategy to address complex challenges to peace and security in Africa. That is an excellent example of cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, which is particularly commendable given that Africa’s concerns permeate most United Nations meetings and activities, as reflected in the work of all its organizations, agencies and programmes. We emphasize the importance of promoting bilateral cooperation and partnership between the League of Arab States and the African Union, as well as trilateral cooperation between the two organizations and the United Nations, in order to reach peaceful solutions and put an end to conflicts  — for instance, in Libya and Somalia. Peace operations represent the most important facet of cooperation between the two organizations, particularly between both Councils. The success of those operations is a fundamental issue for effectively finding solutions to peace and security challenges in Africa. That is evident in the fact that seven of the 14 active United Nations peace operations are deployed on the African continent, with a total of 80,000 peacekeepers. We call for the preservation and consolidation of our achievements, in particular the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative, to ensure that those operations become more efficient, better equipped, stronger and safer. That requires clear mandates with sustainable, continuous and predictable funding. We commend the commitment of the African Union to covering 25 per cent of the costs of peace operations in Africa on a permanent basis, as well as the fact that the Peace Fund currently has $124 million at its disposal, the highest amount since the establishment of the Fund in 1993. That proves the real commitment of States to energizing the Fund. We hope to see the adoption of a Council draft resolution that would allow the financing of peace operations led by the African Union and authorized by the Security Council, especially given the African Union’s serious intention to implement the 2018 joint declaration in order to establish frameworks for joint planning, respect for human rights, conduct, discipline and accountability in African Union peace operations, in accordance with resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017). We believe that regional economic commissions contribute to facilitating the partnership between the African Union and the United Nations in the prevention and resolution of armed conflict. We welcome the ongoing consultations between the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and regional economic commissions, and we call for them to continue. In parallel, many other developments merit highlighting. There is the dawn of a new era in the Sudan, the historic reconciliation between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the gradual drawdown of joint United Nations-African Union operations in Darfur, which is expected to be fully completed in 2020. Those are all positive factors that we hope will continue. We reaffirm the importance of the Security Council continuing to support the partnership between the two Organizations in order to achieve more progress with a view to achieving the ultimate goal of peace, security and stability. To that end, we support all efforts by the Secretary-General through his Special Envoys. We wish to recall the historic and privileged relationship between the State of Kuwait and the African continent. We have established cooperation and partnership with Africa through our observer status at the African Union. That relationship motivates us to continue to support the African Union in achieving the objectives of its Agenda 2063, in harmony with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also motivates us to implement the African Union’s Silencing the Guns in Africa initiative, which was highlighted by the Security Council in its resolution 2457 (2019), in order to establish peace, stability and security in Africa.

First of all, I would like to thank Special Representative Hanna Serwaa Tetteh and Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed for their briefings this morning. I would also like to commend and thank South Africa for having organized the recent visit to Addis Ababa and for facilitating the discussions that took place there. As the Secretary-General’s latest report rightly points out (S/2019/759), the strategic and operational partnership between the United Nations and the African Union remains essential on several levels. In the context of peace and security, common approaches by both organizations can make a difference, as demonstrated by the finalizing of peace agreements in the Central African Republic and the Sudan. With regard to conflict prevention and peacekeeping, we welcome the joint horizon-scanning meetings and joint technical visits, which have already demonstrated their added value and will have another opportunity to do so over the coming months in Cameroon and Burundi. The partnership between the United Nations and the African Union is equally important to peacekeeping operations and peace support operations. We take note of the critical role played by the joint review of the African Union Mission in Somalia in the context of revising the Mission’s mandate. With regard to peacebuilding and partnership within the context of the rule of law, cooperation on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration also remains crucial, not only between the United Nations and the African Union but also with other partners, such as the World Bank. While the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union is robust, it remains crucial that we strengthen it further. We wish to make a few remarks on that matter. First of all, as we witnessed once again during our recent visit to Addis Ababa, the African Union is building an impressive Peace and Security Architecture, which must be adequately funded and based on the revitalization of the Peace Fund and the critical framework of ensuring respect for human rights. African Union peace operations must ultimately be able to benefit from more predictable, sustainable and flexible funding. Moreover, coordination and collaboration between the United Nations and the African Union and their respective institutions must be strengthened at the thematic level, as demonstrated in the recent debates and discussions on the role of youth and women, as well as the link between climate and security. Coordination and collaboration must also be strengthened at the operational level. The agendas of both Councils could be better coordinated, while the management of the conflict cycle and an integrated approach should be better harmonized between the two organizations. Elections will be held in 14 African countries in 2020. In that context, we are pleased to note that the collaboration between the United Nations and the African Union is excellent. However, we believe that it could be strengthened still further. On the one hand, in terms of the electoral process, the African Union Commission has a higher level of convening power than the United Nations. On the other hand, the United Nations still has a comparative advantage in the context of an integrated approach. The United Nations and the African Union remain major partners. Let us not forget that that partnership is above all based on common values, including respect for the rule of law, democracy, human rights and respect for our fellow citizens. Let us strengthen them all.

