Speakers in Security Council Call for Expanding United Nations-African Union Partnership to Tackle Rising Violence, Humanitarian Crises across Africa
The African Union and United Nations must deepen already expanding cooperation and mutual support to address the uptick and increasing complexity of conflicts across Africa, promoting regionally led solutions, speakers told the Security Council today during its annual debate on strengthening UN relations with the 55-member bloc.
There were calls for predictable, reliable, and sustainable financing of African Union peacekeeping operations, as the continent grapples with a host of rising challenges, including terrorism, unconstitutional changes of Government, insurgencies, humanitarian crises, economic hardship and climate change.
Africa “is facing huge changes, the implications of which are not fully realized yet”, said Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union. Presenting the Secretary-General’s latest report on strengthening the United Nations-African Union partnership and key recent developments in Africa’s peace and security landscape (document S/2023/629), he said fruitful discussions between UN Security Council members and African Union representatives in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last week showed a strong commitment by both bodies to meet their responsibilities for peace on the continent.
He called for a new collective security apparatus — in line with the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace — that is fit for purpose to react to current issues, with appropriate financing to meet challenges. Regional groups’ roles are critical but can only be effective if there are the necessary human and financial resources, he said. He also encouraged the Security Council to consider a bolstered African Union toolkit to deploy peacekeeping missions quickly when needed. Empowering African Union peace operations would strengthen the Security Council’s own hand and fulfil the United Nations Charter, he said.
Also briefing the Council, Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer for the African Union, said there must be a deepening of the spirit of multilateralism, mutual solidarity, resource-sharing and cooperation among the UN and continental and subregional organizations. She highlighted challenges in Libya, the Sahel, Horn of Africa, Central Africa and the Great Lakes, and said it must be ensured that parties to conflict do not drive a wedge between the two organizations to advance their own agenda.
To support hard-earned gains in Somalia, the international community should comply with its Government’s recent request for a three-month technical pause in the drawdown of the African Union Mission in the country, AMISOM, and provide the requisite resources, she said.
The Council also heard from Solomon Ayele Dersso, Managing Director of Amani Africa, who said that deepening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union is not a matter of choice, nor just something nice to do. Rather, it is a prerequisite for delivering on the peace and security and development objectives of the Charter of the United Nations. The United Nations and African Union need to systematically coordinate their actions across files and portfolios, he added. He also called for urgent action and a dedicated mechanism to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
In the ensuing debate, speakers called attention to healthy cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union, the need to promote sustainable development to prevent conflict, reform of international institutions, and requisite financing for peacekeeping missions.
The representative for Mozambique, also speaking for Gabon and Ghana, said there is room for a quantitative and qualitative improvement in the United Nations-African Union relationship. He backed the Secretary-General’s appeal for African Union-led peace support operations access to UN Member States’ assessed contributions, as a matter of urgency. “It would lend an enormous substance and strength to the principle that we cherish: ‘African solutions to African problems’,” he said, adding: “The UN-AU partnership will be ultimately vindicated when the continent is fully represented, with equal rights and responsibilities in this very body, through the long desired and anticipated reforms of this Council.”
Switzerland’s delegate also supported the initiative for a Security Council decision to finance African-led peace operations, and said his Government is ready to make a constructive contribution. The speaker for the United Arab Emirates said he looks forward to upcoming negotiations on the issue, voicing hope for an agreement that will meet the needs of the moment.
Turning to the underfunding of African economies to address climate change, France’s speaker said his Government has been very involved in the issues, as illustrated by the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, which was carried out in close cooperation with the United Nations and the African Union. He welcomed progress in connecting climate and security experts in regional organizations and encouraged the UN to develop its links with the African Union on this matter.
The United Kingdom’s representative voiced concern that nine coups had occurred on the continent since 2020, and reiterated the potential for terrorism in the Sahel to spread to coastal States in West Africa. She supported regionally led solutions such as the Accra initiative. Collaborations such as the African Union-UN framework for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 are vital to tackle humanitarian challenges such as food insecurity, to which more than 160 million people in Africa are acutely vulnerable, she said.
China’s representative, called for Council support of the African Union in the face of global and regional challenges, to ensure that equitable partnership, mutual support and shared responsibility is built. The lasting impact of colonialism is far from over, and global crises and geopolitical problems bring new harm to Africa, he added. Certain developed countries should assume greater responsibility to pay their historic debt as soon as possible, he said, and added that donors should maintain support for African Union peacekeeping operations and the UN should resolve outstanding issues without delay.
