Security Council meeting 6092

The President

I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Congo, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Italy, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway and South Africa, 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 consideration of the item, 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.

On behalf of the Council, I wish to extend a warm welcome to Her Excellency Ms. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Africa.

The President

In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend invitations under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Romano Prodi, Chairman of the African Union-United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union operations, and Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union.

It is so decided.

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.

Members of the Council have before them document S/2008/813, which contains the text of identical letters dated 24 December 2008 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council transmitting the report of the African Union-United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union peacekeeping operations.

I should now like to make a few introductory remarks.

Today's open debate comes in the context of continuing contacts regarding the cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in the maintenance of international peace and security under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. We have urged that this open debate be convened, fully aware that issues of peace and security are of concern not only to the African Union, but to all regional organizations.

Wherever armed conflicts arise, they have severe consequences, reflected in a lack of security, in human suffering and in flows of internally displaced persons and refugees. Those problems, which are being suffered most intensely on the African continent, are imposing grave burdens on the African Union, which continues to seek to strengthen its capabilities in the maintenance of peace and security. Thus, it is essential to promote more systematic cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in addressing issues related to peace and security, particularly given the fact that the majority of United Nations peacekeeping operations are being carried out on the African continent and the need to respond swiftly to crises on the continent and provide the African Union with predictable and strengthened capacities.

Today's debate is being held to follow up on the Council's open debate held on 16 April 2008 (see S/PV.5868), presided over by the then President of sisterly South Africa. At that meeting, resolution 1809 (2008) was adopted. It recognized the need to enhance the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of financing regional organizations when they undertake peacekeeping under a United Nations mandate. It also welcomed the Secretary-General's proposal to set up an African Union-United Nations panel consisting of distinguished persons to consider in depth the modalities of how to support such peacekeeping operations, in particular start-up funding, equipment and logistics, and to consider in depth lessons from past and current African Union peacekeeping efforts.

In September 2008, an African Union-United Nations panel was established, chaired by former Prime Minister Romano Prodi of Italy, who focused most specifically on ways and means to support African peacekeeping operations established under United Nations auspices. The panel carried out its work and has now submitted its report to the Security Council.

On behalf of the members of the Security Council, I cannot fail to pay tribute to His Excellency the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and the African Union-United Nations panel for submitting the report with a view to useful deliberations in the Council.

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

The Secretary-General

I am pleased to be able to participate in this meeting of the Security Council, and I welcome the opportunity to focus both on strengthening the relationship between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) and on efforts by the international community to further enhance the AU's capacity for peacekeeping.

Before I begin, I would like to welcome you, Sir, as new Permanent Representative of your great country, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, and congratulate you on assuming your role as President of the Security Council soon after having taken up your new responsibilities. I assure you of my full cooperation and support in discharging your duties not only as President of the Council, but also as Ambassador of your country. Let me also take this opportunity to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Italy, and to express my appreciation for his leadership of the panel, whose report on modalities for support to African Union peacekeeping operations (S/2008/813) is before the Council today.

Last year's high-level debate on peace and security in Africa (see S/PV.5868), chaired by former President Mbeki on 16 April 2008, provided the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council with an opportunity to look more closely at the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union in ensuring peace and security in Africa. The panel's report, before members today, presents a number of ideas to strengthen that partnership with a view to improving our collective response to addressing conflicts in Africa.

The role played by regional organizations in peace and security is indispensable to the work of this Council. I am encouraged by the progress we have made in our cooperative endeavours with the African Union Commission towards achieving peace and security in challenging areas such as Darfur and Somalia. Lessons learned from these endeavours will strengthen our cooperative work in the future.

The African Union continues to develop its capacity for peacekeeping. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations is supporting these efforts with a dedicated capacity and through specific programmes.

The panel's report (S/2008/813), while outlining significant remaining challenges, offers various recommendations that draw on the lessons of the past and aim at an enhanced relationship in the future. Central to this analysis is the strategic relationship between this Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, which is supported by that between the United Nations Secretariat and the AU Commission. In both cases, the relationship has been much expanded, but it has yet to develop the responsiveness that will enable us to work together to prevent conflicts rather than only respond to crises. The Department of Political Affairs has instituted a series of desk-to-desk meetings with AU counterparts, and I hope that we can build on this initiative to quickly develop a more comprehensive approach for the future.

Many of the challenges facing the African Union result from the difficulties it faces in securing the necessary resources to support both its deployments and its own long-term development. A peacekeeping mission that is under-resourced can imperil the initial benefits gained by its deployment and can raise expectations without providing the means of fulfilling them.

