S/PV.9106 Security Council

I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Security Council, to His Excellency Mr. Ronaldo Costa Filho, Permanent Representative of Brazil, for his service as President of the Council for the month of July. I am sure I speak for all the members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Costa Filho and his team for the great diplomatic skill with which they conducted the Council’s business last month. Expression of welcome to the new Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations

I should also like to extend, on behalf of the Council, a warm welcome to the new Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Her Excellency Mrs. Ruchira Kamboj. We look forward to collaborating closely with her and wish her every success. Adoption of the agenda Peace and security in Africa Capacity-building for sustaining peace Letter dated 1 August 2022 from the Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (S/2022/592)

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malta, Morocco, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, Tunisia, Thailand and Ukraine to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: His Excellency Mr. Bankole Adeoye, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Ms. Cristina Duarte, Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General; and His Excellency Mr. Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, in his capacity as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I also invite His Excellency Mr. Silvio Gonzato, Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Delegation of the European to the United Nations, to participate in this meeting. 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/2022/592, which contains the text of a letter dated 1 August 2022 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 now give the floor to Mr. Adeoye. Mr. Adeoye: First, I would like to congratulate the People’s Republic of China on its presidency of the Security Council for the month of August. Let me also commend China for choosing to use its presidency to reflect on the critical theme of peace and security in Africa, in particular highlighting the vital need to build capacity to sustain peace. The state of play in Africa and globally is rather challenging today. The trajectory of the global security landscape reveals very concerning trends. The threats of violent extremism and terrorism continue to loom heavily over the continent and the world at large. We have witnessed popular uprisings, with some metamorphizing into what is beginning to look like intractable conflicts. Old conflicts are assuming new dimensions and are being fuelled and sustained by new threats of insecurity. Against that continental and global context, we must redouble our efforts at developing our capacities to sustain peace. Most important, we at the African Union (AU) are fully aware of the critical role of capacity development in building resilient societies. We are convinced that solid societies are anchored in robust institutions capable of fostering coexistence and mediating differences. There is clearly a symbiotic relationship between effective governance, peace, security and development. The lessons we have learned across our continent have given us experience in managing conflicts, given the intricate connections between the absence of the rule of law, justice, fragility, socioeconomic development and violence. Our scorecard with regard to governance and peace and security performance has shown mixed results. Today it is more vital than ever that we address the adverse effects of climate change, which are threatening millions of people’s livelihood, especially in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. On top of that, the illicit exploitation of natural resources further robs us of the ability to provide the necessary public goods for most of our people. Our continent is also bleeding from illicit financial flows. With that combination of challenges, the most robust solution is to build a strong partnership to create the requisite capacities to sustain peace, which we consider fundamental. The African Union and the United Nations must scale up their collaboration to build and sustain peace through transformative capacity. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize the need for improvement in our collaboration. The partnership for peacekeeping and peacebuilding is well articulated and appreciated, but we must go further and build and develop the requisite capacity for peace enforcement, which is the issue facing Africa today in terms of defeating terrorism and violent extremism. Our existing capacities have shown us that we can build a stronger continent. We have been drawing lessons over the years at the continental, regional and national levels. The first lesson is that we must improve the linkages between the implementation of the African Governance Architecture and the African Peace and Security Architecture. That can provide us with a springboard for engagement in improving the effectiveness of governance, peace and security. In addition, the African Union’s vision of the Silencing the Guns initiative and its blueprint for development, our Agenda 2063, sets out the areas where attention and effort must be focused if we are to build a stable and secure continent. The nexus between those two frameworks is critical to our pathway to the desired level. When we assumed office, a year ago, we articulated five critical pillars, one of them being the need to enhance governance, peace and security through building the requisite capacity. I believe that will put Africa in a strong position to realize Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16. We are working hard to re-energize the African Union Continental Early Warning System, based on building the requisite capacities in the mediation and conflict-prevention sectors. It is also essential to anchor our countries’ structural vulnerability assessments in the African Peer Review Mechanism. As we develop that emphasis, we need to focus on the capacities of women and young people in building and sustaining peace. It is for that reason that we are working to operationalize the African Standby Force and the capacity support necessary to counter terrorism and violent extremism. We are drawing lessons from the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin and, more recently, southern Africa, in view of the challenges in Cabo Delgado. As we build on those lessons, we must also look at the stabilization policies that will help build a more sustainable Africa. Let me emphasize that post-conflict reconstruction and development are another source that we can focus on. The African Union has just launched its Centre for Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development in Cairo, which we envisage as a capacity boost for post-conflict management on our continent. In the African Union Commission, we have also just established the Interregional Knowledge Exchange on Early Warning and Conflict Prevention in partnership with regional economic communities and regional mechanisms. The capacity challenges that we have faced over the years must be addressed collectively at all three levels. I would like to end by drawing the Council’s attention to a number of critical recommendations. First, we must emphasize the need for demonstrable joint transformative leadership between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council. For Africa, the focus should be on building an integrated capacity for peace-enforcement operations, based on both a military and a whole-of-society approach. In that regard, the African Union will hold its first-ever lesson-learning forum on peace support operations aimed at the full operationalization of the African Standby Force. It is equally important that we work to unlock the financial challenges associated with peace operations. Secondly, the African Union is ready to recommit to the implementation of SDG 16, on building peace, justice and strong institutions, which is of the utmost importance in the quest for inclusive, effective and accountable institutions in the peace sector. Lastly, as we strengthen democracies, a capacity for political transitions that is inclusive and fully participatory is another key area. In conclusion, I stress that the African Union Commission stands ready to continue its implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. By doing that, we will be building capacities to sustain peace in a multilevel endeavour with international, continental, regional and national implications.

I thank Mr. Adeoye for his briefing. I now give the floor to Ms. Duarte. Ms. Duarte: I would like to thank the Chinese presidency for convening this open debate, entitled “Peace and security in Africa: Capacity-building for sustaining peace”, and for inviting me to brief the Security Council on the topic. The concept note (S/2022/592, annex) for today’s open debate proposes three objectives for the meeting. The first is understanding why capacity-building is important for peace and security, the second is discussing the challenges that capacity-building efforts must overcome and the third is exploring ways forward. I will therefore touch on those three points in my briefing. The first concerns the impact of capacity- building on peace and stability. Capacity-building has traditionally been approached as the epitome of development cooperation. As a result, it has usually been ignored as a tool for conflict prevention and peacebuilding, except when referring to the building of capacities in the security sector, whether military or policy components. However, capacity-building has a direct and, I would say, fundamental, impact on delivering sustainable peace. Africa’s peace and security are threatened by a combination of external and internal factors that undermine the capacities of African countries to prevent and address violence. Factors such as external competition for a country’s natural resources have been fuelling instability in Africa. Porous borders fuel black markets and facilitate the emergence of transnational crime and the proliferation of illicit weapons. Global terrorist networks increasingly find footholds in various pockets of Africa, and conflicts between State and non-State actors continue to cause death, displacement and destruction. Those external factors are part of the agenda and focus of the Security Council. In that regard, today’s meeting provides an opportunity to assess how internal factors, such as governance and national control over economic flows, endemic poverty, inequality, marginalization and respect for human rights, interact with those external factors. Understanding that interaction is relevant as, internal factors, if properly addressed, are the foundation of a State’s resilience and will to fight, prevent and mitigate violence. If disregarded, those factors might become the triggers and fuel of conflict and violent extremism. From that perspective, even if internal factors are not the focus of the attention of the Council, it is important to take them into account when assessing how to prevent and mitigate external factors, given that addressing the structural root causes of conflict is indispensable for building sustainable peace. The joint study by the United Nations and the World Bank, entitled Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict, already noted a link between peace and the capacity of a State to provide public services. For the past two years, my Office has analysed that link in implementation of our mandate to address gaps and initiate reports on critical issues affecting Africa, with the support of an extrabudgetary project funded by the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund. That analysis fed into the 2021 report of the Secretary-General on the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (S/2021/562). The report identifies four ways in which public service delivery can become a trigger of conflict and instability. Four factors are closely linked to the capacity of African countries to provide effective and efficient public services. The first is vertical and horizontal exclusion — that is, discriminatory service delivery along socioeconomic lines or group affiliation. I would like to underscore that, most often, exclusion is not the result of a decision to exclude. Furthermore, exclusion can act as a trigger even if the service is not directly provided by the State. An example of that is access to education in Africa during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Education is a public service from which millions of children are excluded due to the lack of access to electricity or technological tools. In fact, COVID-19 has further shrunk the already limited fiscal space in African countries, which, in many cases, has led to the deprioritization of certain public services in order to have the budgetary capacity to respond to the pandemic. It is a necessary decision, but one that can have unforeseen and undesired consequences in the middle term. Those potential consequences — those risks — are linked to the second factor — namely, non-transparent or non-inclusive planning and budgeting processes. The lack of capacity by African countries to conduct open-planning processes risks creating undesired exclusion, or even false perceptions of exclusion as a consequence of the scarcity of funds. In a context of limited public budgets and growing expenditure needs, which is the scenario that most African countries face, planning processes are not just a tool for good management. They also become a crucial instrument for explaining to citizens the decisions that were made in the prioritization of expenditures and for involving them in decision-making processes so as to prevent their exclusion from public services, which results in grievances and social disengagement. The third factor is corruption — a global value chain made up of local, national and regional and international actors. Corruption not only diverts funds that should be used for service delivery, but it is the most effective factor in delegitimizing the State. Corruption is not just an ethical or legal problem. At the national level, it reflects the absence of the State or, at least, the absence of an effective State and the lack of capacities. The national component of corruption is made possible due to non-existent or very limited institutions, including strong national revenue authorities and tax services, due to the absence of capacity among public institutions to use technology to, for example, fully digitize customs and tax administrations. Corruption cannot be dealt with only through administrative bodies and goodwill. The best way to limit its impact is to build the capacities of a country to trace the economic transactions that are conducted in its national value chain. A global compact to fight corruption is needed. Commitment 6 of Our Common Agenda (A/75/982) deals with that issue. Those three factors compound a fourth one — the absence of the State and its substitution in service delivery by non-State actors, including criminal and terrorist groups. When the State does not provide services, either because there is no State presence in the territory or due to inefficiencies and some of the factors I mentioned, someone replaces the State. With time, that someone earns the legitimacy of the population and questions the existence of the State. That is not theory. That is a reality that has been reported with Al-Shabaab in Somalia, for example, and is a growing problem for the continent’s stability. Service delivery is a key component of development, but it is an aspect of development with a crucial political impact because service delivery is the sheer expression of the social contract, and violation of the social contract is a breeding ground for unrest and instability. Addressing the challenges of building capacities in Africa takes us to the second question. What are the main challenges that prevent capacity-building in Africa? The concept note for today’s debate underscored those challenges — policy and financing. The building of capacities cannot be understood just as creating administrative bodies or training civil servants. Those are important aspects that will not be sustainable or effective, however, if clear, objective and just planning and monitoring systems and policy frameworks are not put in place. Institutions are a set of policies with bodies to implement them and mechanisms to monitor their correct implementation. However many bodies we create or training sessions we deliver, without policies and oversight mechanisms those four factors will continue to undermine our efforts to achieve peace and development. With regard to funding, our ability to build institutions and develop capacities for the delivery of public services requires sustainable financing, and that can be achieved only through strong systems for mobilizing domestic resources. Of all the ways of mobilizing domestic resources, the most urgent from a peace and security standpoint is dealing with the issue of illicit financial flows. Curbing illicit financial flows in Africa would not only generate the same amount of revenue as official development assistance and foreign direct investment put together, but it would also address one of the main sources of financing for transnational crime and terrorism. What, then, is the way forward? How can we address those challenges? I would like to provide three recommendations and one example. First, investing in institutional infrastructure is essential in order to build the capacities needed to tackle the internal causes of violence. Institutions have the power to catalyse holistic solutions. Institutional capacity-building should therefore be the cornerstone of efforts to achieve sustainable peace. Secondly, technical cooperation in creating policy and institutional capacity should be a priority in all conflict situations. That entails both increasing cooperation and coordination among the various areas of work of the United Nations and informing the deliberations on peace and security issues with analysis of countries’ socioeconomic conditions and institutional capacity. Thirdly, in many countries, peacekeeping missions reach areas where the State is absent. Closer cooperation with national and local authorities — from the perspective of institution-building as well as from a security perspective  — could create opportunities for increasing the presence of the State and enhancing the delivery of services, preventing gaps that can be leveraged by terrorist groups and non-State actors. Against that background, school feeding programmes are an example of a public service with great potential to contribute to long-term peace and stability. Their main goal is addressing low educational attainment, school dropout rates, malnutrition, stunting and, above all, food insecurity. But school feeding also helps to promote local economies and women’s empowerment, to strengthen local food systems and create cohesive communities. When children are retained in school, they are at a lower risk of being captured by terrorist groups and non-State actors. All in all, school feeding is a cost-effective way of strengthening trust in public institutions through the delivery of basic services — again, fulfilling the sixth commitment of Our Common Agenda. In that regard, the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa has launched an initiative entitled “A pen for a gun”, which fosters the role of school meals in promoting social cohesion and peace on the continent and seeks to strengthen the capacities of African countries to deliver peace and security through development.

