Security Council meeting 5776-Resu.1

The President

At the outset, I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Council, to His Excellency Mr. Leslie Kojo Christian, Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations, for his service as President of the Security Council for the month of October 2007. I am sure that I speak for all members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Christian for the great diplomatic skill with which he conducted the Council's business last month.

The President

I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Spain, Uruguay and Viet Nam, in which they request to be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the discussion, without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure.

There being no objection, it is so decided.

The President

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations.

I should like to draw attention to document S/2007/640, which contains a letter dated 29 October 2007 from the Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, transmitting a concept paper on the item under consideration.

I welcome the participation of the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, at this meeting, and invite him to take the floor.

The Secretary-General

I pay tribute to the delegation of Indonesia, in particular to Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, for convening this open debate on the role of regional and subregional organizations in the maintenance of international peace and security. The fact that the Security Council is holding its second open debate this year on this issue demonstrates the importance that the Council rightly attaches to it, as reflected in resolution 1631 (2005).

Since taking office 10 months ago, I have noted the important contributions of a number of regional and subregional organizations, and I have participated in the deliberations of some of their summit meetings. These interactions have been useful occasions to build a common forum and agenda for cooperation. They will also help to inform the report that the Council has asked me to prepare on ways the United Nations can advance coordination with regional organizations in Chapter VIII arrangements.

Today, our partnerships with regional and subregional organizations are stronger and more active than ever. This year alone, we have established a joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force and political mediation in Darfur, and we are consulting on the situation in Somalia. We have cooperated with the European Union in the protection of civilians in Chad and the Central African Republic. We have worked with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Myanmar. We have partnered with the Economic Community of West African States in elections and political situations in West Africa. We have worked with NATO in Afghanistan and Kosovo. We have collaborated with the Organization of American States in support of the electoral process in Haiti. We have held regular consultations with the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the League of Arab States on conflict resolution in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. And we have worked with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the European Union in addressing peace and security concerns in Europe and elsewhere.

These policy and operational activities, spanning conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, are delivering results on the ground as well as lessons for the future. They provide us with a better understanding of our respective strengths and advantages. They have made it possible to respond more quickly at the outset of a crisis and more effectively in post-conflict peacebuilding. We need to build on these strengths and together find better and more efficient ways of tackling global challenges.

The United Nations is committed to helping build up the capacity of regional and subregional organizations to undertake conflict-prevention, peacemaking and peacekeeping tasks in their respective regions. My proposals to the General Assembly to strengthen the Department of Peacekeeping Operations have already reinforced its capacity to work with peacekeeping partners. Similarly, I have presented proposals to the General Assembly for strengthening our Department of Political Affairs. Both illustrate my commitment to enhance the Organization's ability to work with regional partners. y the same token, we are enhancing mediation capacity within the Secretariat and providing resources for initiatives such as the 10-year capacity-building programme for the African Union.

We are determined to work more closely and more efficiently together for the mutual benefit of our organizations and Member States and, above all, for the peoples of every region of the world.

The President

I thank the Secretary-General for his statement.

In accordance with the understanding reached among Council members, I wish to remind all speakers to limit their statements to no more than five minutes, in order to enable the Council to carry out its work expeditiously. Delegations with lengthy statements are kindly requested to circulate the text in writing in the Chamber and to deliver condensed versions when speaking.

Mr. Khalilzad (United States)

Mr. Minister, I would like to thank you for convening this meeting on the very important and timely issue of the role of regional and subregional organizations in the maintenance of international peace and security. I welcome the Secretary-General's presence and his comments.

We share the goal set forth for this meeting and the Indonesian concept paper, namely, to discuss the existing and potential capacities of these organizations in the field of peace and security and to identify and develop modalities by which to enhance cooperation between these organizations and the United Nations, including the Security Council.

While the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security remains with the Security Council, regional and subregional organizations play an important role in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. This role is clearly spelled out in Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, and its importance has been emphasized in various Council resolutions and presidential statements.

Regional and subregional organizations often have first-hand understanding of the underlying causes of local conflicts. They understand the local norms and cultures and, in many cases, have enormous influence over the parties in dispute. It is in the Security Council's interest, and that of the United Nations in general, to work with these organizations to prevent conflicts and to resolve them once they occur. The United States supports voluntary contributions to fund the work of the regional organizations.

The Security Council has asked the Secretary-General for a report on how the United Nations can better support arrangements for further cooperation and coordination with regional organizations. We look forward to the Secretary-General's report.

Today, I would like to highlight some of the important contributions of regional organizations. First, I would like to focus on the important role that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plays in promoting peace and security in South-East Asia and beyond. For 40 years, ASEAN has helped to create an environment in South-East Asia that has encouraged dialogue and progress and enabled the countries of the region to resolve differences and problems peacefully and positively. ASEAN is working to stand by itself as an organization, which we applaud. As it moves ahead, one of its main challenges will be dealing with the problems and the threat to regional security posed by one of its members. ASEAN's bold statement on 27 September on the brutal crackdown on peaceful protestors and Buddhist monks in Burma demonstrated to the military regime the organization's deep concern over its abuses of the political, economic and human rights of the Burmese people. ASEAN made clear that these gross violations do indeed affect the stability of the region.

Secondly, I would like to address the important role of subregional organizations in mitigating conflict in Africa. The African Union (AU) is playing a critical role in Darfur. The United States commends the continuing commitment and contribution of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) amidst the casualties it has suffered in the face of the violent attacks in Darfur. We also applaud the important and continued role that the AU is playing with its participation in the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). The role of the AU is critical for the successful transition of AMIS to UNAMID. We look forward to close cooperation with the AU, and we view its role in UNAMID and in garnering political support for its deployment and operations as an excellent example of the importance of regional organizations in mitigating conflict in Africa.

