Statement [Made on Behalf of the Security Council, at the 6206th Meeting, 26 October 2009, in Connection with the Council's Consideration of the Item Entitled "Peace and Security in Africa"]
At the 6206th meeting of the Security Council, held on 26 October 2009, in connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “Peace and security in Africa”, the President of the Security Council made the following statement on behalf of the Council:
“The Security Council recalls its previous relevant resolutions and statements of its President which underscore the importance of developing effective partnerships between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the relevant statutes of the regional organizations.
“The Security Council reiterates its primary responsibility under the Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security, and recalls that cooperation with regional and subregional organizations in matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security, and consistent with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, can improve collective security.
“The Security Council welcomes the continuing important efforts and enhanced peacekeeping role of the African Union and its subregional organizations, consistent with Security Council resolutions and decisions, to prevent, mediate and settle conflicts in the African continent.
“The Security Council reaffirms its resolution 1809 (2008), which recognizes the need to enhance the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of financing regional organizations when they undertake peacekeeping under a United Nations authorization.
“The Security Council reiterates that regional organizations have the responsibility to secure human, financial, logistical and other resources for their organizations, including through contributions by their members and support from donors. The Security Council commends the support extended by donors to the African Union Peace and Security Architecture through specific mechanisms including the African Peace Facility.
“The Security Council recalls the statement of its President (S/PRST/2009/3) in which it requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on practical ways to provide effective support for the African Union when it undertakes peacekeeping operations authorized by the United Nations, that includes a detailed assessment of the recommendations contained in the report of the African Union-United Nations panel (A/63/666-S/2008/813), in particular those on financing, as well as on the establishment of a joint African Union-United Nations team. The Security Council notes that the aforementioned report is an important contribution towards the overall efforts to enhance the capacity of the African Union in undertaking peacekeeping operations.
“The Security Council notes with appreciation the report of the Secretary-General on support to African Union peacekeeping operations authorized by the United Nations (A/64/359-S/2009/470).
“The Security Council reiterates the importance of establishing a more effective strategic relationship between the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council and between the United Nations Secretariat and the African Union Commission. The Council encourages further enhancement of regular interaction, coordination and consultation between the United Nations and the African Union on matters of mutual interest. The Security Council notes the ongoing efforts by the Secretariat and the Commission in this regard.
“The Security Council underlines the importance of expediting the implementation, in close consultation with other international partners, of the 2006 United Nations-African Union Ten-Year Capacity-Building Programme for the African Union mainly focusing on peace and security, in particular the operationalization of the African Union Standby Force and the continental early warning system. The Security Council supports the ongoing efforts to strengthen the African Peace and Security Architecture and reiterates its call for the international community, particularly the donors, to fulfil their commitments as endorsed by the 2005 World Summit Outcome document.
“The Security Council recognizes that, in deploying peacekeeping operations authorized by the Security Council, the African Union is contributing towards maintenance of international peace and security, in a manner consistent with the provisions of Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter.
“The Security Council notes the assessment of the options for financing African Union peacekeeping operations authorized by the Security Council outlined in the report of the Secretary- General and expresses its intention to keep all options under consideration.
“The Security Council notes that the African Union needs to enhance its institutional capacity to enable it to effectively plan, manage and deploy peacekeeping operations. The Security Council, in this regard, calls upon the African Union, in the context of developing its Strategic Plan for 2009-2012, to develop a long-term, comprehensive capacity-building road map in consultation with the United Nations and other international partners.
“The Security Council underlines the need for the United Nations and the African Union to study the lessons learned from the Light and Heavy support packages for AMIS, the logistics package for AMISOM, as well as collaboration under UNAMID and the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA) in close consultation with other international partners.
“The Security Council welcomes the intention of the United Nations Secretariat and the African Union Commission to set up a joint task force on peace and security to review immediate and long-term strategic and operational issues.
“The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to update the Council by 26 April 2010 and submit a progress report no later than 26 October 2010.”
iParagraph content is machine-extracted from UN documents. For authoritative content, please refer to the official UN document.