I thank Ms. Duarte for her briefing and for her insights, recommendations and ideas on the topics under discussion. I now give the floor to Mr. Muhith. Mr. Muhith: I thank you, Sir, for inviting me to brief the Council on the important topic of peace and security in Africa, with a focus on capacity-building for sustaining peace. With the onset of a global pandemic, an economic downturn and changing conflict dynamics, the challenges to peace and security have multiplied. There has been increased interest from countries and regions in Africa in engaging with the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in expanding and strengthening their capacities for peacebuilding and sustaining peace. Since its inception, the Commission, in line with its mandate and through its country- and region-specific engagements, has consistently supported Africa and provided a platform for discussing their national peacebuilding priorities and garnering support for strengthening the capacity of institutions. I would like to share some of the PBC’s engagements in Africa in the field of capacity-building. In the Central African Republic, the Government has prioritized the fight against impunity and the reinforcement of access to justice. During a PBC meeting in April on the rule of law and transitional justice mechanisms, the Minister of Justice, Human Rights Promotion and Governance of the Central African Republic presented the initiatives of his Government in the field of peacebuilding. He informed the Commission about reforms and measures that have been undertaken in the judicial and penitentiary sectors, noting the adoption of a justice-sector policy, the convening of criminal sessions at the Bangui Court of Appeals and the creation of a rapid response unit within the police and gendarmerie to investigate sexual and gender-based violence. The PBC used the meeting to mobilize resources and address the impact of budgetary constraints for the country’s Special Criminal Court and its Truth, Justice, Reparations and Reconciliation Commission. In Liberia, significant efforts have been made to help build capacity for inclusive peacebuilding, especially by ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in social, political and economic life. Liberia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection briefed the Commission in June, highlighting notable progress in gender equality through the adoption of a revised national gender policy for the period from 2018 to 2022, a second national action plan on women and peace and security for the period from 2019 to 2023 and a gender-responsive local governance and land-rights act. The Chair of the Liberia configuration recently visited the country and noted an encouraging trend and efforts within political parties to ensure the increased representation of women in party leadership and their broader participation in elections, as well as the role played by women-led peace huts in building social cohesion at the community level. In Burundi, the Government has promoted the decisive role that young people can play in their country’s socioeconomic development. Advancing young people’s empowerment and economic inclusion has been operationalized in Burundi’s national programme for peace capitalization, social stability and the promotion of economic growth, with initiatives in support of youth entrepreneurship and job creation as well as education and training. In November, the Administrator and Director-General of Burundi’s Youth Investment Bank, which was formed in 2020, addressed the Commission and informed it about the Bank’s efforts in financing youth enterprises and cooperatives owned by more than 1,800 young members. The Commission also heard from several young men and women entrepreneurs who emphasized how transformative the capacity-building support had been in their lives. In the Lake Chad basin, the Lake Chad Basin Commission has been making consistent efforts to translate its regional strategy for stabilization, recovery and resilience into an implementable plan. The Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission updated the Peacebuilding Commission in April on newly created coordination and management structures and the building of both vertical and horizontal partnerships, including with a civil society platform and a task force of implementing partners. The Lake Chad Basin Commission has also helped governors in Boko Haram-affected areas of the basin to articulate their locally owned initiative, the territorial action plans, in support of the regional strategy. Based on those and other PBC engagements in Africa, I wish to share several observations. First, it is critical to support nationally owned and led efforts to build effective, accountable, inclusive and responsive institutions at the national and local levels for reducing vulnerability and protecting and empowering citizens. There is an abundance of examples globally, as well as in Africa, of how the pandemic has exacerbated governance gaps, affecting the health, economic and social sectors and causing additional strains on social cohesion, with potential implications for the peace and security landscape. In view of that, the Peacebuilding Commission recognizes the need to increase collective efforts in order to strengthen effective, accountable and inclusive public service institutions, within the framework of the rule of law, cutting across all the Sustainable Development Goals in an integrated and coordinated manner. In that regard, the Commission will continue to encourage partnerships with international financial institutions, including the World Bank and the regional development banks, which have leveraged resources, expertise and capacities in order to help build national and local institutions in conflict-affected countries. Secondly, enhancing capacity-building for sustaining peace is indeed a complex process, one that must be carried out in a step-by-step manner with measures tailored to the specific conditions of each country and region. However, as experience has shown, measures that are not inclusive ultimately risk sustainability, leaving the drivers of conflict unaddressed. In view of that, the Peacebuilding Commission emphasizes the importance of ensuring that women, youth and those in vulnerable situations be included in capacity-building efforts at the local, national and regional levels. The Commission emphasizes that inclusivity is key to advancing national peacebuilding processes and objectives in order to ensure that the needs of all segments of society are taken into account. The Commission also stresses that civil society can play an important role in advancing efforts to build and sustain peace. Thirdly, capacities for sustaining peace are enhanced with the sharing of lessons learned, the identification of scalable good practices and innovative solutions and the exchange of expertise. In that regard, the Peacebuilding Commission promotes the role of regional, South-South and triangular cooperation in addressing common challenges to peacebuilding and advancing the long-term goals of economic recovery and sustainable development in Africa. The Commission also wishes to promote the sharing of best practices, as and where applicable, across the continent. Fourthly, the importance of the African Union and other regional and subregional organizations in Africa in addressing peacebuilding challenges and fostering regional strategies in support of regional capacities to sustain peace cannot be overstated. For its part, the Peacebuilding Commission is committed to working more closely with the African Union and its Peace and Security Council in support of those strategies and in mobilizing peacebuilding tools to sustain peace. Lastly, the Commission acknowledges the invaluable contributions of the Peacebuilding Fund in supporting the strengthening of inclusive national and local institutions and organizations, including in the rule of law, transitional justice, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, political dialogue, electoral frameworks, democratic governance, human rights, security sector reform, State capacities and the extension of State authority. Noting that the continuing demand for Peacebuilding Fund support has significantly outpaced available resources and stressing that capacity- building requires timely and effective financial and technical support, the Commission reiterates its calls for adequate, predictable and sustainable financing for peacebuilding and promotes the confluence of various funding streams towards shared objectives in the spirit of good peacebuilding financing.

I thank Mr. Muhith for his briefing. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of China. I thank Commissioner Adeoye, Special Adviser Duarte and Ambassador Muhith for their briefings. Their insights are all very enlightening. I also warmly welcome representatives of all countries, especially African ones, to today’s meeting. Africa is the birthplace of human civilization. On that great continent, the industrious and brave African people have created splendid African civilization. But it has also been a land long-steeped in hardships caused by the slave trade, racial discrimination, colonial rule and foreign interference. Guided by pan- Africanism, African countries and peoples have united to win national independence and restore their dignity. They have also worked hard to explore developing policies suitable to their national conditions and have made remarkable achievements. They are playing an increasingly important role on the world stage. At the same time, in the face of an unfair and unjust international political and economic order and all kinds of global crises and risks, African countries have always suffered from collateral damage and have even become the main victims of conflicts outside their region. In some countries, peace processes have been repeatedly interrupted and hard-won development gains have been reversed. The Security Council needs to do some deep thinking. In helping Africa achieve lasting peace, has the international community rightly addressed the root causes and met the real needs of African countries? China and Africa have always supported each other and shared the same fate. Africa’s experiences and needs resonate with us as a developing country. Considering China’s own development experiences and experience from China-Africa cooperation and the historical lessons from all over the world, we believe that, to help Africa achieve long-term stability, it is imperative to sustain and increase investment, think long-term and build a strong foundation for Africa to strengthen its own development capacity and improve its resilience to external shocks. Capacity-building is critical to that end. First, we should support African countries in strengthening governance. In terms of maintaining peace and security, African Governments, as representatives of their own people, are the most important actors. They must respond to conflicts and crises, promote development and reconstruction and rally social solidarity. The success stories of many African countries fully demonstrate that point. Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, Rwanda, Cameroon, Gabon and others have rapidly recovered from the pandemic, while Burundi, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire are progressing smoothly in development and reconstruction. Nigeria and Mozambique have had some major wins in combating terrorism. Those achievements have a lot to do with the strong leadership and efficient administration of their Governments. To enhance Government capacity, we need to maintain the right course and respect the development pathway and social system independently chosen by their peoples. When Governments from around the world help African countries, they should respect and trust African Governments, direct cooperation priorities and aid resources to Government departments, strengthen Government authority and support Governments in playing a leading role. Political conditions should not be attached to aid, nor should there be interference in internal affairs of African countries or efforts to replace the role of local governments. In post-conflict countries or countries in political transition, preparing for and holding elections are only the first step. More important is to deliver on the many tasks that come after elections. We should support the newly established Governments in their exercise of State authority, help them establish themselves as soon as possible and improve gradually rather than target them with endless criticism and fault finding, let alone attempt democratic transformation or rely on the habitual use of sanctions to exert pressure. Secondly, it is important to support African countries in improving their security sectors’ capacity to perform their duties. Some African countries face security threats from terrorists, violent extremism and intercommunal conflicts, inter alia. Only with their own professional, efficient and strong security sectors can they effectively respond to these threats. External security forces cannot and will not be a substitute for their own efforts. In recent years, some peacekeeping operations deployed by the United Nations in Africa have been expanding in both size and budget, having been tasked with increasing number of mandates. As the security situations in host countries have not improved much, complaints from their Governments and their people are on the rise. We believe that we should carefully heed the voices of African countries, conduct comprehensive reviews of these peacekeeping operations, reform practices not fit for the situation on the ground, develop sound mandates and enhance peacekeeping performance. Arms embargoes imposed by the Council in such countries as the Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have had a negative impact on these countries’ capacity-building in the security sector. They need to be adjusted and lifted in time. The funding of African Union-led peace operations has been a persistent difficulty and calls for a solution. Secretary-General Guterres suggested that funding to this end be provided from the United Nations regular budget or peacekeeping assessments. This is an important proposal, and the Council should carefully consider it. Thirdly, we need to support African countries in improving their sustainable-development capacities. Development is a cornerstone of peace and security. In post-conflict countries, political transition, reconstruction, development and livelihood improvement require significant financial support and resources. External humanitarian assistance is indispensable, but the key to development is to make the pie bigger so that these countries can have more resources and means with which to maintain security. China has proposed its Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa, supported connectivity infrastructure projects including the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway and Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway and worked to promote development of local industries in Africa. These are all based on the crucial idea that development promotes peace. At present, the African continent is beset with economic, financial, food, energy and other challenges. These are related to the turbulent international situation, but the underlying cause is the unjust and unfair international economic order. African countries are trapped in the low end of the global industrial chain and do not have enough resources and capacities to withstand the risks. When major economies change their monetary policies out of their own needs, the spillover effects can trigger a financial tornado in Africa. While Africa is experiencing a shortage in food and energy, the main grain traders and oil companies in developed countries are experiencing windfalls. African countries have expressed their strong desire for such unfair treatment to end, and the international community has the obligation to support them by helping Africa industrialize, accelerate industrialization and infrastructure modernization, achieve financial autonomy and increase economic independence. Developed countries should honour their commitments on climate financing as soon as possible and make up for what they owe to Africa historically. Fourthly, we need to support African countries in building a bigger talent pool. Human resources are the basis of capacity-building. They represent future prospects, since over half of the population in Africa are young people, which means the continent has a talent pool of the greatest potential in the world. The international community should help African countries train more talent based on their urgent needs in reconstruction and social and economic development. There is a particular need to encourage countries affected by conflict to enhance policy support and resource input for youth and children and expand targeted assistance in development and education. There is also a need to enhance education and vocational training for young people and provide them with greater job opportunities and support for entrepreneurship so that they can live lives free of poverty. Africa also needs our support in deradicalization efforts to protect young minds from terrorist and extremist ideology. Secretary-General Guterres has said that Africa was a source of hope for the world. We cannot agree more. Peace and development in the world cannot be realized without Africa. Greater progress in Africa will also bring more hope and light to the world. Helping Africa to build capacity is a shared responsibility of the international community. No matter how the international situation evolves, we should keep our focus on and commitment to Africa. We should not ignore the issues in Africa. We must not allow African issues to be marginalized. China always upholds the principles of pursuing the greater good and shared interests as well as the principles of sincerity, real results in amity and good faith in our relations with Africa. We are ready to work with African countries to stay committed to a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and defend the international system, with the United Nations at its core, safeguard international fairness and justice, and seize the opportunity to implement the Global Security Initiative to promote sustainable peace and security in Africa. President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative a year ago, which focuses on urgent challenges in the development of African countries. We are ready to actively promote the Global Development Initiative and the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation by working together with African countries to implement the nine programmes of China-Africa cooperation. We plan to deepen practical cooperation with Africa to deliver more benefits to the continent. China would also like to cooperate with international partners to contribute further to lasting peace and development in Africa. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.