COOPERATION BETWEEN UN-REGIONAL AND SUBREGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN MAINTAINING INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY
Briefings
PARFAIT ONANGA-ANYANGA, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union, presenting the latest Secretary-General’s report on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (document S/2023/629), said that partnership had been bolstered. The fruitful discussions last week between UN Security Council members and African Union representatives in Addis Ababa shows strong commitment by both Councils to meet their responsibilities for peace in Africa. The strategic UN-African Union partnership, based on relative advantages and complements, makes use of the strengths of each, he said. He underscored the need for preventative diplomacy and mediation in conflicts.
He said that the continent “is facing huge changes, the implications of which are not fully realized yet”, with the resurgence of violent conflicts and insurgencies. Anti-constitutional changes of power often lead to a lack of responsible governance. He added that nature was also unleashing destruction and desolation as never seen before, “accentuating sometimes conflict and competition due to scarcity in inhospitable living spaces”. Better coordination is needed for economic development, inclusive of the shared vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s 2063 Agenda. “Today, the United Nations-African Union partnership stands out as a pillar of multilateralism,” he said. Encouraged by a convergence of perspectives on key issues, he added that this presents the prospect of even closer collaboration on issues.
The conflict landscape in Africa is increasingly complex and, in most cases, intractable. The primary problems are political and social exclusion, he said, with inadequate delivery of basic services, terrorism, resource exploitation and external shocks compounding the issues. Violence and terrorism expose weak governance, as seen in the Sahel. In Sudan, conflict is creating a catastrophic humanitarian situation. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the humanitarian situation is a major concern as the country heads to elections. He called for a renewed effort to make collective security more effective in line with the recommendations in the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace. Emphasis should be on supporting peacebuilding efforts, he added, saying that new collective security apparatus should be fit for purpose and react to current issues. Financing responses must be commensurate to the challenges faced. Regional groups’ roles are critical but can only be effective if there are the necessary human and financial resources, he said.
He encouraged the Security Council to consider an empowered African Union toolkit to deploy peacekeeping missions quickly when needed. Empowering African Union peace operations, which will strengthen the Security Council’s own hand, fulfilling the Charter, is key. He called for international partners to join hands with the African Union to address the complex and dynamic threats to peace and security on the continent, adding that the full range of responses to conflict can be supported and strengthened to achieve peace. The response of peace operations needs to be comprehensive — with politics at its core — involving all key stakeholders including women. He also called for early warning, engagement and peacebuilding to be cornerstones to end conflict. He welcomed increased collaboration between the Security Council and African Union, and is encouraged by support for joint field visits to countries of mutual concern, which could help advance common understanding of complex situations. Planning increased meetings will help enhance coordination, he said.
FATIMA KYARI MOHAMMED, Permanent Observer for the African Union, speaking on behalf of Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, said the international community, guided by the Charter of the United Nations, the African Union Constitutive Act and international law, must deepen the spirit of multilateralism, mutual solidarity and cooperation with the United Nations, continental and subregional organizations to effectively promote the international peace and security agenda. She called once again for a review of the global governance system, especially the Security Council, for fairness, inclusivity and enhanced institutional effectiveness in the face of daunting protracted or emerging crises. Voicing concern about the outbreak of conflict in many parts of the world, she pointed to “a cocktail of protracted crises, unconstitutional changes of Government, terrorism, climate change, and difficult socioeconomic challenges globally, marked by hyperinflation, and dual crises of declining growth and limited financing”.
She noted that since the signing of the 2017 African Union-United Nations Joint Framework for an Enhanced Partnership on Peace and Security, the two organizations have worked collaboratively in preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and peace enforcement. More recently, they have enhanced cooperation and collaboration with the regional economic communities, regional mechanisms. Going forward, collaboration in preventing conflicts, managing crises, and State-building must be strengthened. Unity and joint action are needed to address the situations in Libya, the Sahel, Horn of Africa, Central Africa, and the Great Lakes, while ensuring that the parties to conflict do not drive a wedge between the two organizations to advance their own agenda. Citing the Secretary-General's New Agenda for Peace, she stressed that regional frameworks and organizations are required more than ever to promote trust-building and transparency, and address conflicts, amid the increasingly transnational nature of threats, as well as to achieve Agenda 2063, the “Silencing the Guns” initiative, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Resources must be pooled in a time of economic crisis, and heavy bureaucracy eliminated, to swiftly and decisively respond to crises, she continued. Highlighting the Government of Somalia’s recent request for a technical pause in the drawdown of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for three months, she called on the international community to provide the necessary resources to make it a reality and ensure the safeguarding of hard-earned gains in that country. She voiced hope for a UN Security Council resolution soon on financing of African Union-led peace support operations through UN assessed contributions. Urging innovation in peacemaking efforts, she said logistical resources from several UN peacekeeping missions in drawdown can be made available to regional mechanisms, which are increasingly stepping up to manage conflicts throughout the continent.