I shall now make a statement in my national capacity as Minister of Defence and Military Veterans of South Africa. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the three African members of the Security Council, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. I thank Secretary-General António Guterres for his report (S/2019/759) on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) on issues of peace and security in Africa. I also thank Ambassador Fatima Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations, and Ms. Hanna Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union, for their briefings today. While the Charter of the United Nations gives the Security Council the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, Chapter VIII of the Charter also recognizes the complementarity between the roles of the United Nations and regional organizations. In that regard, the African Union and regional economic communities throughout the continent are engaged in the resolution of conflicts in their respective regions. Regional organizations are often those most affected by the conflicts in their respective regions. In most circumstances they are also best placed to address those conflicts, because that action is linked to their own stability, development and prosperity. The African Union has developed an expansive Peace and Security Architecture for ensuring sustainable peace on the continent. Its mechanisms form part of the concerted efforts of the African Union to achieve peace and realize its aspirations to silence the guns by 2020. It is in pursuit of that aspiration that in Malabo on 2 and 3 December the Government of Equatorial Guinea will host a ministerial-level conference on the topic of silencing the guns by 2020, the same theme that the African Union Summit will adopt for 2020. There can be no question that the active engagement of the continent together with its external partners, including the United Nations, has led to the resolution of long-standing conflicts. The political and strategic alignment between the Security Council and regional organizations has been effective, as we have seen in Somalia, the Central African Republic and the Sudan. What is also clear, however, is that this collaboration should be formalized and structured if it is to be efficient. Over the past 12 years, much has been done to improve that collaboration. The adoption of resolutions 1809 (2007) and 2033 (2012) has given impetus to the implementation of Chapter VIII of the Charter with regard to the partnership between the United Nations and regional organizations, particularly the African Union. We recognize the positive impact that the Joint AU- United Nations Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security has had in elevating the cooperation, coordination and collaboration between the two organizations into a strategic partnership, particularly at the level of the United Nations and AU Secretariats. The increased collaboration and strategic partnership have contributed positively to both the United Nations and the AU in terms of developing common objectives and seeking sustainable solutions to the complex conflicts on the African continent. It is clear that the complex peace and security issues facing the continent, including the necessity for the prevention, resolution and management of conflicts, require effective and meaningful partnership and collaboration among the United Nations, the AU, regional economic communities and regional mechanisms. The three African members of the Security Council therefore welcome efforts that seek to strengthen the strategic partnership and ensure that all concerned genuinely accept the leveraging of the complementary roles and comparative advantages of both the United Nations and the AU, including in areas such as mediation, preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping, peace enforcement and peacebuilding. The key principles that should direct and shape the partnership and cooperation between the two organizations going forward are meaningful and inclusive collaboration, shared and common approaches, and effective consultative mechanisms. One of the most critical areas where the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the AU on peace and security in Africa continues to grow and must be enhanced is that between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council. On 21 and 22 October, members of both Councils met within the framework of the thirteenth annual joint consultative meeting in Addis Ababa. During that meeting, members of the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council discussed various situations of conflict in Africa, specifically those in the Central African Republic, Libya, South Sudan and the Sahel region. With regard to the issue of South Sudan, there was convergence between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council on what ought to happen in the lead-up to the 12 November deadline for the formation of a revitalized Government of National Unity, demonstrating that both Councils can have a shared understanding and common positions on peace and security matters in Africa. However, there are areas where the two Councils are at opposite ends. The issue of Libya is an illustration of a situation where interests other than the advancement of the peace process have the potential to undermine the strategic partnership between the Councils. In the efforts to resolve the issue in Libya, it is imperative that the Security Council take into account the roles and contributions of the AU Commission and the AU Peace and Security Council, including by considering the request to appoint a joint special envoy. The two Councils also exchanged views on thematic issues, including the African Union’s flagship initiative to silence the guns by 2020 and the modalities for joint field visits by both Councils. As a follow-up to those consultations, the three African members of the Security Council would like to emphasize the following points. First, we need to translate and elevate some of the commitments made by both Councils into tangible outcomes. To do that, we have to evaluate the extent to which the principles of cooperation and commitment to the partnership between the United Nations and the AU have translated into the development of practical and shared purposes within both Councils. In that regard, the Security Council should endeavour to give effect to the commitments it has already made in previous resolutions, especially resolution 2033 (2012). Secondly, the focus of the debate on strengthening the United Nations-AU partnership must move away from generalities about partnership and cooperation and towards decisive and practical steps that the Security Council, in particular, and the United Nations and AU, in general, can take to realize the full implementation of this strategic partnership. The three African members of the Security Council welcome the Secretary- General’s undertaking to conduct an assessment of the United Nations-AU cooperation, including the structure and capacity of the United Nations Office at the AU, as requested by the Council in resolution 2320 (2016). It is also imperative that the Security Council outline its own perspectives regarding the efficacy of the partnership between the two Councils, based on the experiences and outcome of the recently held thirteenth joint consultative meeting, among other things. In conclusion, the three African members of the Security Council commend the continued engagement between the Secretary-General and Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission, in order to improve the synergy between the Secretariat and the AU Commission, and to encourage continued consultative meetings between the Councils. As we have heard from the briefers, both secretariats have executed their tasks diligently. We urge all parties concerned to work towards the effective strengthening of the partnership so that it contributes to real peace and security in Africa.