Kenya’s delegation appreciates China for convening today’s open debate. I thank Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ms. Cristina Duarte, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa, and Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, for their briefings. Africa’s energetic and young population, its abundance of resources and its diversity can catapult the continent to become an immense driver of global peace and prosperity. To do that, it will have to strengthen its ability to prevent and respond to dangerous conflicts and insecurity. Africa’s Agenda 2063 is a blueprint for transforming the continent into a global powerhouse in economic and political terms. Key pillars in its achievement include the successful implementation of the Silencing the Guns initiative’s road map for peace and the Continental Free Trade Area for prosperity So far, Africa has deployed its Peace and Security Architecture to try and resolve conflicts. It has also sought the structural strengthening of governance through instruments such as the African Peer Review Mechanism. The successes are notable, but so are the continuing challenges. In almost all its regions, militant and terrorist groups are challenging States and destroying many innocent lives. Climate change is exacerbating the conflicts, as well as undermining livelihoods and economies. External actors are adding to the continent’s crises, as they use every means to win access to its rich mineral and hydrocarbon resources. Rarely in recent history has the African State been under greater pressure as citizens’ expectations continue to increase. For Africa to overcome those challenges, all sectors of the African State, including governance and, more broadly, its economic sectors, need strong capabilities. Indeed, without competent Governments, including security services that are credible and legitimate to citizens, it will be impossible to achieve Agenda 2063. Capacity-building is therefore the most important priority today. Kenya is a strong supporter to countries in conflict or emerging from it. Since 2007, Kenya has offered training and mentorship to more than 5,000 South Sudan civil servants in areas of public administration, immigration, policing and civil aviation. We supported Burundi and Somalia in rebuilding institutions of governance and public service. More recently, we offered the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti training in our State institutions. We believe that, if more countries embrace South-to-South capacity- building in Africa, a great deal can be achieved. I will share three observations with recommendations for capacity-building that directly concern the Security Council and are linked to Africa’s Agenda 2063. First, peacekeeping is not working as it should. After tens of billions of dollars spent in several countries under Chapter VII mandates, the guns have still not been silenced. In several countries under the purview of the Security Council, there is palpable and damaging tension between the population and United Nations peacekeeping missions. The United Nations must rethink, and recalibrate, the role and functioning of special political missions and peacekeeping operations. They must respond to the actual political and security dynamics more than they do to the perceptions or interests of external actors. Performance by peacekeeping missions and the various troop contingents must be monitored with high standards, and the findings should lead to appropriate adjustments. Africa deserves the highest-quality performance by the United Nations. There is a need for Africa-led enforcement capabilities. Those should be provided with adequate, predictable and sustainable financing. They should also be undertaken alongside well-designed and credible political processes that can deliver inclusive dialogue and legitimate governance. The United Nations engagement with African countries must be guided by the principle of national ownership. Secondly, as we have observed in the past year and a half, there are sanctions and embargoes, imposed by the Security Council, that have compromised the capacity of States to provide adequate security to citizens. It is critically important that sanctions and embargoes be realistic and practical. For that to be the case, they need to be aligned with the capabilities of the State to deliver. That means that all sanctions should be accompanied by dedicated capacity-building and implementation support for the States in question. Benchmarks, linked to State processes in a transparent way, that respect State sovereignty, even in conditions of great fragility, are a fundamental value in the United Nations. Thirdly, we must leverage all our instruments, including the Peacebuilding Commission and other peacebuilding initiatives that are part of peacekeeping globally. We have the opportunity to expand our impact in a positive sense by agreeing on an ambitious draft resolution on financing for peacebuilding by the end of the seventy-sixth session. We continue to argue that the World Bank and the United Nations, working together more effectively, can deliver significant gains in peacebuilding. The Bank’s fragility focus, its development knowledge and its resources should work closely and operationally with the United Nations, whose experience in humanitarian aid, peacebuilding and peacekeeping, as well as its ground presence, is equalled by no other organization. The two can make inroads in delivering peace and resilience through capacity-building for African countries.

I would like to thank China for convening this important discussion. I would also like to thank Commissioner Adeoye, Ambassador Muhith and Special Adviser Duarte for their briefings. Ambassador Muhith is very welcome to New York, and we look forward to working with him in his capacity as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission. As we heard, many regions in Africa are facing a multifaceted crisis. Countries that are already reeling from the impacts of conflict, the coronavirus disease pandemic and the climate crisis are now also facing food and energy crises, exacerbated by Russia’s war on Ukraine. As always, such crises impact the most vulnerable first. In the Sahel, where civilians live in constant threat from extremist violence and acts of terrorism, drought and displacement now threaten their livelihoods. In the Horn of Africa, where the population is facing a historic drought, more than 18 million people are acutely food insecure. In the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there has been persistent violence and insecurity, a staggering 27 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. The local populations in many subregions bear the brunt of such crises, and it is at the local level where solutions can be found. It is critical that we listen, and pay heed, to women leaders, young people, human rights defenders and civil society. By providing capacity-building for those local peacebuilders and enabling their work, we can promote inclusion, better governance and lasting peace. As we work together in a global effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, compliance by all States with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, is vital. The international community can support African partners in building sustainable peace by addressing the root causes and drivers of conflict. That includes mitigating against the shocks of climate change, which undermine community resilience. It includes investing in education, particularly of women and girls, as well as health-care and food systems, to build long- term resilience. It also includes the development and strengthening of national human rights frameworks, adherence to international law, support for democracy, good governance and national dialogue initiatives. Today’s complex and interconnected challenges require a holistic and inclusive response, coordinated across all three pillars of the United Nations work: peace and security, human rights and development. The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is uniquely placed to guide those collective efforts. Indeed, as we heard today, it is already doing so. Through its important convening role, the PBC brings together diverse actors and provides the Security Council with comprehensive advice on country and regional situations on our agenda, such as the Central African Republic and the Great Lakes region. It is high time that we heed that advice. The African Union (AU) and subregional organizations play a vital role in bringing those three pillars together, including by promoting good governance and responding to the alarming number of coups d’état in recent years. I want to particularly commend the preventive diplomacy and efforts to promote dialogue, democracy, good governance and regional stability of the Economic Community of West African States in that respect. The AU-European Union (EU) partnership shows how regional organizations can work together for peace and security. We are proud to support the transition from the African Union Mission in Somalia to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia and the strengthening of the national security and defence capacities of our African partners through EU missions and operations. United Nations peacekeeping missions also play a vital role in that regard. Security support must be consistent and continuous. Adherence to human rights due diligence policies is key to effective capacity-building, and we call on the Council to ensure that those policies are implemented. Since 1960, when Ireland’s first Embassy on the African continent opened in Lagos and Irish peacekeepers were first deployed in Africa, sustaining peace has been central to Ireland’s partnership with the continent. We proudly stand by that partnership today.

I thank China for organizing this important and timely open debate focused on capacity-building for sustaining peace in Africa. I thank the briefers — Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, in his capacity as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission; and Ms. Cristina Duarte, Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General  — for their contributions to today’s debate. The potential of Africa is infinite, and opportunities in the continent are enormous. There can be no debate on those issues. Africa is the second-largest and second- most populated continent, with exuberant youth, which is projected to account for nearly one fifth of the world’s population by 2030. Over the years, life expectancy has increased, while rates of infant and maternal mortality have fallen consistently. With its rich and diverse cultures and vast natural resources, Africa is an attractive destination for trade and investment. As compared to a decade ago, and despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the African continent is more peaceful than ever. While there may be a few exceptions, governance institutions have become stronger and overall economic growth has increased. Infrastructure and connectivity continue to improve, and economies are slowly and steadily becoming diversified. India welcomes the evolution and rise of Africa as an important player in the contemporary world order. We support peacebuilding in Africa and establishing capabilities and capacities that help meet challenges, while ensuring progress. Despite that positive outlook, peace remains elusive in some parts of Africa, particularly in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and Central Africa. The countries in the region continue to face complex challenges. The principal driving factors are chronic political instability, the role of external players with vested interests in the regions, weak governance structures, institutional weaknesses, ethnic divisions and the presence of terrorist and armed groups. The overexploitation of diminishing resources, mainly in the Lake Chad basin and the Great Lakes region, are also exacerbating instability. In today’s Africa, democratic values are driving efforts to effectively address the challenges of peace, security and development. In the pursuit for peace and security, the critical importance of capacity- building cannot be overemphasized. The countries in Africa, owing to their colonial past — much like the majority of the countries of the global South — suffer from an undeniable historical disadvantage in terms of institutional capacity. The international community and the United Nations must continue to look at longer-term efforts for expanding African capacities and enhancing collective cooperation. Human resource development and capacity-building should be at the core of efforts of the international community in Africa. In order for peace to endure and be sustained, the legislative framework and the governance structures need to be strong. The Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 serve as useful rallying points for the international community. In that context, allow me to make the following observations. Africa’s growth can be facilitated by partnerships that genuinely address its economic sustainability, without conditionalities, and in line with African expectations. National Governments must steer priorities and strategies for sustaining peace at all stages of conflict. The international community needs to pay close attention to Africa’s voice and wisdom. No one knows Africa better than Africans themselves. We have seen from history that offering external solutions to African problems without African involvement has not served the interests of the African people. That skewed approach needs to change. Several of the conflict situations in Africa are a result of some areas becoming proxy staging grounds for competing external forces. In that regard, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, while addressing the Ugandan Parliament in 2018 stated, “As global engagement in Africa increases, we must all work together to ensure that Africa does not once again turn into a theatre of rival ambitions, but becomes a nursery for the aspirations of Africa’s youth.” If we were to let our African brothers and sisters find African pathways for themselves, we would see the frequency of African conflict zones gradually reduced in the near future. A democratic framework based on the rule of law and credible State institutions are essential ingredients for successful post-conflict recovery. Capacity-building must therefore be geared towards strengthening institutions from the grass-roots level up. There is no substitute to fundamentals. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict have impacted Africa, just as they have impacted the rest of the world. The continent’s vulnerabilities are greater, and, in many respects, its capabilities remain in the making. The world must stand by Africa during these trying times. Capacity-building in critical areas, such as education, health, agriculture and infrastructure, is the need of the hour. In order for Africa to take advantage of its demographic dividend, capacity-building in those identified sectors is critical. The spread of terrorism in Africa has increasingly exposed the gaps in mandates between peacekeeping and peacebuilding. Terrorists are taking advantage of the gap and unleashing terror that conflict-ridden States are unable to combat, owing to the lack of capacity. That is increasingly becoming apparent in the Sahel and other parts of Africa. We need to strengthen States’ capacity to fight terror. In that context, India has consistently supported the call of the Secretary-General for a mandate under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations to support African counter-terrorism operations with sustained financing, including through assessed contributions. In its pursuit towards a peaceful and prosperous Africa, the African Union has been ably supported by the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States, the Economic Community of Central African States, the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. We need to be cognizant of that reality, and the spirit of burden- sharing must continue to drive the peace and security agenda. There have been path-breaking initiatives at the AU, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, that critical for capacity-building and employment generation in Africa. Such initiatives should receive the wholehearted support of the international community, particularly that of international financial institutions. Let me now speak about the India-Africa partnership. The strong and deep solidarity and partnership between India and Africa reflects the bonding of the global South, which has been forged over several centuries. The underlying philosophy of India’s partnership with Africa is to empower Africa for a future that is founded on principles of inclusivity, sustainability, peace, prosperity, dignity and respect for one and all. That is mirrored back home in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas and sabka prayaas. African priorities will always guide all our initiatives in the African continent. India’s support for Africa is also expressed through its long history of participation in United Nations peacekeeping. India’s partnership with Africa is based on building instruments of empowerment that will enable Africa to find African solutions to its problems. Indeed, human resources and capacity-building are at the heart of our relationship. African youth have availed themselves of more than 32,000 scholarships out of the allotted 50,000 that have been offered through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme, announced at the India-Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi in 2015. Thousands of African students are currently pursuing their higher-education studies in various Indian universities under self-financing schemes, as well. The Government of India has also been providing support to African countries to address the digital divide through the Ministry of External Affair’s flagship schemes  — the e-VidyaBharti for tele-education and the e-ArogyaBharti for telemedicine  — by offering scholarships to 15,000 African students under the scheme to pursue online education in undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma courses. So far, 19 African countries have partnered in that initiative. During the India-Africa Forum Summit in 2015, in order to strengthen our partnership, the Prime Minister of India announced $10 billion in concessional credit for the following five years. So far, India has extended concessional loans totalling more than $12.3 billion to various projects in Africa. With support from African nations, Exim Bank of India and relevant stakeholders, we have completed 197 important projects, and we are currently executing 65 projects, while 81 projects are under examination. Significant development projects, such as drinking- water schemes, irrigation, rural solar electrification, power plants, transmission lines, cement, sugar and textile factories, technology parks, railway infrastructure and so on, have contributed to Africa’s socioeconomic development. We have also extended our support in the form of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, often as a first responder. During the coronavirus disease pandemic, our leaders remained in touch through excellent and warm telephone conversations that further cemented our relationship at the highest levels. India provided medical assistance worth more than $5 million to more than 25 African countries. We supplied 39.65 million doses of Indian- made coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines to 42 African countries. We are now exploring the possibility with some African countries of joint manufacturing facilities for COVID-19 and other vaccines. As far as education is concerned, and also resonating with Sustainable Development Goal 4, India has established seven information-technology centres in Egypt, Ghana, Lesotho, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania to promote digital literacy among African youth. Eight vocational training centres, two centres for geo-informatics applications in rural development in Madagascar and the Niger and an upgraded technology centre in Zimbabwe have assisted Africa in its digital transformation and skills enhancement. India has also partnered in the establishment of defence institutions in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Our training teams have been deployed in Botswana, Namibia, Uganda, Lesotho, Zambia, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Tanzania. We are also actively engaged in capacity-building for security forces in several countries in Africa. Counter- insurgency and counter-terrorism training is one of the significant areas of our defence training programmes. Finally, any talk of capacity-building for Africa would be meaningless if we were to continue to turn a blind eye to the core issue of the lack of permanent African representation on the Security Council. While this body focuses more than half of its work exclusively on the African continent, the systematic exclusion of our African brothers and sisters in the permanent category of Security Council membership is a blot on our collective credibility. India fully supports the aspirations of our African partners in their pursuit of the principles outlined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. India is willing to walk the talk on that count and calls on the permanent members of the Council to do so too. Africa’s priorities are and will remain India’s priorities as well.