Further, the crisis of the State, not only in Africa, but worldwide, must be addressed, she said, underscoring the need for multilateral institutions to rethink how they support States to become more viable and capable of meeting their citizens’ basic human security needs. She called on partners to support the recently launched joint African Union-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Africa Facility for Inclusive Transitions — an innovative initiative designed to enhance support for States going through critical political transitions. “The full potential of collaboration between the United Nations and regional mechanisms can only be harnessed when we have addressed the imperative of reform,” she stressed, affirming the African Union’s resolve to reform the Security Council to ensure greater representation, inclusivity, and fairness. “It is my hope that together, the United Nations, the African Union and subregional organizations can deliver as one, harmonizing efforts, transcending limitations, and surmounting obstacles to create a more just, secure, prosperous, and peaceful world for all,” she said.
SOLOMON AYELE DERSSO, Managing Director of Amani Africa, said that deepening the partnership between the UN and the African Union is not a matter of choice, nor is it just something nice to do; it is a prerequisite for delivering on the peace and security and development objectives of the Charter of the United Nations. Given the growing need for more and enhanced effectiveness of crisis management in the maintenance of international peace and security in Africa, the UN and African Union should combine their comparative advantages and systematically coordinate their actions across files and portfolios. Although the Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda affirms that regional organizations “fill a critical gap in our global peace and security architecture”, the state of the UN-African Union partnership is far from adequate for the latter to effectively fill in this critical gap, he stressed.
Against this backdrop, he drew attention to one manifestation of this inadequate partnership: the lack of a systematic and institutionalized global arrangement to harness the potential of the African Union as part of the global security system, with the mobilization of responses following an “ad hoc and case-by-case basis”. He therefore underlined the need to establish a systematic and institutionalized arrangement for effective multilateralism, pointing out that the Union’s members, who comprise 28 per cent of the UN, can play a moderating role in the face of deepening polarization. He also underscored the need for the bilateral partnership to enhance its focus on the socioeconomic and development dimensions of the maintenance of international peace and security. In this context, he underlined the need to reform the multilateral financial system, as Africa presently pays a 500 per cent premium on borrowing from the market. As well, he called for urgent action and a dedicated mechanism to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
Statements
SÉRGIO FRANÇA DANESE (Brazil), Council President for October, speaking in his national capacity, said last week’s meeting in Addis Ababa promoted mutual understanding on crucial issues for the maintenance of peace and security in Africa. Complex African security challenges demand innovative solutions. The African Union and subregional organizations’ increasing role must be adequately supported, including with appropriate resourcing for the Union’s peace operations. The bloc’s strengthened role should not amount to a weakened presence of the UN, whose regional offices and agencies’ assistance is essential on many fronts, he said. The Secretary-General’s report highlights extensive activities by the UN, African Union and subregional organizations in conflict prevention, capacity-building, electoral support, and humanitarian assistance. This cooperation must be strengthened, he said. He highlighted the link between security and sustainable development, citing the need for this in the Sahel, Sudan, and Somalia. He called for the UN and African Union to continue working together to reduce poverty and inequality in Africa, including via the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063.
PEDRO COMISSÁRIO AFONSO (Mozambique), speaking also on behalf of Gabon and Ghana, noted that since the adoption of the 2017 Joint United Nations-African Union Framework, the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council have developed a unique partnership, based on shared goals, mutual respect and African ownership, and one that has become a pillar of the modern-day multilateralism. Citing the 6 October Addis Ababa Joint Communiqué, he voiced support for the Secretary-General’s appeal for African Union-led peace support operations’ access to UN assessed contributions, as a matter of urgency. “Peace and security are a global good. They cannot be bilateralized or fragmented or be self-contained in one or the other corner of the world. A breach of peace in any part of the world is a danger to the global peace,” he stressed.