It was in this context that the panel made its recommendations to address issues of funding and resources. These recommendations have far-reaching implications and will require detailed analysis, particularly in the case of assessed contributions, which need to be considered by the requisite United Nations legislative bodies and processes. Notwithstanding the complexities, the report offers a first step in a process through which these issues can be examined comprehensively while allowing us to develop a more effective partnership.

I look forward to constructive interaction with key Member States, including the members of this Council, AU members, troop-contributing countries and other stakeholders. The forthcoming retreat with Security Council members this weekend will offer a valuable opportunity to look at this issue in greater detail.

The development of the African Peace and Security Architecture is crucial to an effective long-term approach to conflict prevention and resolution. This requires the sustained support of the international community, including the European Union and many bilateral partnerships. The strategic relationship between the United Nations and the AU is at the heart of this evolving framework and has the potential to affect millions of people on the African continent.

The President

I thank the Secretary-General for his kind words to me personally and to my country.

I now give the floor to Mr. Romano Prodi, Chairman of the African Union-United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union operations.

Mr. Prodi (Italy)

I am truly thankful for the opportunity given me, as Chairman of the African Union-United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union peacekeeping operations, to present the results of our work. Allow me to first address two basic issues.

First, I deeply acknowledge both the quality of the individual contributions that each member provided during the intense work of the panel and the generous support received from United Nations staff. I am particularly thankful to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Secondly, it has been clear from the very beginning that while the terms of reference of the panel were framed in technical terms, the issues have strong political implications.

The foreword to the panel's report (S/2008/813) clarifies the link between peace and development. No peace means no development. Yet the complexities inherent in that statement are such that it is often difficult to reconcile the need for regional engagement with the capabilities available.

The responsibility of regional actors to address issues of peace and security in their own regions is indisputable. This is not to say that the African Union or the regional economic communities should replace the United Nations. That is clear. Rather, the principles of the United Nations Charter must be reinforced and a framework must be developed in which our collective response can ensure an appropriate answer to any given circumstance.

It was with this in mind that the panel approached its work and, in delivering its report, I hope that we can move towards a more systematic approach in our response to the challenges to peace and security in Africa.

The African Union is to play its full part. It must have the means to support future short-term operational deployments, and also the capacity to develop the essential capabilities necessary for the long-term.

In addressing the high-level meeting chaired by former President Mbeki, in April last year (see S/PV.5868), I underlined the need for closer cooperation between the international and the regional levels and the need for more effective responses by the international community in crisis situations. We are in a new era in which the scale and complexity of the challenges demand increased cooperation between all actors.

Addressing those challenges calls for effective relationships, improved coordination and a clear understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses. We have come a long way in the past few years, and I acknowledge the enormous progress that has been made by the African Union and the regional economic communities of Africa. We can all learn from that process.

However, that process needs to be consolidated so that it can truly enhance the capacity of the African Union to contribute to global security and enable it to play a front-line role in international efforts to bring peace to the continent.

Indeed, the ability of the African Union to respond to continental crises within the context of a broader international framework requires significant capabilities. Developing those capabilities requires the permanent support of the international community, including less traditional partners and donors. We must do it in spite of the present competition for scarce resources. Achieving this objective requires improved coordination, new mechanisms and brand-new instruments.

Thanks to the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), significant progress has been achieved in many fields, from conflict prevention to the deployment of peacekeeping missions and the development of long-term capacity. We must ensure further progress in this direction.

The APSA cannot operate in isolation, and the report emphasizes the importance of establishing a shared vision between the United Nations and the African Union when addressing issues of mutual concern. That implies new, strong coordination between the two Councils. The joint meetings that have already taken place represent a major step forward, but the panel is keen to encourage a more regular exchange through which greater continuity of approach could be cultivated and a shared vision truly established.

At the level of the African Union Commission and the United Nations Secretariat, the panel recognizes the great progress made and the solid basis for cooperation that has been established, both in terms of supporting operational deployments and long-term capability-building. Nonetheless, there is still significant room for improvement. Limiting operational support to individual missions is understandable, but it does not necessarily promote sustained and efficient cooperation.

If the African Union Commission and the United Nations Secretariat aim to develop the level of cooperation necessary to support effective mutual synergy, they must be able to work together in a much more structured way. To that end, the panel recommends the creation of a mechanism through which the respective organizations could exchange views on a more regular basis. Various potential models exist that can be used in order to implement that process without creating new structures.