I would like to thank China for convening today’s important debate, which is of particular importance for Africa. I thank Commissioner Bankole Adeoye, Special Adviser Cristina Duarte and Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith for their enlightening briefings, while reiterating my country’s support to them as they discharge their respective mandates. As we in the Council consider the issue of capacity- building in Africa for sustaining peace, we are reminded of one of the key elements of its mandate, which is exploring the wide range of challenges affecting the African continent and addressing their root causes, while considering ways and means of supporting greater resilience in Africa. If we are to respond to the various crises and hotspots that persist in the Great Lakes region and in a number of countries in Central Africa, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, it seems clear that it is essential to adopt a holistic approach that brings concrete multidimensional responses at every stage of the peace process — from the end of a conflict through peacebuilding, including post-conflict reconstruction  — so as to capitalize on the achievements of peace efforts in Africa. In that regard, through its Agenda 2063, the African Union has developed a framework for action in response to the challenges of achieving an Africa living in peace and security — a continent where the values of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law are at the centre of peace and security strategies. That vision is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 16, which is dedicated to promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, ensuring access to justice for all and building effective, accountable institutions that are open to all. As we all know, peace has a price. Responding to the challenge of development is essential to sustaining peace, particularly for States in post-conflict situations. The fact is that a durable peace process is possible only if we address the root causes of a conflict. It is clear that the effectiveness of many peacekeeping operations is very far from meeting expectations, and that they should be reconsidered. It should be possible to allocate financial resources that are adequate to the needs of the relevant sectors in order to address root causes of conflict over the long term. Special attention should be paid to education, poverty eradication and the employability of young people so as to shield them from the ills plaguing our continent such as radicalization. Furthermore, it is the international community’s responsibility to support States and regional and subregional organizations by encouraging them to adopt and implement strategies designed to strengthen political, social and economic institutions and systems in meeting the challenges of sustaining peace. Institutional stability is indeed a prerequisite for development and peacebuilding. In that regard, international financial institutions play an important role, in particular in funding training programmes, creating jobs and implementing quick-impact projects, as well as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes. To that end, all stakeholders in the public and private sectors and in civil society must play their part. In addition, women and young people should not be left out but should be systematically included at every level of the peacebuilding process. It is also important to support the predictable and adequate funding of the African Peace and Security Architecture, as well as of peacekeeping operations conducted by the African Union. African forces are often on the front lines and the first on the ground. In 2008, at the height of the Central African crisis, the Mission for the Consolidation of Peace in the Central African Republic, followed by the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic in 2013, was able to ease tensions prior to the deployment of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic in 2014. In Somalia, with the African Union Mission in Somalia, which became the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, and in the Sahel, with the Group of Five for the Sahel, there has been no lack of robust responses in Africa to the challenges of insecurity, terrorism and violent extremism. Those efforts deserve the support of the Council, which the Charter of the United Nations has mandated with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Peacebuilding is an ongoing process, fuelled by daily action aimed at strengthening cohesion among States. It is difficult to reconcile it with the punitive policies of embargoes and sanctions that have been imposed on several African countries that are going through the painful stage of post-conflict reconstruction. In conclusion, I believe it is important to underscore that although States must exercise their sovereign right to ensure peace on their national territory, peacebuilding, amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, climate change and the surge in terrorism, concerns the entire international community. In that regard, partnerships between the United Nations and the African Union should be strengthened and adapted to situations that are often volatile and vary from one region to another. The United Nations system should support the strategic objectives set by countries and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, to ensure the maintenance of peace and promote sustainable development. The Council’s duty is to foster the operationalization of United Nations funding mechanisms for Africa so as to provide fair and realistic responses to situations on the ground and mobilize resources over the long term to support the robust political commitment of the international community.

We thank the Chinese presidency for convening this debate. We welcome Mr. Bankole Adeoye, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Ms. Cristina Duarte, Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General; and Mr. Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, whom we wish every success at the helm of the Commission and in his new functions. We thank them all for their briefings. My country considers it is essential to adopt a comprehensive approach to achieve sustainable peace. Our efforts must be geared towards responding to the needs of the people, in line with presidential statement S/PRST/2021/22, which was adopted in November under Mexico’s presidency of the Security Council and unequivocally states that exclusion and inequality can be aggravating factors in conflict situations. It is therefore necessary, when it comes to the creation and strengthening of capacities and institutions, that preventive actions be contemplated and the underlying causes of conflicts be addressed — hence the importance of eradicating poverty and inequality, as well as strengthening the rule of law, inter alia. Consolidating the link between security and development provides a foundation on which to advance towards good governance and sustainable peace and development. We are aware that, in certain countries and regions of the African continent, various challenges to peace and security and their development are multidimensional in nature. One of the main challenges is political stability. In the past two years, for example, we have noted with concern the disruption of the constitutional order in countries such as Chad, Mali, Guinea, the Sudan, Burkina Faso and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau. Furthermore, the coronavirus disease pandemic has stood as an additional barrier to progress in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. Feasible responses from a capacity-building standpoint are equally cross-cutting in nature. I will focus only on four aspects that are relevant to our debate today. First, one of the current challenges faced by the entire world but which affects some regions of the African continent in particular is climate change and its consequences. Capacity-building for mitigation and adaptation, as well as for agricultural processes and energy generation, is urgent. The twenty-seventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to take place in Egypt, will be a good opportunity to review ways in which to close the investment gaps that constitute a real and unresolved problem. Secondly, it is critical that capacity-building be fully, equally and meaningfully inclusive of women, guided by the women and peace and security agenda. Areas such as mediation and conflict prevention and resolution can be strengthened by women’s skills and leadership. Thirdly, illicit arms trafficking continues to pose security challenges and fuel cycles of violence in that region and elsewhere in the world. Therefore, Mexico reiterates once again that priority must be given to capacity-building among customs and border authorities, as well as, and above all, to strengthen legal mechanisms and international commitments to contain that grave phenomenon. Fourthly, strengthening the rule of law and accountable and transparent institutions is fundamental in promoting sustainable and inclusive development. That goes hand in hand with security sector reforms, the implementation of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes and the strengthening of justice institutions. In that connection, the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission referred to a concrete example in his briefing, namely, the establishment of a justice sector policy in the Central African Republic that includes, inter alia, a judicial and penal component. Projects of that nature are welcome and should be replicated, as they improve access to justice and actions to combat impunity. Mexico recognizes that, as part of their capacity- building efforts, African countries have revitalized their regional economic integration initiatives. We reiterate the importance of taking advantage of those synergies in regional collaboration to promote greater integrated planning and operation in projects that combat exclusion, injustice, gender inequality and corruption. Practice has shown that peace cannot be sustainable without development. In turn, sustainable peace is indispensable for preserving the development gains. For those reasons, it is also important to increase efforts to meet official development assistance commitments, which remain far below the target set for that purpose by the United Nations.

I thank you, Sir, for convening this meeting, and I thank all of our briefers today for their valuable remarks. I will make just three points. First, as our Kenyan colleague said, Africa is a continent with great potential. Yet the United Kingdom shares the deep concern expressed by others with regard to the scale of the challenges that many countries in Africa are facing today. The coronavirus disease has made it harder to consolidate development gains. Many countries have had to grapple with the impact of climate change and related humanitarian pressures. The drought in the Horn of Africa and flooding in South Sudan are just the latest tragic examples. On top of that, the global economic consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have hit the continent hard, jeopardizing hard-won peace and development progress. Secondly, the United Kingdom remains committed to doing its part to support African countries in fulfilling their potential. Through our new international development strategy, we are working with Governments and civil society to help partners get on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. That includes capacity-building to strengthen institutions that work for the well-being of their citizens. The United Kingdom remains a strong supporter of efforts to promote peace and manage conflicts across the continent. We take our responsibilities in the Security Council seriously. We work in close partnership with the African Union (AU), for example, to reconfigure the AU Transition Mission in Somalia. We trained over 3,000 African peacekeepers in the past financial year through the British Peace Support Team in Africa. In July, we hosted the second United Kingdom-Ghana security dialogue, where we agreed to support regional approaches to tackling growing risks of instability in coastal West African States. The United Kingdom is the second-largest donor to the Elsie Initiative Fund, having provided over $6 million since 2019 in order to increase the participation of uniformed women in United Nations peace operations. Thirdly, there are no shortcuts. Development gains and fragile peace will be lost if large parts of a population are marginalized, or if human rights are abused. Internationally, we need a model of cooperation that prioritizes the values of openness and inclusion. Peacebuilding and development must be people-centred if they are to be sustainable. And as the Council has made clear, the meaningful participation of women in peace processes is central to building sustainable peace. In conclusion, the United Kingdom remains fully committed to peace and development in Africa. We look forward to the continued partnership between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, the wider United Nation membership and regional organizations  — to advance peace and development in Africa.

Let me begin by thanking China for organizing this open debate and for its commitment to keep the collaboration between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) as a central topic on our agenda. I also thank Ambassador Adeoye, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser Duarte and Ambassador Muhith. Capacity-building is indeed a fundamental pillar of sustainable peace. In my statement, I will focus on three main aspects. The first one is a much-needed overview of the basic aspirations shared in Africa by all of its people concerning their peace and security. A useful point of departure is Agenda 2063, the pioneering report published by the African Union Commission whose subtitle is simply “The Africa we want”. It is refreshing to note in this study that the people of Africa and its diaspora have committed to act together to achieve — as two of their main aspirations — a prosperous Africa, based on inclusive growth and sustainable development, and a peaceful and secure Africa. In fact, they also recognize that a prosperous, integrated and united Africa based on good governance, democracy, social inclusion and respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law are necessary preconditions for a peaceful and conflict-free continent. Therein lies the very core of the issue we are debating today. Security and development are closely interlinked and mutually reinforcing. Sustaining peace therefore requires a comprehensive and integrated approach in order to address the economic, political and social dimensions of conflict. The second aspect is the means to reach those aspirations that I quoted from the from Agenda 2063. In that regard, we must recognize that the conditions for economic and social development have been denied to the societies of Africa, as indeed to the majority of the developing countries. Official development assistance — be it multilateral or bilateral, humanitarian- or development-driven — is important, but essentially a stop-gap solution. What developing countries, and those in Africa in particular, need is a global economic, financial and trade architecture that allows them to fulfil their potential. In that context, the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is uniquely placed as an enabler to mobilize international attention and support to nationally defined peacebuilding priorities, both in terms of financing and expertise. Technical cooperation, notably South-South cooperation, plays a key role in capacity-building. Members elected from the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, in addition to top financial and troop- contributing countries, conferred legitimacy on the PBC. The PBC’s accumulated experience in promoting national ownership, inclusivity and institution-building also provides useful guidelines for societies that seek prosperity and security as their way forward. The third aspect is the challenge of sustaining peace. A comprehensive approach to sustaining peace encompasses all efforts to prevent relapse into conflict. We therefore have solid reasons to place strong emphasis on conflict prevention as a key guideline for peace and security capacities in Africa. We welcome the steps taken to deepen the partnerships between the United Nations and the African Union on peace and security. We also encourage further collaboration among the United Nations, the African Union and subregional bodies in conflict prevention. In States and societies that have managed to overcome war and widespread conflict, a common thread has been the ability to adopt effective public policies through solid national institutions. And the fabric of the institutions is made up of shared values. Hence the respect for ethnic and cultural diversity, growing participation by women in peace and development efforts, the advancement of material well-being, the protection of political rights and civil liberties and the adaptation of the national security architecture to ensure that the safety of all citizens are some of the values that underpin effective institutions.

