African Union (Addis?Ababa)
9 January 2012
press conference
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 307 th meeting, held on 9 January 2012, considered the partnership between the African Union and the United Nations on peace and security, and adopted the following decision:
Council,
1. Takes note of theReport of the Chairperson of the Commission on the Partnership between the AfricanUnion and the United Nations on Peace and Security: Towards Greater Strategic and Political Coherence[PSC/PR/2.(CCCVII)]. Council also takes note of the statements made by the Commissioner for Peace and Security,the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kenya,the representatives ofAlgeria, Egypt and Mozambique, as well as by the representatives of the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States;
2. Commends the Chairperson of the Commissionfor his comprehensive and forward?? looking Reporton the AU?s strategic vision of the cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations on peace and security, issued pursuant to paragraph 31 of decision Assembly/AU/Dec.338 (XVI), adopted by the Assembly of the Union, at its 16 th Ordinary Session held in Addis Ababa, on 30 and 31 st January 2011;
3. Notes thatthe UN Secretary?Generalhas issued,on 29 December 2011,a report on United Nations?African Union cooperation on peace and security (S/2011/805), in which he provides an update on AU?UN cooperative efforts on peace and security and recommendations on ways to further strengthen the cooperation with the AU, buildingon his earlier report of 14 October 2010 (S/2010/514), in which he stressed that ?the complex challenges of today?s world require a revitalised and evolving interpretation of Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter?. Council expresses its gratitude to Secretary?General Ban Ki?moon for his commitment to work closely with the AU and forhis efforts to deepen earlier UN Secretariat initiatives to develop a complementary relationship between the UN and regional arrangements;
4. Notes with appreciation the sustained attention that the UN Security Council continues to devote to the promotion of peace and security in Africa, within the framework of its mandate under the UN Charter;
5. Recalls its previous communiqu?s and press statements on the partnership between the AU and the UN on peace and security, including its communiqu? PSC/PR/Comm.(CLXXVIII)and press statement PSC/PR/BR.2(CCVII), adopted at its 178 th and 206 th meetings, held respectively on 13 March 2009 and 15 October 2009, in which it, among others:
(i) welcomed the report of the African Union?United Nations Panel (Prodi Panel) established under Security Council resolution 1809 (2008) to consider the modalities for support to African Union peacekeeping operations (A/63/666?? S/2008/813),
(ii) stressed that regional arrangements, in particular the AU, have an important role to play in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts, in accordance with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, and
(iii) emphasised that support by the UN to regional organisations in matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security is an integral part of collective security as provided for in the UN Charter;
6. Welcomes the progress made in the partnership between the AU and the UN on matters related to peace and security, within the context of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter and Article 17 of the Protocol relating to the Peace and Security Council;
7. Reiterates AU?s gratitudeto the Government of the Republic of South Africafor having, in line with relevant AU decisions,used the opportunity of its successive membershipsof the UN Security Council to further the objective of an enhanced partnership between the AU and the UN within the context of an innovative and forward?looking reading of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, and commends President Jacob Zuma for his personal commitment to this initiative as demonstrated by his decision to chair the forthcoming meeting of the UN Security Council on this theme, on 12 January 2012;
8. Notes the close cooperation that exists between the AU Commission and the UN Secretariat, including the consultations among senior officials, the establishment of the Joint Task Force (JTF), the holding of regular Desk?to?Desk meetings, the increased coordination on the ground between AU and UN representatives and the steps taken towards the implementation of the Ten?Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU,as well as the institutionalisation of the yearly consultative meetings with the UN Security Council and the cooperation being developed with the UN Peace?building Commission (UNPBC);
9. Emphasisesthe need for innovative approaches to peacemaking and peacekeeping, in order tomore effectively address the peace and security challenges facing the continent, such as the establishment of the AU?UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the authorization by the Security Council of a UN support package to the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the launching of joint mediation and other diplomatic efforts. Council underlines that these cooperative modalities and other innovative approaches provide a framework for future cooperation between the two organisations;
10. Recognises that, whileAfrica has made significant progress in its quest for lasting peace, security and stability, it continues, nonetheless, to be faced with serious challenges. In this regard, Council emphasises,once again, the need for renewed efforts by all concerned within the continent and the critical importance of African leadership and ownership,as well as the need for an enhanced support by the rest of the international community, in particular the United Nations, for the promotion of lasting peace and security;
11. Reiterates AU?s strong conviction on the need for the AU and the UN, building on the progress already achieved and lessons learned, to develop a stronger partnership, based on an?? innovative strategic and forward?looking reading of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, in order to more effectively promote peace, security and stability in Africa, particularly in view of Africa?s evolving security landscape and the complexity of the challenges at hand, the development by the AU and its Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution of a comprehensive normative and institutional framework for dealing with peace and security issues, and their proximity and familiarity with the challenges facing their member States. In this respect, Council, while acknowledging the primary responsibility of the UN Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security, stresses that the following principles would provide the basis for a more effective strategic partnership between the AU and the UN in a manner that would further clarify the relationship between the two institutions:
(i) support for African ownership of peace initiatives on the continent,as well as priority setting,
(ii) flexible and innovative application of the principle of subsidiarity, which is at the heart of Chapter VIII of UN Charter, including consultations priortodecision?making, division of labour and sharing of responsibilities,PSC/PR/COMM(CCCVII)
(iii) comparative advantage, taking into account the familiarity of AU and its Regional Mechanisms with conflict dynamics and their flexibility in dealing with security challenges, including their ability to rapidly deploy peace support operations to create conditions for the eventual deployment of UN peacekeeping operations, in line with the recommendations of the Prodi Panel Report;
12. Emphasises the urgent need for the AU and the UN, both at the level of their relevant decision?making organs and Secretariats, including within the framework of the forthcoming JTFmeeting to be held on the margins of the forthcoming AU Summit, at the end of January 2012, to engage in earnest on a dialogue to elaborate the principles that would underpin their strategic relationship, to better harmonise their approaches and methods for dealing with peace and security issues on the continent;
13. Reiterates its commitment, including on the basis of the communiqu?s of the consultative meetings held between Council and the UN Security Council, to strengthen its cooperation with the latter, including through more structured and substantive yearly meetings, regular consultations before taking decisions on issues of common concern, enhanced interaction between the Chairperson of the AU Peace and Security Council and the President of the UN Security Council,joint field missions to enhance synergy in monitoring, assessment of results and response strategies;
AllAfrica - All the Time
Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5733732341&f=378
josh turner bishop eddie long chicago news chicago news barnaby barnaby giuliana rancic
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.