Delivered By: Ameirah AlHefeiti, Deputy Permanent Representative
Madam President,
I want to begin by thanking you Your Excellency Amherd for chairing this important meeting. I also thank USG DiCarlo, AU Commissioner Ambassador Adeoye, and Ms. Tadesse for their comprehensive briefings. As this meeting coincides with Africa Day and 60th anniversary of the AU, we take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the efforts of African states in supporting regional and international peace and security.
Madam President,
The UAE welcomes the Secretary-General’s report on this important issue, as it offers this Council a vision of a new generation of peace operations and counter-terrorist operations, led by regional forces, with guaranteed, predictable funding. The report also reflects on the steps required to guarantee predictable funding needed for AU peace support operations.
Over the last two decades, the international peace and security architecture has demonstrated its reliance on African Union leadership to respond to conflicts wherever they arose on the continent, be it in Burundi, Mali or Somalia.
By developing the African Peace and Security Architecture, the AU is best positioned to deploy peace operations, in line with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter. This framework fits within the broader AU mandate for conflict resolution on the continent. The AU’s knowledge of the local environment and dynamics therein are unmatched. And because of this expertise and experience, the international reliance on this toolkit is justified. As such, joint assessment and planning exercises are critical to respond effectively when a crisis emerges.
Peace is a shared endeavour, and this responsibility should come with the necessary resources.
Madam President,
The longstanding calls for ensuring these operations have the resources to succeed has been made many times, including in this Council. Since 2008 the Security Council has adopted resolutions and presidential statements recognizing the need for ‘adequate, sustainable and predictable’ funding.
Great emphasis has been placed by this Council on effective accountability and compliance frameworks. And we welcome the fact that the AU continues to develop and implement its compliance framework for international humanitarian law, human rights and conduct and discipline. This was clearly demonstrated in the last meeting of the specialized technical committee of defence, safety and security of the AU.
We welcome the decision by the AU Peace and Security Council to significantly increase the ceiling of the Crisis Reserve Facility. That decision and the additional contributions to the AU Peace Fund are an illustration of Africa’s commitment to financial burden-sharing and ownership of conflict resolution across the continent.
We believe the support for AU PSO’s should be tailored to each situation. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to responding to conflict and the same logic should apply to the funding that supports it.
Madam President,
It is necessary to ensure that peace operations are capable of achieving their intended objectives through both relevant partnerships and adequate and sustainable resources.
Therefore, and within the context of the Secretary-General’s call, we believe it is important for the Council to look into supporting financing African Union peace support operations authorized by the Security Council, through UN assessed contributions, on a case-by-case basis. The different models presented by the Secretary-General, including a hybrid mission and a support office, have the potential to make a real difference on the ground. They must be given serious consideration by this Council and discussed with the AU.
Agreement on this issue would serve as a tangible representation of the deepening partnership between our two organisations.
To conclude, we look forward to the upcoming discussions led by the A3 countries on this significant topic and to engaging constructively in the negotiations to come.
Thank you, Madam President.