He highlighted significant milestones in the collaboration between the United Nations and the African Union but stressed that “there is a room for a quantitative and qualitative improvement in the United Nations-African Union relationship”. “Recent discussions on the New Agenda for Peace, particularly related to peace keeping, the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, the nexus between peace and security and climate change, could benefit from a stronger imprint and voice of the African continent,” he added. Moreover, the further strengthening of this partnership requires the Council’s support to finance African Union-led peace support operations through UN assessed contributions. “It would lend an enormous substance and strength to the principle that we cherish: ‘African solutions to African problems’,” he emphasized, adding: “The UN-AU partnership will be ultimately vindicated when the continent is fully represented, with equal rights and responsibilities in this very body, through the long desired and anticipated reforms of this Council.”
FERIT HOXHA (Albania) said the recent unconstitutional changes in several African States are alarming indicators of weak governance that is unable to deliver basic services and to ensure justice, he said, warning that such developments lead to social and political exclusion, human rights violations and mismanagement of natural resources. In this context, he called for cooperation between the UN and the African Union, as well as regional organizations, to support States’ capacities to detect and pre-empt conflicts at the earliest signs. Taking note of positive developments, including the Nairobi and Luanda processes, he noted that some African countries had fallen out with United Nations peacekeeping operations, due to, in part, a widening gap between mandates and local stakeholders’ expectations. In this context, he warned against the “illusion of quick fixes” offered by the Wagner Group and other mercenaries, as human rights violations, lack of accountability, and a vested interest in exploiting natural resources would be the price to pay.
ADRIAN DOMINIK HAURI (Switzerland) is encouraged by the increasingly joint approaches of the UN and African Union in conflict analysis and prevention in Africa. Switzerland supports the Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, that generates collaboration at the earliest signs of potential conflict. He welcomed the increasing recognition of the role of young people in promoting peace and security. Africa's youth are the real driving force behind the continent's development, he said, adding that their voices must be heard. Peacekeeping operations are evolving but remain essential and must have reliable funding. He welcomed the “A3” (Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique) initiative in favour of a Security Council decision to finance African-led peace operations. Switzerland is ready to make a constructive contribution. This would be a decisive step at a time when the international community is called upon to rethink the future of peace operations, he said.
NICOLAS DE RIVIÈRE (France) said cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union must be further bolstered in implementation of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. Commending the African Union’s efforts to help resolve the conflict in Sudan, he encouraged it to coordinate action with the various peace initiatives underway. The joint UN-African Union efforts in Somalia must go further, he said, and called for their enhanced cooperation in conflict prevention. France has been very involved in tackling the underfunding of African economies to address climate change, as illustrated by the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, which was carried out in close cooperation with the United Nations and the African Union. He welcomed progress in connecting climate and security experts in regional organizations and encouraged the UN to develop its links with the African Union on this matter. Voicing support for the adoption of a resolution on sustainable financing for African peace operations, he said France has always supported the principle of financing through compulsory contributions and is willing to engage immediately with African countries to negotiate a text.
BARBARA WOODWARD (United Kingdom), voicing concern that nine coups had occurred on the continent since 2020, noted the decisive action by the African Union Peace and Security Council in this regard, and reiterated her country’s support for regional and subregional organizations’ efforts to bring about inclusive political dialogue and peaceful return to constitutional rule. The United Kingdom has long supported permanent African representation on the Security Council and looks forward to working with Council members on a framework resolution about UN financing for African Union-led missions. Reiterating concern over the potential for terrorism in the Sahel to spread to coastal States in West Africa, she supported regionally led solutions such as the Accra initiative. Collaborations such as the African Union-UN framework for the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda are vital to tackle humanitarian challenges such as food insecurity, to which more than 160 million people in Africa are acutely vulnerable, she said, highlighting the Global Food Security Summit hosted by her country next month.
ZHANG JUN (China) said last week’s meeting in Addis Ababa has led to a new impetus of cooperation between the UN and African Union. African Union and subregional organizations have found African solutions to local problems, for example in Mozambique. In the face of global and regional challenges, the Council should support the African Union, he said. Equitable partnership, mutual support and shared responsibility must be built. The lasting impact of colonialism is far from over, and global crises and geopolitical problems bring new harm to Africa. Certain developed countries should assume greater responsibility to pay their historic debt as soon as possible, he said. Donors should maintain support for African Union peacekeeping operations and the UN should resolve outstanding issues without delay. For instance, the response in the Sahel is underfunded, he said, among other examples. He called for developed countries to honour their commitments on climate financing. The Council has role to play so that political commitments for Africa translate into concrete actions.