The ability to work together can be constrained by the limited resources of the African Union Commission. Improving coordination is therefore not sufficient. It is necessary, but not sufficient. It has to be supported by the institutional capacity that will increase African ownership of the process. That can be achieved only once the Commission is properly staffed by skilled personnel provided by the African Union's member States.

Inevitably, it is military capability that catches the headlines in terms of the development of the African Standby Force, but the report underlines the point that peace on the African continent cannot be achieved through the deployment of military force alone. Capacity needs to be developed across a wide range of activities, such as intelligence, early warning, conflict prevention, post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction. Here, I repeat, there is a need to develop a shared vision.

As recently stated by the current President of the African Union, Muammar Al-Qadhafi, if Africa does not develop a common political view it will never be in charge of its peaceful destiny. Developing a shared vision is one thing; implementing, clearly, is another. That requires partnership underpinned by credible capability, and that requires huge resources.

The panel examined a range of possible options by which greater financial predictability could be built and sustained in the long term. The technical details of that proposal must be further developed in the near future.

The recommendation that United Nations legislative bodies approve the use of assessed contributions under certain criteria recognizes the importance of the United Nations/African Union relationship, as well as the advantages to be gained by exploiting the African Union's comparative advantage in quickly deploying a bridging operation until conditions are established for longer-term United Nations engagement. The panel was sensitive to the wide range of different views on that proposal, and it expressed the opinion that it is time for the United Nations to expand all aspects concerning the role of the African Union in resolving peace and security issues -- of course, in coordination with the efforts of the United Nations.

Similarly, the recommendations concerning the need for logistical support require much closer examination. In particular, there is an opportunity to break with some of the traditional approaches of the past and to take advantage of more innovative ideas that avoid the need to stockpile large quantities of equipment, which is something that is increasingly important in the current economic climate.

In relation to long-term capacity-building, the panel recommended the establishment of a multi-donor trust fund. The very concept of a multi-donor fund implies that all those that have an interest in a peaceful Africa shall be called on to contribute financial, human and technical resources in order to build that capacity. New donors were encouraged, are encouraged and will be encouraged to start and increase their contributions. If, as we hope, a large multi-donor fund is successfully established, its size and complexity will require expertise that is found in very few international institutions. I know that this is debated, but that is why, in the start-up phase, we recommend the involvement of the United Nations Development Programme. However, in order to ensure the progressive empowerment of the African Union, the headquarters of that structure will be initially located in Addis Ababa. The African Union is expected to take over full responsibility in a short period of time, and thereafter have full ownership of the fund.

Moreover, it should be stressed that, from the very beginning, the African Union will be in charge of defining priorities and projects in the area of capacity-building. In various meetings with the heads of State or Government of countries interested in supporting the role of the African Union in peacekeeping, I have found a generally positive attitude with regard our proposal for a multi-donor fund dedicated to long-term capacity-building. I understand that the engagement of a Prime Minister is different from that of a Minister for Finance, but it was very a very encouraging development.

That idea also requires additional consideration in order to define the detailed modalities and to determine how it can work in synergy with existing mechanisms such as the African Peace Facility, which was created and supported by the European Union.

In conclusion, I would emphasize that some of the recommendations can be implemented relatively easily, in particular those dealing with strengthening the political relationship between the United Nations and the African Union. Some of them are already moving forward as part of an ongoing process. Others require much more detailed analysis than was possible to do under the panel.

The panel conducted the bulk of its work when the consequences of the current economic downturn were not yet fully expressed. Nonetheless, it is important that support for the African Union increase in the future. It is too important. We have to work better together, and we have to find more efficient instruments for cooperation.

All of us must be engaged in developing the African Union's capacity. The support of African Union member States is as critical as the material support of non-African States Members of the United Nations. Ownership must belong to Africa, but all Member States, particularly those with interests in Africa, need to be committed to supporting the process. It is clear that there cannot be development without peace, but it is also clear that peace in Africa affects not only Africa's future but the future of all of us. This report should therefore be seen as a significant step in a longer process that will require further consultation and work for the development of its recommendations.

The President

I thank Mr. Prodi for his briefing and statement.

I now give the floor to Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union.