Let me first thank you, Mr. President, for convening this timely debate, and the briefers for their insights. To effectively support the African Union (AU) in delivering sustained peace and security, we need look no further than the aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which outlines an Africa of good governance, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law, full gender equality in all spheres of life and caring for children. The key challenge now is how we, as partners, can more effectively pool resources and coordinate our efforts in support of Africa’s aspirations. Global challenges are disproportionately affecting Africa — from the sharp rise in acute food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition to the climate crisis becoming increasingly evident, affecting livelihoods and multiplying the risk of further conflict. While the Black Sea Grain Initiative, if implemented, can ensure that grain fertilizers and other food-related items are available at reasonable prices, the long-term solution is to increase sustainable food production in Africa. Africa has the potential to become the world’s bread basket. Alongside humanitarian efforts, therefore, we must scale up our investments in food production and resilience in Africa, in and outside conflict zones, in a climate-smart way. Our shared goal is to prevent and contain conflict. We welcome the African Union’s leadership on African conflicts, demonstrated repeatedly by the firm actions of the AU’s Peace and Security Council, including in response to unconstitutional takeovers. The United Nations and the AU have also made great strides in promoting more structured and strategic cooperation. Norway is pleased to support these efforts. But we need greater political support from Member States, as well as predictable, sustainable and flexible funding, including for AU-led and regional missions. Norway has backed the Secretary-General’s call for a United Nations support office for the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel, and we remain open to using assessed contributions to AU and regionally led missions when conditions are right. From decades of engagement in, and support for, African-led peace processes, including in the Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia, Norway has learned that peace and reconciliation require a long-term commitment. Signing peace agreements alone does not bring peace. In addressing root causes and drivers of conflict, necessary political will is key, and that is most effectively generated by the region itself. But support from strategic partners is also important, and we believe cooperation and coordination on conflict resolution and peacebuilding can be improved. In fragile contexts, it is vital that we deliver as one, including in efforts to reform the security and justice sectors, and in the prevention of violent extremism. By exchanging analysis, views and possible messages earlier  — and countering disinformation campaigns that incite violence and fuel conflict — we may prevent conflicts from erupting or spreading. In this regard, strengthened cooperation and more frequent interaction between the Security Council, the AU Peace and Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission would be useful. Africa is home to a young and growing population yearning for stability, economic and social progress; it also yearns for Africa to fulfil its true promise. Peace and stability are the most important building blocks to realizing this ambition, and African countries hold the critical experience and insights. Cooperation with Africa is paramount in dealing with security issues on the continent, which is why the Security Council must also reflect the geopolitical realities of today. Norway supports efforts aimed at expanding the Council and increasing the number of permanent and non-permanent seats for Africa.

Since this is my first time in the Security Council since China took up the presidency, I would like to thank Brazil for a successful month in its presidency of the Council in July and welcome China to the presidency and wish it a successful month as well. I would also like to thank China for convening today’s open debate on capacity-building for sustaining peace in Africa. I thank African Union Commissioner Adeoye and Special Adviser Duarte for their briefings on some of the keys to ensuring sustainable peace. We also warmly welcome Ambassador Muhith and thank him as he takes on his new position as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission. I would also like to welcome other members of the Council who are participating in this debate today. Today I would like to discuss three core areas of focus that can move us toward a more sustainable and peaceful Africa: first, the importance of development and human rights in our work; secondly, continued cooperation on conflict prevention and resolution; and thirdly, our collective efforts to address the dire spike in global food insecurity. All of the foregoing is top of mind for me because last night I came back from a trip that took me to Uganda, Ghana and Cabo Verde. During my visit I laid out a vision for peace and food security in Africa. In my remarks I quoted one of my personal heroes and a founding father of the United Nations, Ralph Bunche, who said, “If peace is to be secure, long-suffering and long-starved, forgotten peoples of the world, the underprivileged and the undernourished, must begin to realize without delay the promise of a new day and a new life.” This is a message I wanted to bring to this Chamber today as well. Peace cannot wait in Africa. It must come from African leaders and African institutions, and it must be for Africa’s people. We have an opportunity to step up our support, and I join many in this room in highlighting our commitment to development, peace and security and human rights as equal interlinked pillars of the United Nations Charter. One example of an interlinked approach to these pillars is our implementation of the United States strategy to prevent conflict and promote stability over the next 10 years. I also join many in this Chamber in calling for advancing development in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals, which, as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights notes, are firmly anchored in human rights principles and standards. It is this kind of human rights-centred development and security agenda that we look forward to prioritizing at our upcoming United States-Africa Leaders Summit, which will take place in Washington this December. Together we can work to strengthen trade relations, economic development and prosperity in Africa. In line with what Secretary Blinken said today in Pretoria while launching the United States strategy for sub-Saharan Africa, we believe Africa will shape the future — not just the future for African people, but for the world. African countries have the resources and the will to do just that. African institutions are already leading the way by facilitating the resolution of crises and conflicts in the Great Lakes region, Mozambique and Somalia, and by serving as major contributors to United Nations peacekeeping efforts around the world. The United States is using diplomacy to support these efforts. As just one example, during my visit to Uganda just last week, I underscored our support for African mediation efforts in the conflict playing out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Secretary Blinken will do the same in his visits to the Democratic Republic and Rwanda in the next few days. We are urging an end to support for non-State armed groups, as well as a de-escalation of violence. Let us also acknowledge the fact that the African Union is key to Africa’s peace, as we heard from the Commissioner earlier. The African Union can continue to mediate conflict and support its regional economic communities during political transitions and civil conflicts. We applaud the progress that the AU has made in developing its own human rights and international humanitarian law frameworks. We are committed to continuing to work with the AU to further the financing of the AU peace support operations envisioned in resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017). Additionally, when we talk about peace in Africa, we must recognize the important role United Nations arms embargoes play in sustaining peace in Africa. On that point, exemptions to arms embargoes ensure that Governments have the ability to procure what they need, while arms embargoes provide transparency in weapons flows into conflict areas. Arms embargoes limit the ability of belligerents to engage in hostilities, and ultimately they do save lives. These kinds of arms embargoes are integral to the AU’s Silencing the Guns initiative, which was extended to 2030. But for all the hope that I have, and that I believe we should all have, we cannot discuss sustainable peace in Africa without acknowledging the tumultuous times in which we find ourselves. Spikes in energy prices, the coronavirus disease, the climate crisis and conflict — all mentioned by each of us today — have all led to a dramatic rise in food insecurity. That was a constant drumbeat when I was on the continent last week. Two hundred million people are now food insecure, unsure of where they will find their next meal. If one adds Russia’s war of choice in Ukraine on top of all of that, there is the worst food security crisis that we have seen in our lifetimes. The responsibility for that added disruption of global supply chains, soaring, surging fuel prices and suffering lies squarely and solely with the Russian Government, and we know that the effects are hitting Africa particularly hard. In the case of food, as in many other areas, we are partnering with African Governments and leaders to address immediate crises, while also connecting those short-term efforts with a longer-term imperative of bolstering Africa’s ability to solve global problems. Let us work together, under the leadership of African countries, to forge a more peaceful, more prosperous, more secure future. And let us do so, as Ralph Bunche urged us, without delay.

