Source: United Nations secretary general
New York
18 October 2024
Note to Correspondents: 7th Annual Consultative Meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC)
- On 15 October 2024, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AUPSC) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) convened their 7th Annual Consultative Meeting at the ECOSOC Chamber, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The 7th annual Consultative Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Omar Gad, Permanent Representative of Arab Republic of Egypt and Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union for October 2024, and H.E. Sérgio França Danese, Chair of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission.
- Participants welcomed the remarks and statements delivered by H.E. Mr. Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security; Mr. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of UNOAU; Ms. Elizabeth Spehar, ASG for Peacebuilding Support, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Dr. Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, African Union Commission, Director, Conflict Management. They also noted the steps toward institutionalizing the annual joint consultative meetings between the AUPSC and the PBC, as agreed at the 6th Informal Joint Annual Consultative Meeting, held in Addis Ababa, on 13 November 2023.
- The meeting highlighted the collaborative peacebuilding efforts of the AUPSC and the PBC for peacebuilding and sustaining peace in Africa, as well as the comprehensive review and progress of the status of implementation of outcomes of the 6th Informal Meeting in November 2023, noting that more work still needs to be done in supporting peacebuilding efforts. In this regard, the members reaffirmed the need for increased support to the peacebuilding and national prevention plans of countries and regional organizations and for further strengthening of the strategic partnership between the two bodies to achieve durable peace. Furthermore, they underscored the importance of closer partnership between the AUPSC and the PBC in supporting peacebuilding efforts, including in preventing lapse into conflict, through information sharing and joint analysis, with a view to supporting national and regional priorities in peacebuilding and development. The Members of the AUPSC and the PBC acknowledged that the complex nature of conflicts and the global context, calls for a multidisciplinary approach to both the prevention and resolution of conflicts, that is not limited to security approaches but includes further investment on peacebuilding, socio-economic development and resilient institutions
- The members of the AUPSC and the PBC highlighted the key achievements in peacebuilding and sustaining peace in Africa, including the facilitation of national dialogue, reconciliation through national peacebuilding infrastructures and transitional justice mechanisms (including Truth and Reconciliation Commission) and the development and implementation of peacebuilding, conflict prevention, reconciliation and national cohesion strategies or roadmaps. To this end, they encourage Member States to incorporate peacebuilding and social cohesion in their National Development Strategies. The AUPSC and the members of the PBC underlined the importance of national ownership, leadership and participation of all strata of society, including the youth and women. Also, recognizing challenges such as rising geopolitical tensions, multi- faceted and entrenched conflicts, the adverse effect of climate change, and insufficient financial resources, they called for reinforcing partnerships between the African Union, the United Nations, as well as with relevant international, regional and sub-regional organizations and International Financial Institutions to facilitate resource mobilization. In this regard, they urged international partners, including in the UN System; as well as international and regional financial institutions, to align and coordinate their peacebuilding-related efforts in Africa, with nationally led peacebuilding, regionally and continentally supported efforts, including through the role of the Commission and the African Union Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (AUC-PCRD).
- They underscored the crucial role of structured transitions from peacekeeping missions to peacebuilding in preventing the relapse of conflicts and sustaining peace in Africa. The meeting highlighted the importance of close cooperation and planning with national authorities at an early stage of mission transition in order to ensure residual mission tasks, including protection issues, resilience and capacity building and building strong state institutions based on the rule of law, and promotion of economic and social rehabilitation at the withdrawal of the mission. They recognized major challenges throughout the withdrawal of peacekeeping operations, including complex handover processes, short timelines and the financial cliffs after the mission drawdown. They called for clarifying the transition process, highlighting that peacebuilding and sustaining peace, as well as addressing root causes and structural drivers of conflict should be embedded in mission mandates from its onset. Furthermore, they stressed the importance of early planning and coordination with multiple stakeholders before the mission drawdown. In this regard, they also emphasized the role of the PBC in convening stakeholders and garnering international support, as well as the role of the AU in implementing and advancing Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) policy, noting that strengthened cooperation between the AUC-PCRD in Cairo and the UN Peacebuilding Support Office, in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (PBSO/DPPA), is essential for implementing the AU-UN MoU on Peacebuilding.
- In this regard, they stressed the important role of the AU PCRD Centre in developing programs to support African countries emerging from conflict and political transitions by building strong and resilient state institutions and encouraged partners and stakeholders to invest and provide necessary support for implementing such programs.
- The meeting acknowledged that the AU is a key regional partner for peacebuilding in Africa, supporting the development of national strategies on peacebuilding and sustaining peace. While acknowledging the imperative of resolving armed conflicts in Africa, including through the deployment of AU-led peace support operations, it was recognized that successful transitions hinge on early engagement with national authorities and relevant stakeholders, as well as the development of tailored strategies that consider local needs and priorities and respect for national ownership.