Mr. Lamamra (African Union)

Mr. President, allow me at the outset to say what a pleasure it is to address the Security Council under your presidency on behalf of the African Union Commission and its Chairperson, Mr. Jean Ping, on a question of great importance for the promotion of peace, security and stability on the African continent. But first of all, I should like, Mr. President, to congratulate you upon your appointment as Permanent Representative of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to the United Nations and upon your accession to the presidency of the Security Council for this month. I am especially grateful to you, Sir, for having invited us to this debate devoted to the consideration of the report of the African Union-United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union peacekeeping operations (S/2008/813). This question now lies at the very heart of the problem of strengthening the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations throughout our continent and throughout the world.

In this context, we are also grateful to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his unswerving commitment to peace in Africa and to the promotion of an effective, exemplary partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. With respect to this partnership, the appointment of Chairman Romano Prodi, a faithful friend of Africa, to head this African Union-United Nations group of experts was a guarantee of the success of this endeavour, as demonstrated by the report currently being considered. I should like to convey here to Chairman Prodi, as well as to the members of the panel, the congratulations of the African Union Commission and my own.

In fact, this report accurately reflects the quality of work built on the lessons learned from peacekeeping operations in Africa and opens up new, promising prospects for greater effectiveness in the African Union's efforts in this regard via the availability of the predictable and lasting financial resources that the Union needs to further strengthen its role in the field of peace and security. The need to strengthen institutional capacities of the African Union, the increase in resources and the stabilization of peacekeeping financing in Africa are opportunely highlighted in this report.

Just as pertinent are the special recommendations aimed at strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in the field of operational collaboration at various levels. The same is true with regard to the creation of new financing mechanisms that would enable us to support specific peacekeeping operations, whether through United Nations-assessed funding or by way of the proposal for a multi-donor trust fund funded by voluntary contributions. In our opinion, this measure is timely, innovative and worthy of everyone's support.

Over these last few years, regional arrangements have demonstrated renewed dynamism in the promotion of peace, security and stability in their respective regions. Nowhere is this new reality more apparent than in Africa. For a few years now, the African Union has given a new dynamic to its efforts aimed at meeting the pressing challenges facing the continent in the field of peace and security.

On the basis of relevant provisions of the Protocol relating to the establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, a continental peace and security architecture has been born. Certainly, a great deal remains to be done to render this architecture fully operational. Nonetheless, significant progress has been achieved, as evidenced by the daily actions of the Peace and Security Council and the initiatives undertaken by the Panel of the Wise as well as the measures undertaken within the framework of the setting up of the Continental Early Warning System and the measures aimed at the launching in June 2010 of the African Standby Force. Moreover, the African Union and the regional mechanisms are working ever more closely together within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation concluded in January 2008.

Alongside the progressive implementation of this architecture, the African Union is, on a daily basis, committed to efforts aimed at preventing, managing and settling conflicts. That the challenges are huge is clear to all. It is sufficient to skim through recent news articles on the continent to see that. However, today, we have a strong political will to face those difficulties by stepping up efforts to ensure that structural prevention, mediation and good offices enable us to keep latent tensions and crises from degenerating into open armed conflict.

Africa's experience in the field of the deployment of observers and military units has developed in various parts of the continent in sometimes especially difficult conditions. That was the case in the recent past in Burundi and the Sudan. It is the case today in Somalia, where battalions deployed by Uganda and Burundi within the framework of African Union Mission in Somalia are bravely striving to support the incipient progress of the Somali people on their road to peace, reconciliation, security and stability.

In undertaking such initiatives, the African Union is of course discharging its own political responsibilities, and clearly such actions are eloquent proof of an African solidarity that yearns to be proactive and that wants other African States to stand side by side with Somalia in its ordeal. At the same time, the African Union, through all these initiatives in the field of restoring peace and in promoting and supporting peace, is also acting on behalf of the international community, specifically on behalf of the Security Council, which bears the main burden in the maintenance of international peace and security.

It is thus in this context that the African Union has requested that the United Nations, within the framework of Chapter VIII of its Charter, consider the possibility of financing, via regularly assessed contributions, peacekeeping operations undertaken by the African Union or under its authority and with the consent of the Security Council. The process launched following that request, pursuant to a well-advised proposal submitted by South Africa, has resulted in the report submitted for the Council's consideration today. I wish to express the deep appreciation of the African Union Commission to Ms. Dlamini Zuma, Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Africa, for her country's and her personal commitment to undertaking this noble project.

Indisputably, the report being considered today is an important step in the overall efforts aimed at building the capacities of the African Union, meeting the challenges facing the continent in the field of peace and security, and mobilizing increased support from the international community. The recommendations on the financing of African Union peacekeeping operations are, from that point of view, of special importance.