We are grateful to Mr. Bankole Adeoye, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Ms. Cristina Duarte, Special Adviser on Africa to the Secretary-General; and Mr. Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh and Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, for their informative briefings. We particularly thank our Chinese colleagues for organizing an open debate on such a topical subject, especially for our African friends. There is no doubt that African States need international support to build national capacities to resolve the problems of the continent. There are many of them: ongoing armed conflicts, the increase in terrorist threats, the weakness of State institutions, poverty and epidemics. In a number of cases, the well- being not only of individual countries but also of entire regions has been dealt a particular blow by external foreign intervention, as was the case with the events in Libya in 2011. Despite that, we cannot fail to pay tribute to the efforts being made by the Africans themselves in terms of the sustainable development of their political and social systems and strengthening the institutions of the African Union and subregional organizations. The African Agenda 2063 was adopted; the African Continental Free Trade Area was launched; work is under way to implement the flagship initiative of the African Union to end armed conflicts on the continent; and a continent-wide Peace and Security Architecture is being developed. At the same time, African issues still account for more than half of the Security Council’s agenda. For our part, we are convinced that effective assistance to Africans can be carried out only on the basis of mutually respectful dialogue, with strict respect for their sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity. Yet we very often hear views in this Chamber, and they are expressed in an admonitory tone, that African States need democratic transitions, timely elections, reform and the strengthening of State institutions. In many cases, that is true. However, the question arises as to what extent those issues are the business of the Security Council and what exactly it can do in order to help effectively. We invariably proceed from the fact that African States have their own historical and cultural paths and that many contemporary problems are linked to a colonial past, arbitrarily drawn borders and a complex ethnic, tribal and religious structure. Under such conditions, the imposition of third-party, primarily Western, State and economic models on them may prove counterproductive. In most cases, prescriptive actions are limited to pressure and the threat of sanctions. In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, legitimate restrictive steps can be applied by the Security Council only to curb threats to international peace and security, primarily to end violence. But those tools should not be used to ensure political dominance, and it is all the more unacceptable for them to be supplemented by economic blackmail. If we talk about the United Nations as a whole, the main focus in helping to strengthen States should be on socioeconomic assistance, creating favourable conditions for the development of society, building effective national education and health-care systems and preventing a brain drain. At the international level, it is important to achieve concrete results in eliminating financial and technological distortions, overcoming discrimination and double standards in the provision of funds through the institutions of the Bretton Woods system. Without a qualitative breakthrough in those areas, fragmented State-building and peacebuilding efforts cannot produce sustainable results. In speaking about stability in Africa, one cannot avoid the question of silencing the guns. Recently, there has been a growing understanding that regional efforts are preferable, and in some cases irreplaceable. Africans, as a rule, have a better and deeper knowledge of the local context. Unfortunately, we have seen many examples of African mediation efforts being sidelined or deliberately thwarted by external actors. That includes Libya, South Sudan and many other files. In the recent past, there was an unwillingness to take into account the clear position of the African Union and subregional organizations on lifting the arms embargo on South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. Those steps are long overdue, as they prevent national security forces from effectively stabilizing their own States. We believe that it is justified for African countries to raise the issue of providing material and financial assistance for the maintenance of international peace and security, including through the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. We agree that it is important to enhance predictability, reliability and flexibility in terms of funding for African operations and joint missions. As a matter of principle, we do not object to considering the possibility of expanding United Nations participation in such missions, and we are ready for further constructive dialogue in that regard. However, we note that this discussion has been going on in the United Nations for many years, and it is well known which countries oppose the adoption of significant decisions. At the same time, as a pretext, distrust of African efforts is often mentioned, or special demands are put forward related to human rights and the like. There is no need to look far for examples of the active role of Africans in maintaining peace and security on their own continent. The African mission in Somalia continues to operate. The joint actions of Mozambique, the Southern African Development Community and Rwanda in countering terrorist threats in Cabo Delgado, the African Union regional effort to eliminate the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda and the fight against Boko Haram have all worked well. However, it is important to emphasize that the key to the success of regional efforts is a common assessment by the countries of the region of the existing threats and ways to overcome them, a genuine readiness to bear the risks of addressing them and the establishment of a well-coordinated command-and-control system. As far as funding modalities are concerned, whichever is appropriate, it is important that host countries have room to make their own policy decisions on countering the threats. In that regard, agreeing on a common African position on the modalities for financing their operations and the use of the African Union Peace Fund is key. Russia has always supported African States, and today we continue to contribute to their capacity- building. We do not impose anything on anyone; we do not instruct others and we do not force them to be friends against anyone. We are satisfied that our assistance is highly appreciated by the countries of the continent. At the same time, we believe that African States have the sovereign right to choose their partners. Moreover, the diversity of those partners makes it possible to strike a political balance in many regions and break the often- enslaving dependence on former colonial Powers. Given the increasing terrorist threat, we believe that it is important to develop the potential for cooperation with African partners on counter-terrorism issues, both in a bilateral format and in regional and international forums. We are working on the possibility of cooperating with the African Centre for Study and Research on Terrorism in Algiers, which is affiliated with the African Union, and we are ready to continue sharing our experience in that area. We continue to devote considerable attention to training the continent’s personnel. Police officers and military personnel from African countries, including future peacekeepers, are trained in Russian educational institutions every year. We also provide substantial support for civilian specialties. Approximately 27,000 African students are currently studying in Russia, including more than 5,000 whose expenses are paid through Russia’s budget. We hope that the Russia- Africa summit planned for next year will enable us to discuss current areas of cooperation in depth and aim at developing our cooperation on a friendly, equal and forward-looking basis. We constantly hear Western countries making the same accusations that Russia is, to coin a phrase, exporting hunger. These utterly groundless allegations represent their attempt to dress up the real reasons for rising food prices, which are the results of the coronavirus disease pandemic and stupid policies, including those related to Western countries’ currency issuance and their own channelling of commodity and food flows towards themselves. Of course, in order to hide their guilty consciences, they say absolutely nothing about the negative effect that the illegal unilateral sanctions on Russia  — a vital supplier of food and fertilizers — are having on the food market, disrupting established financial, transport and other supply chains, while claiming that agricultural products and chemicals are not subject to sanctions. At the same time, they slyly gloss over the fact that those transport, financial and insurance chains are a key object and factor in the export of agricultural products and fertilizers. Meanwhile, they are travelling around Africa to dissuade Africans from cooperating with Russia and threatening them with secondary sanctions if they do.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate China on assuming the presidency of the Security Council this month and thank Brazil for its able stewardship during its presidency last month. I would also like to thank Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Special Adviser Cristina Duarte and Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith for their comprehensive briefings. The United Arab Emirates commends China for dedicating its first signature meeting to this vital topic. The focus on capacity-building for sustainable peace in Africa requires us to actively engage with African perspectives, practices and voices. Since its founding, the United Arab Emirates has steadily expanded its relationships with partners across the continent. Today our partnerships have flourished into dynamic cooperation in critical fields such as renewable energy, food security, counter-terrorism and public health. Those ties are built on a rich connection between our two regions, as exemplified by the welcome in ancient African States extended to the first Muslims who came seeking safety from persecution on the Arabian peninsula. Against that historic backdrop, we strongly believe that discussions like ours today can and must be enriched by centring African experiences. With that in mind, the United Arab Emirates would like to share three key points. First, one of the most consistent conclusions that can be drawn from the more than 75 years of the Council’s work on peace and security is that local contexts must shape every effort to sustain peace. That truth has been repeatedly reaffirmed by experiences in Africa, the Middle East and beyond. For instance, the restorative-justice approach at the heart of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission reflected the ubuntu tradition, with its emphasis on community, empathy and cooperation. The Panel of the Wise of the African Union (AU) is rooted in the customary institution of the Council of Elders, which has been central to resolving conflict and keeping the peace throughout history. African solutions to African challenges must begin by engaging the continent’s repertoire of conflict-resolution and peacebuilding practices. Secondly, while our immediate focus is on challenges in the continent, we must remember how often their origins and implications extend beyond its borders. Equally, the Council must recognize that it is African solutions, and not just its challenges, that have global dimensions. Global peacebuilding approaches that incorporate communal dialogue, women’s networks and reconciliation borrow extensively from African practices. Supporting capacity-building to sustain peace in Africa is therefore not charity. It is both a moral imperative made more urgent by our complex and growing interconnectedness and a strategic investment that directly benefits the entire world. Finally, sustainable peace necessarily implies sustainable development. Multidimensional crises in various African settings risk reversing the hard-won progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and the AU’s Agenda 2063, which could in turn exacerbate security challenges and existing vulnerabilities. The pandemic, the food security crisis and commodity price increases have put public sectors and economies under immense strain. Protecting and ensuring access to basic goods and services and stabilizing food and energy prices must be central to any effort to sustain peace. It is crucial to ensure that the approach of the international community, including the Security Council, incorporates those dynamics, especially in the light of rising global tensions. In conclusion, in order to sustain peace in Africa, the United Arab Emirates firmly believes in the importance of supporting all capacity-building efforts that are grounded in the continent’s local, national and regional perspectives.

The narrative about Africa that has often been given prominence in the global media is one of a continent full of conflict, misery and pain. That narrative, which is only partly true at best, belies Africa’s resilience and determined effort to consolidate peace, unleash its socioeconomic transformation through continental integration and realize the aspirations of a prosperous continent for its youthful population. We therefore believe that the international narrative and understanding of the complexities of the problems of Africa should be aligned with the continent’s aspirations and efforts, in order to link global partnerships more effectively together in support of sustainable African solutions. In that context, Ghana welcomes the convening of this open debate by China to facilitate reflections on how best the wider international community can support the African continent in its efforts to consolidate peace and security through the development of African capacities and institutions. We thank Commissioner Bankole Adeoye, Special Adviser Duarte and Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith for sharing their rich perspectives and views in the context of today’s open debate. The African context, particularly as it relates to the search for durable peace and sustainable development, is often characterized by a combination of both accomplishments and unresolved challenges. Despite the continent’s many achievements, a wide array of threats to its peace and security continue, including those related to terrorism and violent extremism, maritime insecurity, cross-border and transnational crime, cybercrime and unconstitutional changes in Government. Underlying those threats are factors such as increased youth unemployment, the effects of climate change, institutional fragility, food insecurity and poverty, which are exacerbated by structural challenges such as the imbalance in global development and national governance and institutional deficits, as well as major global crises such as the situation in Libya since 2011, the coronavirus disease pandemic and the knock-on effects of the prevailing aggression against Ukraine. Those unfortunate situations provide fodder for the recruitment of young people into terrorist organizations and armed groups, fuel intercommunal clashes and ignite farmer-herder conflicts, among other things. In our view, the way to support the capacity of Africa to build sustainable peace and security does not lie in externally driven objectives but should remain anchored around the strengthening and effective operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture, as well as the African Governance Architecture. In today’s debate, we would like to share four key messages on how we can increase the capacity of both the African Union (AU) and African countries to ensure durable peace and security on the continent. First, the coordination mechanisms between the AU and the United Nations, such as the Joint United Nations-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security and the annual joint consultative meetings between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, should be enhanced through a more regular exchange of information, joint briefings by special representatives and envoys of the two organizations and joint field visits by senior officials. Such measures would help to avoid duplication of effort, improve complementarity and reinforce the coherent implementation of actions for peace and security, based on continental priorities and actions. Secondly, global support for an effective African Peace and Security Architecture, including its mechanisms for early warning, conflict prevention, mediation, peace support operations and post-conflict reconstruction, has a much better chance of creating sustainable peace, given the nature of the intra-State conflicts we are beginning to witness involving terrorist and extremist groups. While significant progress has been achieved since the turn of the century in harmonizing continental doctrines and strategy, as well as planning and managing peace support operations, our ability to sustain such operations under the African Standby Force continues to suffer, owing to logistical and financial constraints. In responding to the capacity needs of Africa, it is therefore important for the Council to determine, sooner rather than later, the conditions under which African regional forces acting under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations can meet the requirements for predictable, adequate and sustainable financing, especially from assessed contributions. Thirdly, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16, the current context of Africa requires enhanced support for the implementation of the shared values of the AU, including those outlined in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, as well as core governance functions in the areas of the delivery of public services and public financial management. We underscore the responsibility of African Governments to build trust with their populations and put in place the requisite institutions and structures that can strengthen the social contract and reduce public frustration, exclusion and inequality. We especially urge that youth, women and girls should be fully integrated into all aspects of decision-making and public-policy implementation in order to address deep-rooted public grievances and prevent violent public outbursts and disturbances to peace and security. Fourthly, in recognition of the fact that peace is more than the absence of conflict, we urge real international commitment and support to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AU’s Agenda 2063 in Africa. Within that development framework, the international community can assist African countries in mobilizing new and additional financial resources, adapting to climate change, attracting innovative investment and financing, transferring environmentally sound technologies and strengthening national systems for more resilient societies that have a greater capacity for sustaining peace. In all such partnerships, we encourage the involvement of African civil-society networks, as well as networks of women and youth groups, as an effective tool for ensuring accountability and peace. In times of national and regional turmoil, African countries and regional organizations, including the African Union and Africa’s regional economic communities, such as the Economic Community of West African States, the Southern African Development Community, the Economic Community of Central African States and the East African Community, have mobilized available capacities and demonstrated a commitment to restoring calm and order. Despite the strengths that have been demonstrated, we still need enhanced collaboration between the United Nations and the AU to ensure that the capacities of both the AU and our subregional organizations are strengthened. Let me therefore conclude by reiterating that capacity-building is of the utmost importance in the consolidation of peace and stability in Africa. We encourage that support, mindful of the need for African leadership and ownership over such processes.

Today’s open debate, which is focused on Africa, is important and timely, and we thank you, Mr. President, for organizing it. Many regions in Africa, and not only on that continent, are experiencing rough times and facing additional challenges caused by conflicts and instability, including the seizure of power by force, exacerbated by the pandemic over the past few years as well as the increasingly dramatic effects of climate change, problems that have now unfortunately been followed by severe food insecurity as a result of the war in Ukraine. I thank Commissioner Adeoye, Special Adviser Duarte and Ambassador Muhith, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, whom I welcome, for their insightful briefings. They confirm that despite the continent’s immense potential, many African States continue to face a multitude of challenges at the national, regional and global levels, which are seriously jeopardizing the progress that has been made in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The coronavirus disease pandemic has further highlighted the chronic and pervasive issues of institutional weakness, the need for better capacity to formulate and implement policies, donor dependency and the drain of qualified human capital from the continent as some of the major problems. They are not unique to Africa but are common challenges faced by many developing countries that call for serious and continued national and international efforts to strengthen institutional capacity for development. Meeting people’s needs for basic services is key to peace and security, and infrastructure and services are vital to delivering results. Albania is deeply concerned that public goods and services, including schools and health facilities, continue to be targeted in armed conflicts across the continent. We must never forget that when education is under attack, the future of a nation is under threat. We applaud the increasing leadership of the African Union and individual States in contributing to peace operations and fighting terrorists and insurgent groups. That is a direct contribution to stability and development and calls for the recognition and better integration of the direct links between peace and security, disarmament and reconciliation, the rule of law and respect for human rights and democratic institutions and effective governance in delivering results. It is crucial to recognize and respect the pivotal role that civil-society organizations and young people play in public life, including in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconciliation, but also in tackling climate-change challenges. We welcome the continued commitment of African countries to fully implementing the women and peace and security agenda and its priorities. We continue to believe that a genuine commitment to achieving gender equality and empowering women contributes to the success of peace talks and the achievement of sustainable peace, accelerates economic recovery, improves humanitarian assistance, helps counter violent extremism and prevents human rights violations. As the Special Adviser rightly highlighted earlier, there is a need for vertical and horizontal inclusion. In order to properly address some of the root causes of conflict in Africa and intensify our efforts in the implementation of the objectives outlined in the African Union’s Agenda 2063, I will briefly highlight some key points. First, sustained development and progress will be difficult without the contribution of all active forces of society. There is no better way to achieve that than by investing in good governance. That is achieved by organizing free and fair elections, building institutions that are accountable to the law and with open and participatory societies. Good governance helps fight corruption, strengthens institutions, builds capacity and increases the trust of citizens. Good governance does not rest on promises, it delivers results. Secondly, in conflict and post-conflict countries, it is important to work for more inclusive and effective disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes, including for the reintegration of children formerly associated with armed groups or armed forces. Thirdly, there can be no lasting peace without reconciliation, but there can hardly be genuine reconciliation without justice and accountability. Those responsible for crimes, who overthrow legitimate Governments and are responsible for human rights violations, must be brought to account, nationally or internationally. If not, the violence will not end. It will only be postponed until the next strongman rules, with the dire consequences we have seen so many times before. Fourthly, to better help African States deal with their multitude of challenges, including climate change, trade relations should be strengthened and diversified, with a clear view to supporting the economies of the future. It is therefore crucial to promote public and private investment with a greater emphasis on the green and blue economies in Africa. My fifth and final point relates to the nexus between climate and security. The Horn of Africa is one of the areas most severely affected by that nexus. The impact of droughts and the increasing economic pressures in several parts of the continent is deepening the severity of needs and driving countries to the brink of famine. Droughts have and will continue to devastate the lives and livelihoods of those who are most vulnerable and who are marginalized, including women, children and minorities. That issue is of paramount importance for Africa and the entire world. A lack of quick, robust and appropriate responses will become the sign of a collective failure. Let me conclude by reiterating the gravity of the food insecurity caused by the war in Ukraine. We need no explanation of what it has already unleashed worldwide, including in many parts of Africa. It is further undermining economic growth and causing macroeconomic instability, as explained in the relevant reports of the Secretary-General. It is dreadful to imagine what it may bring in the months to come if the war is not quickly brought to an end. It is a matter of urgency if we want to avoid the exploitation of grievances, either by the armed groups already active in many States in Africa or by those who might be waiting for a pretext to topple legitimate Governments and throw countries and nations into turmoil.

