UN Secretary-General António Guterres has reiterated his pledge to reinforce the UN-AU partnership based on the principles of solidarity and mutual respect, in conformity with the UN Charter.
Guterres said at the Second Annual UN-African Union Conference at Addis Ababa, which he co-chaired with the Chair of the African Union Commission, Moussa Mahamat that UN could not afford to fail in Africa.
He said that the UN and the AU were working together to implement the UN Agenda 2030 and the African Union Agenda 2063.
In a communiqué, Mahamat and Guterres “welcomed the strong collaboration between the AU and the UN and expressed their commitment to further deepen the strategic partnership between the two organisations”.
“The AU and the UN undertook to enhance collaboration, cooperation and coordination in the search for sustainable solutions to ongoing and future challenges, based on the principles of complementarities and comparative advantage,’’ the communiqué said.
The two organisations dwelt on burden-sharing and collective responsibility to respond early, coherently and decisively to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts.”
They also jointly reviewed a number of regional situations where both organisations were involved in peacekeeping or mediation efforts and welcome the progress made.
The Conference called for further strengthening of a comprehensive, integrated and coordinated approach to conflict prevention.
They also resolved to address the root causes of conflicts, strengthening political processes and respect for rule of law as well as the promotion of sustainable and inclusive development.
The conference also reviewed challenges to peace, security and development on the continent, including in Lake Chad Basin, Burundi, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan.
The Chairperson and Secretary-General called for robust action by the international community to alleviate the humanitarian crises, risks and vulnerability in the affected communities.
They promised continued dialogue toward implementation of the Sahel Support Plan.
The plan was developed as part of the recalibration of the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel and exchange on the AU efforts in the Sahel including ongoing efforts to review its strategy.
Mahamat briefed the Secretary-General on the important decisions adopted by the AU Assembly at its Ordinary Session in Nouakchott on the Western Sahara and Libyan conflicts.
As a follow up, these decisions will be formerly conveyed to Guterres, to the UN Security Council while the AU looks forward to working closely with the UN on these two issues.
The Chairperson and the Secretary-General paid tribute to the Troop and Police Contributing Countries, and AU and UN peacekeepers for their sacrifice and continued commitment to peace on the continent.
They also discussed the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, aims at making peacekeeping operations fit for the challenges faced today, including on the African continent.
The Chairperson and the Secretary-General renewed their commitment toward predictable, sustainable and flexible financing for AU-led Peace Support Operations (PSO), authorised by the UN Security Council.
They further welcomed the significant progress achieved in the revitalisation of the AU Peace Fund, the ongoing efforts to the establish its governance and management structure.
They also agreed to sustain the high-level political engagement and consideration for the financing of AU-led PSOs through UN assessed contributions.
The meeting stressed the critical role played by the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa and the Africa Peer Review Mechanism.
It urged all international partners to support Africa’s efforts to implement the two Agendas as a pre-condition for the achievement of peace, security and development on the continent.
The Chairperson and the Secretary-General briefed the Peace and Security Council on cooperation in peacekeeping missions in Africa and agreed to convene the next AU–UN Annual Conference in New York before the end of 2019.