The President of the African Union Peace and Security Council for March will have the opportunity to share with Council members the specific contributions that the Peace and Security Council wishes to make directly to the Council's consideration of the issue.

The future of maintaining international peace and security requires creativity and boldness from all of us. Greater decentralization or devolution, requiring harmonized efforts at the global and regional levels and cohesive strategies, is an ever more essential part of addressing the major challenges in the field of peace and security facing the international community, especially in Africa. At a time when Africa, having correctly anticipated the new realities and requirements of peacekeeping and acquired a comprehensive and progressively operational peace and security architecture -- of which the African Standby Force must be a rapid and effective tool -- it is necessary to effectively meet the challenge of financing equitably and as a shared responsibility.

The Prodi report stands as a qualitative and decisive step in that direction. The African Union will spare no effort to ensure that the guidance and recommendations of the report are turned into realities, to the greatest benefit of peace and security throughout our continent and the world.

The President

I thank Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, for his briefing.

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 texts in writing and to deliver a condensed version when speaking in the Chamber.

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Africa.

Ms. Dlamini Zuma (South Africa)

We thank you, Sir, for allowing us to participate and share our views on the important issue of strengthening the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union (AU), at today's open meeting. I also take this opportunity to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of March. My delegation is also grateful to the Secretary-General for his statement and participation in this meeting.

Our appreciation also goes to Mr. Romano Prodi, Chairman of the African Union-United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union operations, for introducing his important report (S/2008/813), and we hope that he will continue to accompany the process to its logical conclusion.

Today, the need to strengthen and enhance the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations remains more important than ever before because we are seeing an increased reliance on regional organizations in addressing and resolving some of the conflicts facing us. We are encouraged to note that, over the years, the cooperation between the United Nations and the AU has improved. The recent partnership between the United Nations and the AU in the deployment of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur is testimony to the fact that United Nations cooperation and partnership with regional organizations are crucial.

In addition, we commend the decision of the Security Council to adopt a resolution approving the proposals to strengthen and provide support to the African Union Mission in Somalia. We hope that positive development will lead to greater and more systematic cooperation and partnership.

Notwithstanding the need for enhanced cooperation and partnership between the United Nations and regional organizations, that cooperation does not seek to absolve the Security Council of its Charter-mandated responsibility in the maintenance of international peace and security. In that context, the Security Council remains the main international body entrusted with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. South Africa believes strongly that we should coordinate our collective security efforts under the auspices of United Nations. It is for this reason that, during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, South Africa focused on the important question of the enhancement of the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union.

Among others, resolution 1809 (2008) recognizes the need to enhance the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of financing regional organizations when they undertake peacekeeping under United Nations authority. Furthermore, the said resolution welcomed the Secretary-General's proposal to establish an African Union-United Nations panel to consider in depth the modalities of how to support peacekeeping operations.

South Africa welcomes the report of the African Union-United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union operations. We also commend the tireless efforts of Mr. Romano Prodi, Chairman of the panel and other members of the panel, in preparing the report. As noted in paragraph 4 of the report, the panel consulted as widely as possible with the United Nations, the African Union and other relevant interlocutors.

South Africa welcomes the bold recommendations contained in the report of the panel. It should, however, be noted that those recommendations reflect a work in progress and do not provide conclusive answers on ensuring necessary, sustainable and predictable resources for African peacekeeping operations undertaken by the African Union.

My delegation welcomes the panel's recommendations, in particular in paragraph 90 of the report relating to the use of United Nations-assessed contributions. The issue of the funding of regional peacekeeping operations remains central to enhancing and streamlining the relationship between the United Nations and the African Union. We believe that this recommendation is the first important step towards addressing the most important constraints that limit Africa's capacity to resolve conflicts on our continent.

For its part, the AU remains committed to resolving African conflicts. The operationalization of the AU Peace and Security Council and the Continental Early Warning System, post-conflict reconstruction and development and the Panel of the Wise and the African Standby Force are clear indications of that resolve and the basic framework for addressing peace and security on the continent. However, that commitment is not matched by the resources at its disposal. For its part, the United Nations, in particular the Security Council, should augment its efforts in a concrete manner.

The issue of capacity-building is equally important. My delegation concurs with the argument raised by the panel on the importance of enhancing the institutional capacity of the AU. We believe that any efforts aimed at improving that area should build on existing mechanisms. In that context, we commend the ongoing efforts by various stakeholders aimed at providing support to the AU in the area of capacity-building. In particular, my delegation would like to acknowledge the continuing pivotal role that the European Union, through the new African Peace Facility, is playing in enhancing the early response mechanism of the African-led mediation and peace support operations.