ANNA M. EVSTIGNEEVA (Russian Federation) welcomed the strong partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues related to peace and security in Africa. She stated, however, that: “The potential for cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union has not been fully tapped into.” The dialogue between the Councils of both organizations must be made more substantive and their agendas harmonized to deal with issues plaguing the continent. She underscored the subregional organizations’ important role in strengthening regional peace and security and pointed out that many African peace support efforts were relegated to the backdrop or deliberately derailed by external players, and that similar attempts can be seen today. She supported African countries’ call for measures to ensure predictable, sustained and flexible financing for African peace support operations. It is abnormal that peace and security in Africa is dependent on irregular assistance from certain States and associations, she stressed.
HERNÁN PÉREZ LOOSE (Ecuador), reaffirming the importance of cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations such as the African Union, said that during last week’s visit to Addis Ababa, he was able to personally witness how such strengthened strategic partnerships can help tackle challenges related to peace and security in Africa. He went on to spotlight a shared priority between his country and the African Union: the youth, peace and security agenda. In this context, he welcomed progress made by the African Union, including through the implementation of the continental framework for youth, peace and security, as well as through the appointment of a youth envoy and five youth peace ambassadors one for each region of the African continent. He called for invitations to be extended more frequently to senior African Union officials so they could brief the Council on regional and subregional perspectives on topics affecting the continent.
JOHN KELLEY (United States) called for a strong partnership between the organizations in areas including climate, food and energy insecurity, conflict and terrorism. He said he is deeply concerned about recent democratic backsliding in West Africa and other parts of the continent. He was also concerned about conditions in a number of African countries, including Mali, where there has been a rise in violence accompanying the Mission’s drawdown. He called for an end to fighting, the respect for human rights, and the allowing of humanitarian access in Sudan. The international community must stand with the African Union and regional groups to bring end to the conflict. He hoped to see further cooperation between the African Union and UN on Sudan at the Security Council. Regional peace operations remain the foremost tool to address crises, but a lack of predictable finance hinders delivery. The United States is committed to get UN contributions for African Union missions authorized by the Council, within defined parameters, he said.
VANESSA FRAZIER (Malta) said the United Nations-African Union partnership and their synergistic work in mediation, conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding give substance to the concept of ‘networked multilateralism’ that all aspire to achieve. Nonetheless, conventional responses, even when coordinated, have often proven inadequate, she pointed out, calling for a swift and punctual return in the Sahel to constitutional governance in line with Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) established timelines. Affirming her country’s commitment to empower women, jointly with the African Union, she called for their full, equal, meaningful and safe participation, as well as the empowerment of youth. She welcomed the development of a child protection programme within the African Union Peace and Security Department, as supported by the UN. Noting that the Council will soon be tasked with taking on a decision towards predictable, sustainable, and flexible financing of African Union-led peace support operations, she said “we have a unique opportunity to make progress and forge consensus on this issue”.
MOHAMED ISSA ABUSHAHAB (United Arab Emirates), welcoming the adoption of a joint communiqué at last week’s annual joint consultative meeting between the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Security Council, commended the growing convergence between both bodies. Lessons must be drawn from the successes of regional organizations in tackling peace and security challenges in Africa, he said, calling for the political will demonstrated for preventive diplomacy efforts and peace support operations to be encouraged. He underlined the need for regional buy-in for United Nations efforts to succeed, pointing to the positive example represented by the collaboration between the United Nations, African Union, and bilateral partners in helping Somalia implement its state-building priorities. On the lack of flexible and predictable funding for African Union-led peace support operations authorized by the Council, he looked forward to upcoming negotiations on the issue, voicing hope for an agreement that will meet the needs of the moment.
SHINO MITSUKO (Japan) said the demand for a strong UN-African Union partnership continues to grow to tackle Africa’s challenges more effectively, particularly an increased emphasis on conflict prevention efforts. She welcomed regular technical-level contact on country and thematic files. The Ad-Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa should be a platform to continue common understanding, including in working methods, and called for further dialogue and cooperation in a structured manner. She appreciated regional peace initiatives, with a strong sense of ownership, noting that the African Union’s understanding of local circumstances gives it a comparative advantage. She underscored the importance of predictable, sustainable, and flexible financing for African Union peace operations through African Union and UN contributions. Japan supports, in principle, the establishment of a mechanism through which African Union peace operations authorized by the Security Council could be partly financed through UN assessed contributions, on a case-by-case basis.