- The AUPSC and PBC stressed the importance to support Member States concerned in the implementation of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programmes in order to ensure full implementation of peacebuilding and sustaining peace strategies and prevent relapses.
- The AUPSC and PBC reiterated their commitment to continue advancing the Women Peace and Security Agenda, especially acknowledging the upcoming 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325(2000), to build upon the complementarities of Fem Wise-Africa and the PBC’s Gender strategy to scale up ensuring women’s equal, full, meaningful and safe participation and leadership in all peacebuilding and sustaining peace processes. In corollary, both bodies underscored the importance of the Youth Peace and Security Agenda and to leverage the African Union’s Youth Decade Plan of Action and the PBC’s Strategic Action Plan on Youth and Peacebuilding to promote the inclusion of youth in peacebuilding efforts, including by building their capacities, skills and livelihoods to actively contribute to sustaining peace and development.
- The AUPSC and the PBC welcomed the adoption of the Pact for the Future, underscoring its focus on forging sound partnerships between the United Nations and regional organizations as well as subregional organizations. They recalled the Pact’s emphasis on preventing and resolving conflicts and disputes among Member States in accordance with the UN Charter, supporting the role of regional and subregional organizations in diplomacy, mediation and the peaceful settlement of disputes, and conducting peace support and enforcement operations, as authorized by the UN Security Council to maintain or restore international peace and security. Moreover, the AUPSC and the PBC welcomed the commitment to strengthen the Peacebuilding Commission through the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review and highlighted the decision to establish improved strategic partnerships between the Commission and international, regional and subregional organizations, including international financial institutions. In line with the Pact for the Future, they encouraged the Secretary-General to convene regular high-level meetings with relevant regional organizations to discuss matters pertaining to peace support operations, peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
- The AUPSC and the PBC commended the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Multinational Joint Task Force Troop and Police Contributing Countries for their continued commitment towards restoring peace and security in the Lake Chad Basin Region. They welcomed the progress achieved thus far in the implementation of the Regional Stabilization Strategy, Recovery and Resilience of the Boko Haram Affected Areas of the Lake Chad Basin. The AUPSC and the PBC also underscored the imperative to provide additional funding, technical and logistics support to enable the MNJTF and the Lake Chad Basin Commission continue their efforts towards greater stabilization, restoration of lasting peace, and the strengthening of security, stability and prosperity in the Lake Chad Basin region. In this connection, they urged all stakeholders, particularly the PBC, AUPCRD Centre, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other International Partners to redouble their efforts. They welcomed the funding from the European Union and called for new partners to step in with funding, technical and logistics supports for the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the MNJTF Troops Contributing Countries, to enable the full and effective implementation of the Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience of the Lake Chad Basin.
- The AUPSC and the PBC highlighted the contributions of AU-led Peace Support Operations to maintaining international peace and security in Africa, and recalled the adoption of General Assembly Resolution 78/257, 79/1, and Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023). The AUPSC and the PBC welcomed the opportunities for enhanced cooperation, particularly in the context of ensuring sustainable, predictable and adequate financing in line with UNSC resolution 2719 (2023), which is key for AU-led Peace Support Operations to fulfill their mandate in achieving long-term peace, security, stability and development in conflict-affected regions. The AUPSC and the PBC further underscored the need to explore innovative funding mechanisms, in addition to the UN assessed contributions envisaged under the framework resolution 2719 (2023), such as trust funds from multilateral donors, partnerships with International Financial Institutions, and resource mobilization from the private sector.
- The AUPSC and the PBC acknowledged their common goal towards peacebuilding and sustaining peace, they recommitted to continue to strengthen their coordination and joint engagement along the peace continuum, guided by the Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security (2017), the AU-UN Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2018).
- The AUPSC and the PBC recalled the AU contribution in the development of the United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture Review in 2020 through the Common African Position. The PBC invited the AUPSC to again contribute to the review in 2025.
- The AUPSC and the PBC called for the implementation of the remaining tasks emanating from the Joint Annual AUPSC and PBC meetings. In that regard, they agreed that their annual consultative meetings should be preceded by at least one preparatory meeting of the experts of the AUPSC and PBC to examine the status of implementation of agreed commitments and sundry issues. They further agreed to enhance their working methods in order to ensure greater engagement during the annual consultative meetings as well as the smooth implementation of the joint outcomes.
- The AUPSC and the PBC agreed to convene their 8th Annual Consultative Meeting in Addis Ababa in 2025, on a date to be agreed upon by the AUPSC and PBC.