My delegation fully supports the panel's view that its recommendations are only an initial phase in a long-term process of developing and supporting the AU's own capacity. In that regard, South Africa endorses the panel's recommendation that a joint African Union-United Nations team should be established to examine the detailed modalities to support the recommendations made in the report. We would also like to say that we share the views of the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, Mr. Lamamra, and thank him for being here.

In conclusion, we are pleased that the Security Council will adopt a presidential statement that contains language addressing common and mutual challenges and opportunities facing both the United Nations and the AU. For its part, South Africa supports that statement but also lends its support to the common endeavours aimed at further enhancing cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular. We therefore hope that the Secretary-General will continue his efforts in that direction.

The President

I thank Minister Zuma for her statement.

I shall now give the floor to the members of the Security Council.

Mr. Shcherbak (Russia)

The delegation of the Russian Federation, Sir, is pleased to see you assume your new functions as Permanent Representative of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. We wish you every possible success. We note with satisfaction the presence at today's meeting of the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Africa, Ms. Dlamini Zuma, and the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, Mr. Lamamra.

We are grateful to Mr. Prodi and the team that he leads for the comprehensive report on modalities for support to African Union peacekeeping operations (S/2008/813). We note the timeliness of that document. In our view, the report significantly contributes to the international community's efforts towards settling conflicts throughout the African continent. It contains an in-depth analysis of African Union peacekeeping efforts and of ways to strengthen the peacekeeping capacities of that regional organization. It proposes a broad range of short- and long-term practical steps to bolster cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations.

Clearly, the capacities and resources of the African Union need international support. In that regard, priority attention should be paid to developing a continental peace and security architecture and to establishing and operationalizing an African Standby Force. Here, it is necessary to look at coordinating the international community's efforts to assist the African Union in increasing its own peacekeeping capacities.

With regard to increasing the cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union, which today the Secretary-General rightly referred to as a strategic relationship, substantial positive experience has been accumulated. A joint peacekeeping force has been set up in Darfur under the aegis of the United Nations and the African Union and vigorous efforts are being made to advance the Darfur political process. African Union member States are playing an important role in stabilizing the situation in Somalia.

Political and diplomatic means to avert threats and conflicts are ever more topical. Here, a key role should lie with the Africans themselves. The peacekeeping efforts of the African Union and of subregional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States, the Southern African Development Community and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, as well as mediation missions by prominent African political actors, have on a number of occasions contributed to achieving significant advances in regional stability.

Experience has shown the effectiveness of the model of the preventive deployment of regional peacekeeping operations in hot spots throughout the continent with subsequent transfer of those missions to the United Nations. We share the assessment of Mr. Prodi's report that the crux of today's peacekeeping operations lies in the fact that no single organization can alone resolve these issues. Furthering collective approaches are necessary to effectively overcome today's threats and challenges and demand the consistent stepping up of cooperation among the United Nations, the Security Council and its regional partners. Such cooperation should be based on the 2005 World Summit Outcome (General Assembly resolution 60/1) and the United Nations Charter, in particular Chapter VIII. The provisions of Chapter VIII of the Charter provide a sound legal basis for conducting African peacekeeping operations sanctioned by the Security Council, helping set up an African security architecture. African mechanisms aimed at preventing and settling conflicts must become fully operational.

In the past few years, the Council has repeatedly considered the issue of stepping up practical cooperation with regional organizations. Today's debate, which is focused on practical cooperation with the African Union, is further confirmation of the serious attention the Security Council is paying to developing effective strategies to preserve peace and security in Africa. The report's recommendations deserve close attention and substantive further development. Many of those recommendations touch upon the interests of all States Member of our global Organization. The recommendations on providing temporary logistical and financial support to African Union peacekeeping operations from Member States' assessed contributions should be carefully analysed both by the United Nations Secretariat and by the General Assembly.

The Russian Federation is actively participating in drawing up and implementing an international programme of strategic support for Africa, including strengthening the peacekeeping capacities of the African Union. Russian peacekeepers are active in almost all United Nations peacekeeping operations throughout the African continent. A Russian helicopter unit is deployed as part of the United Nations mission in the Sudan. Another helicopter unit is deployed as part of the European Union-led peacekeeping force in Chad and the Central African Republic and will soon start discharging its duties as part of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad. Russia's specialized training institutions are implementing a training programme for African peacekeeping personnel.