I too would like to thank all the briefers today for their extremely comprehensive presentations. For my part, I would like to emphasize three points. Only national capacity-building, supported by solid, long-term training, can achieve lasting results and create the conditions necessary for a withdrawal of peace operations. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes must continue to support local authorities in Tanganyika and the Kasais, from which the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has withdrawn. We are following the course that we have set for the United Nations in that regard in terms of our own national efforts. In the Sahel, France will continue to provide support to countries in the region at their request, alongside our European and especially our African partners. We will continue to support the development of exemplary security forces that are capable of ensuring security throughout their territory and are respectful of constitutional order and human rights. That is vital to ensuring that the most vulnerable countries are not at the mercy of mercenaries such as those belonging to the Wagner Group, who multiply their abuses and plunder their resources. Capacity-building should also enable national authorities to control the spread of arms, which is a precondition for lifting the embargo measures adopted by the Security Council. Embargoes do not impede capacity-building, because exemptions are provided for that purpose. Capacity-building should also be based on a partnership of trust and good governance. It is a long- term, costly investment that requires the deployment of unusual expertise, and it cannot be made without political commitment and accountability from the State benefiting from it. Establishing professional security forces and fighting corruption are therefore essential in that regard. The allocation of sufficient resources to all State services is also imperative. While of course I am referring to internal security forces, this also includes the justice system in the fight against impunity, as well as all other basic public services. That approach cannot be effective if it is not inclusive, and the full participation of women and young people must be guaranteed. We can do more to build those partnerships, and the Peacebuilding Commission, with the support of the Peacebuilding Fund, can do more to create the conditions for sustainable peace. Finally, we must continue to seek innovative solutions in our partnerships. The coronavirus disease has also led to the emergence of unprecedented cooperation between the European Union (EU), the African Union (AU) and their member States, for example, South Africa and Rwanda, in the production of messenger RNA vaccines. We also committed to renewing and strengthening the partnership between the African Union and the European Union at the sixth EU-AU Summit in February. That partnership has strengthened the standards of African operations in the area of human rights in particular, for example through the compliance framework within the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel and the work under way with the African Union. France is ready to resume discussions on the financing of African peace operations from United Nations assessed contributions as soon as the relevant conditions are met. As many of my colleagues have underscored, we must more clearly recognize the link between climate change and insecurity on the African continent and understand all the related implications. Increasing the financing available for adaptation to climate change contributes to conflict prevention and is perfectly in line with a sustainable-development perspective.

I would like to remind all speakers to limit their statements to no more than five minutes in order to enable the Council to carry out its work expeditiously. I now give the floor to the representative of Senegal.

At the outset, I would like to commend and thank the Chinese presidency of the Security Council for organizing today’s debate on an issue to which we attach particular importance in the context of Senegal’s chairpersonship of the African Union (AU). I would also like to thank all the members of the Council, as well as our three briefers, for the quality of their interventions. Our debate is taking place in a context where situations in Africa continue to dominate the Council’s agenda, despite all the efforts that have been made to rid the continent of the scourge of security threats. We see that in the resurgence of political crises, armed conflicts, terrorism, organized crime and intercommunal conflicts and their disastrous humanitarian consequences. That demands that we all not only take stock of the international community’s actions aimed at promoting peace and security in Africa, but above all that we optimize the enormous potential of the African Union and the regional economic communities in that area. In that connection, the African Union has established the African Peace and Security Architecture and has also demonstrated its ability as a first responder in conflict situations, as has been the case in Mali, the Central African Republic and Somalia. Similarly, the tangible results of the operations of the Economic Community of West African States in resolving a number of crises, including the deployment of its Ceasefire Monitoring Group in numerous theatres in Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and the Gambia, attest to the crucial role that African subregional organizations can play in promoting peace on the continent. I should not neglect to mention in that regard the significant contributions of other initiatives such as the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel, the Multinational Joint Task Force fielded against Boko Haram and the Accra Initiative. Those efforts, however, have had to face a number of challenges related to the complexity of security threats and to African peace and security initiatives’ lack of financial and operational capacity. My delegation therefore believes that the following actions are crucial to strengthening African peace and security capabilities. First, it is imperative to strengthen the response capabilities of national, subregional and regional defence and security forces, which are operating in an increasingly volatile environment. The same requirement also applies to United Nations peacekeeping operations, in which African countries play a major role as contributors of troops and police personnel. However, given the importance of the strategic partnership between the United Nations and Africa, the issue of strengthening African capacities must also be addressed through the United Nations-AU Joint Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, adopted in 2017. In that spirit, the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council must intensify their dialogue in order to ensure a common understanding of security dynamics and challenges in Africa and to define the best modalities for supporting African initiatives in that area. At a time when Africa is taking on more responsibilities in peacekeeping, it is worrying to note that the lack of predictable and sustainable financing is still a reality. That is why, in the spirit of resolution 2320 (2016), my delegation echoes Africa’s call for predictable, sustainable and flexible funding mechanisms for African Union peace support operations authorized by the Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. In that regard, we call on all Council members to support the proposal to create a specialized United Nations support office, funded through mandatory United Nations contributions, in order to provide the Group of Five for the Sahel Joint Force with sustainable, predictable and reliable funding commensurate with the seriousness of the security challenges it faces. At the same time, capacity-building must contribute to the full empowerment of Africa in the management of armed conflicts on the continent, in accordance with the principle of African solutions to African problems. In that regard, the revitalization of the AU Peace Fund, an essential mechanism for the full operationalization of the African Standby Force, is essential to provide Africa with a collective, autonomous and fully operational security system. Security alone cannot be the solution. It is imperative to give more support to preventive approaches, which have the merit of taking into account the root causes of crises, to the detriment of the doctrine of military interventionism, which has already shown its limits. From that perspective, the proposal to broaden the scope of intervention of the Peacebuilding Commission and the consultations under way to improve peacebuilding financing are beneficial and deserve everyone’s support, given the fundamental role that that body plays in supporting prevention and post-conflict reconstruction in several African countries. Finally, the coherence of partners’ assistance to African peace and security initiatives is a major challenge that must receive greater attention from the international community. In many of Africa’s trouble hotspots, a multitude of actors with varying mandates, and sometimes competing interests, are operating without achieving all the expected results. This problem demonstrates the need to define a coordination framework that clarifies the relationships among stakeholders and takes into account the intrinsic links between the different forms of threats. The risks of importing terrorist activities from the Sahel to coastal countries and the potential links between those activities and maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea reinforce our belief in the relevance of an integrated approach to responses to threats to peace and security in Africa.

I now give the floor to the representative of Switzerland.

Switzerland thanks China for organizing this open debate, and the speakers for their contributions. “There is no peace without development, there is no development without peace, and there is no lasting peace or sustainable development without respect of human rights and the rule of law.” Jan Eliasson, former Deputy Secretary-General, expressed that sentiment in 2013. Today sub-Saharan African States remain among the most affected by armed conflicts and other situations of violence, often exacerbated by the impacts of climate change on human security. Switzerland is committed to sustainable peace through several actions. First, a holistic approach with diverse partnerships is essential to address the root causes of conflict and build sustainable peace. Switzerland shares its expertise related to peace, humanitarian aid and development. It works closely with multilateral, regional and local actors in Africa in support of Member States’ priorities and in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Peace and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. For example, in Mozambique, Switzerland supports improved access to land by strengthening dialogue between local government, civil society and the private sector. We have also intensified cooperation between the Swiss justice system and that of certain African States, particularly in the Central African Republic. Finally, as we are aware of the role of civil society in peacebuilding, we have worked directly with rural communities, for example in Burkina Faso, in adapting herd management to climate and security challenges. Secondly, the Security Council and the United Nations have a responsibility to support the peacebuilding capacities of regional and subregional organizations. The Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security is a good practice that promotes close cooperation. Switzerland also welcomes the work of African regional organizations on food security and climate change. Furthermore, Switzerland calls on the Security Council to systematically take into account the essential contribution of women and youth in peace processes and to provide them with increased support  — for example, through United Nations regional mandates such as the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa. Switzerland will therefore support UNOWAS in the organization of a seminar for the prevention of violent extremism in West Africa in early 2023. Thirdly, Switzerland supports the establishment of sufficient, predictable and sustainable funding for peacebuilding. Switzerland is one of the top 10 donors to the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). Working in tandem with other funding mechanisms and partners, the PBF is particularly well-placed to serve as a catalyst for peace, especially in Africa. However, experience has shown that funding is still insufficient to address the causes of conflict in a sustainable manner. Switzerland will therefore participate actively in the negotiations, facilitated by Kenya and Sweden, on a draft resolution on peacebuilding financing, as well as in the negotiations in the Fifth Committee on the possibility of statutory contributions to the Fund. Only with sufficient resources will we be able to support sustainable development and peacebuilding in Africa. In that respect, Switzerland also contributes to the Green Climate Fund and the Climate Change Adaptation Fund, which focus on Africa and conflict prevention. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to grow in its role as a political, economic and global player. Despite many challenges, its rapid transformation offers new opportunities. As an elected member of the Security Council, Switzerland will continue its long-term partnership with African countries and the African Peace and Security Architecture in order to build and consolidate lasting peace together.

I now give the floor to the representative of Egypt.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on presiding over the Security Council during the month of August. I wish you every success. I also thank you for holding this debate on an extremely important topic for the African continent. I also take this opportunity to thank the briefers — the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, the Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General and the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh and Chair of Peacebuilding Commission — for their valuable input. Egypt appreciates China’s continued efforts to highlight important issues on the African continent and the debates of the Security Council. Today’s meeting allows us to build on the debate that took place last year (see S/2021/490) under the Chinese presidency of the Council on dealing with the root causes of conflicts in Africa while promoting recovery from the coronavirus disease pandemic. That debate was prepared through an interactive, informal dialogue between the Peacebuilding Commission, chaired by Egypt, and the Chinese presidency of the Council at the time, and led the Commission to the submission of an advisory opinion during the meeting. Today I am happy to see that the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission is taking part in this meeting. I note that this positive practice enhances cooperation between the Council and the Commission. Egypt attaches top priority to building capacities of national institutions and taking into account diversity, tolerance, dialogue and peaceful coexistence among all segments of the society. Building the institutions and capacities of countries emerging from conflicts is essential to promoting the principle of national ownership and efforts leading to reconstruction and peacebuilding. In that context, Egypt has been contributing effectively at the international and African levels through the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development by promoting capacity-building and supporting effective national institutions, thereby enabling States to address the complex challenges they face and meet the needs and aspirations of their people. Egypt has put forward an initiative on achieving reconstruction and development in the African Union (AU). The initiative includes a vision to revive the relevant AU policy and align it with contemporary developments. We also host the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding in Africa. At the international level, one Egypt’s priorities during its chairmanship of the Peacebuilding Commission last year was building national institutions and capacities, given the dire need amid the coronavirus disease pandemic to build effective and responsible national institutions that protect our peoples’ resources and promote confidence between the State and the society leading to establishing foundations of stability and development. In that context, I would like to make the following points. First, in accordance with its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the Security Council should continue paying attention to African issues and pursue its efforts to prevent conflicts in the first place. The Council should also work on settling conflicts in Africa, while avoiding polarization and narrow self-interest, which have hindered the Council from living up to its responsibility in line with the Charter of the United Nations. In that regard, I should also note that the current global geopolitical situation must not result in diminished attention on Africa. Secondly, the Council should attach importance to a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding that prioritizes the principle of State sovereignty, protects peoples’ interests and supports State institutions against destructive ideas that cause division and strife within a country and its people. We also stress the importance of peacebuilding efforts and addressing transborder challenges. It is also important to support building local capacities to provide basic services to citizens in rural and border regions. All those efforts are crucial in promoting a State’s sovereignty over its territory, leading to fighting terrorism. Thirdly, in order to achieve sustainable peace, it is necessary to provide adequate and sustained funding to build the State capabilities and institutions of countries emerging from conflict. We call upon the international community to live up to its commitments and provide sustainable and predictable funding for peacebuilding efforts. In that connection, I would mention the governmental negotiations taking place in the General Assembly on peacebuilding financing. I call upon Member States to support all peacebuilding tracks and ensure that peacebuilding efforts have access to assessed contributions from the United Nations budget. I was pleased that my brothers the representatives of Ghana and Senegal mentioned this issue today. Fourthly, it is important to promote synergy between international and regional efforts and peacebuilding goals to support capacity building, while also provide sufficient support and resources to much-needed issues, in accordance with the principle of national ownership. Fifthly, we should also enhance partnership between the United Nations and the African Union and further invest in supporting institutional capacity-building and promoting relevant African tools, especially the African Centre for Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development. Sixthly and lastly, I call upon the Council to take advantage of the advisory role provided by the Peacebuilding Commission, which is capable of galvanizing the support we need to deal with the root causes of conflicts. The Commission is also a forum for sharing our respective experiences and lessons learned.

