The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Poppy, addresses the Security Council

The Security Council convened a meeting on Wednesday to discuss cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations such as the African Union in the area of peace and security. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union, Anyanga, and the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for African Affairs, Bobby, addressed the meeting, stressing that cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations is essential for peace and security in Africa and calling on the international community to continue to support this cooperation framework.

Recalling the achievements of the United Nations and the African Union in the area of peace and security on the African continent, Anyanga noted that the many challenges facing Africa today, in particular political instability, intensifying conflicts and worsening humanitarian crises in various regions, remain priority issues.

He noted that cooperation between the United Nations and the AU is crucial, and that the two sides are working closely together to address conflict and instability in many parts of Africa. He referred in particular to the threat of climate change to peace and security in Africa, noting that significant progress had been made in cooperation between the United Nations and the AU in that area.

Despite the serious challenges facing Africa, Anyanga remains confident in the future of the continent, emphasizing the resilience of its people and their strong pursuit of democracy. He said that despite the many difficulties, there was hope for Africa's renaissance, and the cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union was an important guarantee to advance this process.

Milestone important resolutions

In his speech, Poppy noted that the adoption of Resolution 2719 by the Security Council in 2023 is an important milestone in the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. The resolution supports AU-led peacekeeping operations, including peacekeeping and counter-terrorism missions, and is supported through United Nations funding.

Since the adoption of the resolution, the UN Secretariat and the AU Commission have set up a joint working group to work closely together to advance the implementation of the resolution. The two sides focused on key areas such as joint planning, mission support, funding and budgeting, and compliance with international human rights law to ensure the effective implementation of AU-led peacekeeping operations.

In particular, Poppy mentioned that AU-backed MINUSMA is expected to be the first peacekeeping mission to be implemented under resolution 2719. She called on the Security Council, as well as the United Nations and AU Member States, to provide sustained support to ensure the successful deployment of AU-led peacekeeping operations that would make a substantive contribution to peace and security on the continent.