In conclusion, I would like to state the readiness of the Russian delegation to endorse the draft presidential statement that is being prepared by Libya. We hope that today's discussion will serve to lend new impetus to the practical cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union.

Mr. Rugunda (Uganda)

I wish, Sir, to welcome you and to congratulate you upon assuming the post of Permanent Representative of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and the presidency of the Security Council. I also wish to thank you for organizing this important debate, which has given the wider United Nations membership an opportunity to contribute to a discussion on peace and security in Africa.

I wish to welcome Ms. Dlamini Zuma, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Africa, whose presence here is a fitting tribute to the important role that South Africa played while on the Security Council in having the discussion on modalities for supporting peacekeeping operations on the Council's agenda. I also wish to welcome the Chairman of the African Union-United Nations panel, Mr. Romano Prodi, and thank him and other members of the panel for the good work they have done. Let me also recognize the presence of Ambassador Lamamra, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union. I wish to thank the guests for the statements they have made, and also to thank the Secretary-General of the United Nations for being with us and for his statement.

This debate today is an opportunity for the United Nations to focus once again on peace and security in Africa. Uganda commends the panel for the report. It is significant that from the outset the report recognizes the primacy of the United Nations Security Council in matters of international peace and security, which is very fundamental. The report also emphasizes the need to enhance the strategic relationship between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) as the basis for a more effective partnership when addressing issues of mutual interest.

As many in this Council know, conflicts have devastated many parts of the African continent. They have caused untold economic and social damage and have adversely affected the continent's development. Apart from causing human suffering, those conflicts aggravate poverty and create breeding grounds for the emergence of new security threats, including international crime and terrorism.

It is significant to note that in the last decade Africa has shown great resolve and has exhibited much stronger political will in efforts to end conflicts on the continent. Africa has demonstrated greater responsibility in finding solutions to many of those conflicts.

Since its establishment, the AU Peace and Security Council has made a tremendous contribution towards peace and security in Africa. Africa has developed its own capacity to respond to crises, and we have seen in recent times the pivotal role the African Union has played in settling crises on the continent in places such as Comoros, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Burundi. African ownership has been clearly demonstrated through the contribution of troops, logistics, political management of conflicts and finances, according to Africa's capacity.

It is for these reasons that Uganda emphasizes the need for clarity in the relationship between the United Nations and the African Union, especially between the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, and the United Nations Secretariat and the African Union Commission, as the basis for a more effective partnership on peace and security. The role of regional arrangements is acknowledged in the Charter of the United Nations and should rightly be the basis for building a solid partnership.

The demands placed on the United Nations for intervention have shown that there needs to be a division of responsibilities between the United Nations and regional organizations such as the African Union in the spheres of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding in order to make possible more effective and comprehensive responses to conflict situations. Such division of labour should take advantage of the different capabilities. As the report rightly states, "There is a significant synergy to be achieved in drawing on the respective capacities of both organizations and exercising the comparative advantage that each can offer" (S/2008/813, para. 6). It is essential that the concept of sharing responsibilities for the execution of missions for the maintenance of international peace and security between the United Nations and the AU is clearly understood.

Uganda therefore welcomes the establishment of a more effective relationship between the United Nations Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council and between the United Nations Secretariat and the AU Commission. Decisions pertaining to the setting up of missions, the mandates conferred, the composition of the force, the rules of engagement and reviews of conduct and performance of such missions from time to time can and should be made with consultations with all involved.

Lessons have been learned from various peacekeeping operations in Africa. One is the need to develop capacity to support operations. As the report rightly points out, the African Union will be able to respond to crises effectively only if there is sufficient political and financial commitment by its own member States and also by the international community. By all accounts, lack of resources remains the single biggest challenge limiting the ability of missions to implement their mandates effectively.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has provided examples that have shown that the reliance on unpredictable sources of funding has been a disincentive to potential troop-contributing countries, who are understandably reluctant to commit to missions that they see as under-resourced, especially when that is accompanied by a lack of any guarantee of sustained reimbursement of resources. The proposed establishment of a trust fund as one of the secondary sources of funding is welcome. However, that requires that issues of the predictability and sustainability of such a fund be addressed. The management of the proposed trust fund would also need further elaboration, with a view to creating a management system that is flexible, transparent and rapid.

