At a time of deepening conflict and insecurity across parts of the continent, the partnership between the United Nations and African Union is indispensable: UK Statement at the UN Security Council
Statement by Ambassador Kate Foster, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Cooperation between the UN and the African Union.
At a time of deepening conflict and insecurity across parts of the continent, the partnership between the United Nations and African Union is indispensable.
As the Secretary-General’s report makes clear, conflicts are becoming more complex.
Terrorism, unconstitutional changes of government, external interference and climate pressures are undermining stability and increasing humanitarian need.
They also risk holding back the progress and opportunities that exist across the continent.
I will make three points.
First, we welcome the deepening cooperation between the UN and AU on peace and security.
And we look forward to welcoming the AU Peace and Security Council to New York later this month.
Regular engagement between our two Councils, closer links between headquarters, and better coordination in the field can make our collective efforts more than the sum of their parts.
That means identifying risks earlier, strengthening prevention and mediation, and resolving disputes before they escalate, with all the human and financial costs that follow.
The United Kingdom is backing that partnership in practice.
We have long supported permanent African representation in the Security Council.
And practically, through our £25 million African Union Partnership Programme, we are supporting AU mediation and the UNDP-AUC African Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions, helping states to navigate complex political transitions.
Second, we can see the value of this partnership in some of the continent’s most pressing crises.
In Somalia, AU forces have made great sacrifices, supported by the UN, to advance stability alongside Somali and other forces.
In the past year, the United Kingdom has provided £16.5 million of direct support to AUSSOM along with an additional £8.5 million to the UN trust fund, enabling logistical support for Somali security forces.
As we look forward to Somalia’s continued security transition, urgent and realistic coordination between Somalia, the African Union, troop-contributing countries, and the UN will be essential to protect hard-won gains.
In Sudan, cooperation through the Quintet is supporting an inclusive, Sudanese-led political process.
Closer coordination between the UN and the AU fact-finding missions is helping to strengthen accountability and to avoid duplication.
In northern Ethiopia, close UN-AU cooperation is essential in responding to the current escalation.
And in eastern DRC, AU mediation and UN peacekeeping efforts complement the Washington and Doha processes.
These examples show us what partnership can deliver.
The same is true of joint work on climate security, women’s participation, security sector reform, disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration, and counter-terrorism.
Third, the United Kingdom was pleased to support resolution 2719, which established a landmark framework for UN support to AU-led peace support operations.
The UN and AU have made important progress in operationalising that framework. We now need to maintain momentum, so that the necessary tools and mechanisms are ready when required, with robust oversight and human rights and financial compliance standards in place.
President, a stronger African Union, working in partnership with a stronger United Nations, is essential to meeting the continent’s most pressing peace and security challenges.