Thirdly, the European Union (EU) is also contributing to peace and stability in Africa. On 25 September the Security Council approved the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), a multidimensional presence consisting mostly of United Nations civilian police and EU peacekeeping troops. MINURCAT's objective is to protect the refugees and internally displaced persons in the area. Its ultimate goal is to create security conditions conducive to a voluntary, secure and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons. We commend the involvement of the EU in this effort.

Fourthly, the Organization of American States (OAS) has played an indispensable role in facilitating peace processes and promoting stability in the Western Hemisphere. In Haiti, for example, the OAS mission has played a central role in helping to maintain stability following the resignation of President Aristide, and its technical experts provided crucial support in facilitating the elections and the re-establishment of a democratic government that followed. Furthermore, the ongoing efforts of the OAS will result in the establishment of a permanent electoral registry for the first time in Haiti's history.

Fifth, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has helped to build democratic institutions and promote human rights and non-violent conflict resolution. OSCE election monitoring represents the gold standard for international observation missions. The Unites States continue to strongly support OSCE activities and believes its standards and commitment offer positive examples for consideration by other regional organizations.

We would also like to pay tribute to the contributions of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and other regional organizations to the maintenance of international peace and security.

In conclusion, we recognize that regional organizations will play an increasing role in the way we solve peace and security issues. We also recognize that, just as there are differences in ways that various regional organizations help to maintain international peace and security, the Security Council must be flexible in its approach to working with them, based on the unique facts of each case. Cooperation with regional organizations can and will take many forms.

The Security Council must work with regional and subregional organizations to enhance their capacity and ability to deal with the various challenges they face. As noted in the draft presidential statement, the Council should also consider how to further strengthen interaction and cooperation with these organizations in accordance with the United Nations Charter, taking into account the proposals of the Secretary-General. That cooperation will be essential to enabling early responses to disputes and emerging crises and to fulfilling this body's responsibility to maintain international peace and security.

Mr. Spatafora (Italy)

First of all, I wish to thank you, Mr. Minister, for organizing this debate on such a vital issue. It is an honour to have you among us today in the Security Council. Thank you for the very well-focused concept paper, which by itself highlights the centrality of this issue. We welcome you. We are always very pleased to have the Secretary-General among us. We like to think that he is one of us.

Italy fully aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of Portugal on behalf of the European Union (EU). I shall limit myself to some supplementary remarks.

Italy attaches the greatest importance to the role in the maintenance of international peace and security assumed by regional and subregional organizations. We look with favour to the definition of more-incisive modalities to deepen their cooperation with the United Nations, and thus we welcome your initiative, Mr. President. We also welcome the initiatives that the Secretary-General referred to earlier.

Regional organizations should be involved in every stage of peacekeeping, from preventive diplomacy to troop deployment and peacebuilding activities in a broad sense, from disarmament, demobilization and reintegration to security sector reform and consolidation of rule of law. This is because they are the main stakeholders in their respective geographic areas. Regional organizations, as Ambassador Khalilzad has already said, actually know local realities better and have direct interests in the solution of crises that risk having negative repercussions on the region. Here, I would like to highlight the point I have already made, that regional organizations should be involved from the beginning of the process -- not just arrive when things have already been prejudged, in a sense.

While the United Nations continues to bear the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the multiform and interconnected nature of threats and challenges requires that the international community take a global, collective and multilateral approach. The new missions, which often combine more and more civilian and military dimensions, involve complex tasks. The Chad operation is just one example of how these multidimensional operations now constitute the new pattern for new needs. Activities range from peacekeeping to monitoring the implementation of peace processes, military consultants and assistants, police work, monitoring the borders, the rule of law and the defence of human rights. An effective response thus assumes action in which all the international subjects, starting with the regional and subregional organizations, are as united and coordinated as possible and able to offer added value.

Italy, which promoted the European security strategy during its 2003 EU presidency, looks with favour on the strengthening of cooperation between the EU and the United Nations based on the joint declaration of June 2007, which follows on and updates the one adopted under the Italian presidency in September 2003. The operations that the EU conducted in the Balkans under a Security Council mandate and its experience with the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been useful testing grounds.

It is time to focus on the implementation of these strategic decisions. The mission in the Central African Republic and in Chad is a new example of the way the EU assumed the responsibility towards the United Nations and enhances a strong and focused cooperation with the African Union. We are working along these lines to strengthen coordination mechanisms between EU member States on the Security Council to undertake more effective action by the EU.

The Peacebuilding Commission is a body that brings together, in country-specific meetings, all the significant actors in a specific country, including the regional and subregional organizations. The Peacebuilding Commission therefore represents a model for interaction between the United Nations system and regional and subregional organizations, whose potential has to be exploited to the maximum for the promotion of integrated peacebuilding strategies. There are enormous potentialities in that regard that we must not miss.

Finally, we attribute particular relevance to capacity-building in regional and subregional organizations, especially in the area of homogenous standards, respect for shared principles and lessons learned from the most recent peacekeeping experiences. In that context, ways to assist regional organizations should be explored that do not necessarily provide for the use of troops, such as greater assistance in the areas of logistics, intervention planning and training.

With regard to training in particular, Italy contributes, through structures of the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units, to strengthening the capacities of the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in the police component of peace operations.

What I mean to say is, that if we enhance the role of regional and subregional organizations, we have to focus at the same time on building the capacity of those regional and subregional organizations. Otherwise, this is just a rhetorical exercise.

Mr. Al-Qahtani (Qatar)

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