I now give the floor to the representative of Japan.

I would like to thank the Chinese presidency for organizing today’s open debate on an important topic: capacity-building for peacekeeping in Africa, which is so dear to us. By “us” I mean the participants in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), and in particular its organizers, including the African Union Commission, the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank. Owing to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Africa is now facing undue complexities that have exacerbated tensions and security problems. The absence of lasting peace and stability will seriously hamper Africa’s development. It is more necessary than ever to address the root causes of conflict, terrorism and violent extremism in order to put Africa back on the path to sustainable development. Since its inception, in 1993, TICAD has emphasized the importance of capacity-building in Africa. And since TICAD III, in 2003, peacebuilding has been added to its agenda, and the root causes of conflicts have been discussed, in order to prevent their recurrence and achieve sustainable development. Since TICAD VII, in 2019, under the banner of the New Approach to Peace and Stability in Africa, Japan has been supporting African-led institution-building, capacity-building and resilient governance. (spoke in English) With this track record in mind, I would like to explain four key elements that need to be respected in promoting capacity-building for sustaining peace. First, Africa’s ownership must be respected. We should support African-led efforts for conflict prevention and peacebuilding in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 as well as with Sustainable Development Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. That would include, inter alia, efforts aimed at consolidating democracy and restoring constitutional order, promoting sustainable development through inclusive growth and addressing inequality, and achieving a resilient society to ensure human security and dignity. We look forward to discussing those issues at the upcoming TICAD VIII, to be held later this month in Tunisia. Secondly, institution-building must be our priority in bringing about stability in conflict-affected countries. Japan is proud to have provided assistance to African countries to strengthen their institutional capacity in the judicial, administrative and legislative sectors in order to ensure the rule of law. Strong institutions are essential for delivering socioeconomic services to people and for building their trust in government. We are happy to see that our support in strengthening health and medical systems in Africa has proven instrumental in their effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirdly, investing in people is crucial. Capacity- building is needed at the level of individuals who will engage in the activities for peacebuilding, nation-building and sustainable development. At TICAD V, in 2013, then-Prime Minister Abe launched the African Business Education initiative for youth, also known as the ABE initiative, which empowers African youth to contribute to industrial development in Africa by granting them scholarships and internships. By 2021, approximately 1,500 young Africans had participated in the programme. Fourthly, in terms of effective partnerships, since the first TICAD meeting, almost 30 years ago, ownership and international partnership have always been the Conference’s credo. True partnership to support national efforts to bring about peace, stability and sustainable development in Africa should not be driven by commercial, financial or other interests of other countries. Transparency is key. Development financing must adhere to international rules and standards. To promote effective partnerships, we should make full use of the Peacebuilding Commission, which plays a unique bridging and convening role as a platform where all relevant actors can come together to consider specific challenges to sustaining peace. In conclusion, Japan looks forward to TICAD VIII to have fruitful discussions on how to make progress in African development.

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

We commend the People’s Republic of China’s presidency for having convened this timely open debate on prioritizing capacity-building and sustaining peace in Africa. Equally, we appreciate the rich insights shared by the briefers — His Excellency Mr. Bankole Adeoye, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Ms. Cristina Duarte, Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General; and His Excellency Mr. Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, of which South Africa has been a member since 2021. The coronavirus disease pandemic and the prevailing geopolitical tensions have exacerbated the vulnerabilities of countries in situations of conflict, post-conflict or transition. That is more visible on the African continent, where many countries’ responses to the pandemic were impaired by capacity constraints, worsening unemployment, poverty, inequality and underdevelopment. Countries of the continent are still grappling with the capacity constraints in the areas of human resources, finances, infrastructure and public- service institutions, among others. We believe that the issue of capacity-building is inextricably linked with building sustainable resilience. In that respect. we would like to make the following points. First, we need to view the issue of capacity- building broadly, over and beyond national capacity in the security sector, human rights and rule-of- law institutions. More practical measures should be explored to promote and advance sustained economic development in conflict-affected, post-conflict and transition countries. Secondly, closely linked to sustained economic development is the role of stakeholders and partners in ensuring the realization of that objective. Due to experience in the promotion of post-conflict reconstruction, development and peacebuilding activities on the continent, we are of the firm view that the private sector should play an increased role in peacebuilding and sustaining peace activities, including building economic resilience. Thirdly, capacity-building goes hand in hand with the policy space. Capacity-building should not be viewed in isolation from other issues that concern sustaining peace. National ownership, context-specific interventions and agenda-setting should underpin any peacebuilding support directed towards the countries concerned. In that context, the inclusion of women and youth in peacebuilding, and therefore the building of their own capacities, is key. Fourthly, it is of vital importance for stakeholders to recognize the significant strides made by the AU and other subregional organizations in advancing capacity- building for peace purposes through the African Peace and Security Architecture and the African Governance Architecture. In that regard, the AU efforts to revitalize the Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy (PCRD) framework and the Africa Solidarity Initiative, which are cardinal in mobilizing PCRD and peacebuilding activities and resources for the continent, should be supported. The AU Transitional Justice Policy Framework, which is important for the promotion of good governance, democratic and social economic transformation and achieving sustainable peace, justice, reconciliation, social cohesion and healing, deserves a special mention and definite support among the myriad policies of the African Union. Fifthly, there is a need to create synergies between the activities of the AU and the United Nations on capacity-building on the continent. Cooperation between the AU and the United Nations on capacity- building and sustaining peace can be further streamlined and strengthened with the harmonization of activities on the continent between the AU PCRD centre and the Peacebuilding Commission, as well as the AU liaison offices and the United Nations missions in Africa. Lastly, at the core of any capacity-building activities is access to adequate, predictable and sustainable funding. A variety of proposals for the financing of peacebuilding activities in a sustainable way have been discussed in the General Assembly over the years. Our position remains that peacebuilding activities, including capacity-building, should be among other models to be financed from United Nations assessed contributions. In conclusion, at the core of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals is for all African countries to experience sustainable peace and economic prosperity. That aspiration is contingent on creating resilient institutions and structures that will address the root causes and drivers of violent conflict, as well as the needs of populations. Moreover, a people-centred approach that includes all national stakeholders, in particular women, young people and the marginalized, is another prerequisite for sustained peace. Such undertakings will, in turn, avert relapses into violent conflicts, which often set Africa back from realizing its full potential.

I now give the floor to the representative of Algeria.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate the friendly People’s Republic of China on its presidency of the Security Council for this month, and I wish you, Mr. President and dear brother, every success. I would also like to sincerely thank you for having included an important topic on the Council’s agenda, namely, “Peace and security in Africa: capacity-building for sustaining peace”. I also express our gratitude and thanks to the friendly delegation of Brazil for its outstanding presidency of the Security Council last month. I would like to highly welcome Mr. Bankole Adeoye, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security. I also highly welcome the participation of Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh and Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, whose presence here shows the close link between peacebuilding and capacity-building. I also sincerely thank Ms. Cristina Duarte, Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General, for her valuable and constructive contribution. The topic of our discussion today, capacity-building in Africa, is one of the most important topics, which must be given importance and be seriously addressed, as it represents the cornerstone of all international efforts to resolve and address crises, especially across our continent, Africa. The disputes and conflicts, in addition to the multidimensional threats facing our continent, require collective international efforts along with capacity-building as a strategic priority and a necessary and pivotal tool to address such vast and complex challenges in order to build just and comprehensive peace in Africa. The 2005 World Summit was a milestone in cooperation between the United Nations and the AU in many areas, particularly through the establishment of an institutional framework aimed primarily at supporting and building the capacities of States members of the African Union. It led to the signing, in 2006, of the Ten-Year Capacity-Building Programme for the African Union with the United Nations, which also includes African subregional organizations and regional economic communities. Based on the achievements of the Programme and our awareness of the magnitude of the increasing challenges facing the African continent, as well as the need for complementarity and coordination, the efforts made were crowned by the adoption, in 2017, of the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, based on an integrated and strategic approach. In the light of the concept note (S/2022/592, annex) that you kindly circulated, Mr. President, and the guiding questions that it raises, I would like to make the following points. First, there is no doubt that States of the African Union have made considerable progress towards national capacity-building in many vital areas, according to the human and economic development indicators of the past several years. However, more than ever, the increasing challenges require that additional concerted efforts be made and sufficient support be provided in capacity-building in order to address the root causes of multifaceted and multidimensional conflicts, which call for a comprehensive approach underpinned by sustainable development. In that context, capacity- building support for AU States in addressing the root causes of conflict is an urgent priority, including by promoting economic structures and good governance and with the participation of all stakeholders, in particular civil society, women and young people. Secondly, in order to ensure that objective, there is a need to adopt an ambitious road map that is effectively implemented and depends on projects and programmes specially oriented to achieve the mutual goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the AU 2063 Agenda. That will be achieved only by utilizing various resources that ensure sustained security and development. Thirdly, a genuine implementation on the ground of the objectives of the United Nations/AU Joint Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security is one of the best means to strengthen the role of the United Nations in supporting the capabilities of AU States. The Joint Framework provides a set of tools and mechanisms to build the capacities of AU States. Fourthly, taking into account the security challenges that threaten the African continent, it is extremely important to strengthen cooperation between the Security Council and the Peace and Security Council of the AU, in particular through common understanding and favourable solutions to those challenges. AU subregional organizations should also be part of the efforts towards preventing and settling conflicts. Fifthly, there should be various cooperation programmes in place to support capacity-building for AU States. Such programmes should be continuously reviewed to address the evolving nature of threats. However, to achieve the desired goals, the needs and priorities of each State should be respected, including respecting national sovereignty and ensuring non-interference in States’ internal affairs. Algeria is convinced of the importance of supporting programmes for capacity-building that lead to achieving economic development on the African continent. My country has not hesitated to establish a multidimensional, future-minded vision in line with its geographic surroundings, based on structural projects and programmes for sharing expertise and best practices in various fields with sisterly AU States. With regard to peace and security, Algeria has been working tirelessly to share our experience with States of the African Union on mediation, national reconciliation and the fight against terrorism and violent extremism. We have been contributing for many years to support many African States by providing training sessions on those issues. His Excellency President Tebboune has taken charge of this noble mission to coordinate African Union efforts for preventing and fighting terrorism. At the extraordinary African Union Summit held in Malabo in May, President Tebboune presented to his African counterparts a report, which was adopted, in which he stressed the urgent need to shift, in the context of cooperation with the United Nations, to a new model of peace operations in line with the requirements of combating terrorism in Africa. Algeria also hosts important African institutions on tackling terrorism and organized crime, such as the African Center for Studies and Research on Terrorism, the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation and the Integration Unit for the Sahel States. Algeria is also seeking to strengthen its relationships with those institutions, particularly in terms of capacity-building. In the field of economic development, Algeria, as a founding member of New Partnership for Africa’s Development, has spared no effort to ensure a forward- looking vision for the continent by promoting structural projects that will benefit the States of the continent, particularly in the energy sector and the trans-Sahara highway project. We also work on strengthening fibre optic cable networks across the Sahara to develop the regional digital economy. Algeria has accomplished its part of stretching fibre optic cables along 2,548 kilometres. In conclusion, notwithstanding all the challenges facing the continent, Africa is capable of building and developing its capabilities, thanks to its human and natural resources and the close international cooperation with the United Nations. That will serve to bolster the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in a way that leads to sustained peace on the continent and contributes effectively to achieving security and peace throughout the world.

There are still a number of speakers remaining on my list for this meeting. Given the lateness of the hour, with the concurrence of members of the Council, I intend to suspend the meeting until 3 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.