The establishment of a predictable, sustainable and flexible financing mechanism for United Nations-mandated peacekeeping operations undertaken by the African Union is important. Since the AU acts on behalf of the United Nations Security Council in accordance with Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter, it is imperative that the primary source of funding for peacekeeping operations be United Nations-assessed contributions. That underscores the collective responsibility provided for in the Charter.

Finally, I wish once again to commend the panel for the report. Peacekeeping is and remains an essential and indispensable tool available to the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security. Its viability and effectiveness will be greatly enhanced if there is closer cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and the AU. The debate today is part of a process, and Uganda will continue actively participating in this process in order to identify feasible actions that can ensure timely intervention so that conflicts, particularly in Africa, can be prevented and many precious lives saved.

Uganda subscribes to and supports the Libyan-initiated presidential statement, which, we think, would be a logical outcome to this important debate.

Ms. Rice (United States)

I wish to begin, Sir, by welcoming you as the new Permanent Representative of Libya and congratulating you on your assumption of the Chair as President of the Council for this month.

I also want to thank Prime Minister Prodi for his leadership and to thank the other members of the African Union-United Nations panel for their valuable discussion of ways to strengthen the African Union's capacity to organize more effective peacekeeping operations. I am pleased to welcome here as well today Foreign Minister Zuma of South Africa and African Union (AU) Commissioner Lamamra, who have both made enormous contributions in this field.

We are glad to have this chance to discuss ways to further deepen the important partnership on peacekeeping between the United Nations and the African Union, a partnership that we steadfastly support and one that lets both the United Nations and the AU do far more than either could do on its own. We look forward to further efforts to ensure that the two organizations coordinate smoothly and draw upon their own unique strengths.

In the past, United Nations partnerships with the AU and other, subregional, organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have helped end conflicts and protect vulnerable civilians. The question today is how best to build upon those successes, carry out peacekeeping operations more effectively and promote peace and stability across the continent.

Africa's needs are great, but so are the contributions that Africans have made for many years to keeping the peace. We salute the many African countries that have contributed troops and otherwise supported peace operations across the continent -- and, indeed, beyond the continent. And in particular we recognize the ongoing courage of the African Union's decision to become the first body to deploy troops to Darfur when the situation there was and is at its most uncertain, unstable and risky. Tragically, this week's further loss of life has reminded us again how brave the troops of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur are and how crucial their life-saving mission is.

We also want to express thanks for and acknowledge the extraordinary contributions and sacrifices of the Governments of Uganda and Burundi as they play a crucial role in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), where the circumstances are indeed dangerous and where lives have been lost.

Reading the report before us today (S/2008/813) suggests several important steps forward. Let me discuss a few of them briefly.

First, we should work together to further enhance the AU secretariat's capacity to plan, manage and sustain peacekeeping operations in the field over the long term. My Government also encourages the secretariats of both the United Nations and the African Union to share the burden of planning for joint operations and to further develop mechanisms to make coordination on joint missions easier and smoother.

Secondly, as the panel as noted, peacekeeping is not the only tool, or even always the best one, to handle every conflict. The panel recommends that the African Union also increase its capacities in the areas of conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict peacebuilding and stabilization. We welcome that call.

Thirdly, we are pleased to note that the panel has recommended that a trust fund mechanism be created to coordinate donor assistance to the ongoing project of stronger African Union peacekeeping. The United States encourages donor nations to join in assisting the AU, either through a trust fund or through bilateral programmes.

Fourthly, we must recognize how seriously peacekeeping ventures in Africa can be undermined by insufficient resources. This is indeed a major challenge, and we hope we can work together to look at ways to do better in the future. The United States has already taken a leading role in the effort to build up Africa's peacekeeping capacities and to support operations already in the field. Starting with the African Crisis Response Initiative in the 1990s and United States training and equipment support for African contingents that deployed then to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, the United States has led efforts to help build African peacekeeping capacity.

Just since 2005, we have trained and equipped more than 68,000 African peacekeeping troops from 22 countries through the Global Peace Operation Initiative's African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance programme. These troops have joined in peacekeeping missions across the continent under the auspices of the United Nations, the AU and subregional organizations such as ECOWAS. Since 2005, through Global Peace Operation Initiative's programmes amounting to more than $7 million, the United States has provided funding, equipment, advisers and technical assistance to help the AU and ECOWAS secretariats build up their peacekeeping capabilities. We have also extensive materiel, logistical and technical support to AU peacekeeping forces in Darfur and Somalia.

We urge our colleagues on the Council to increase significantly their bilateral contributions to AMISOM. We encourage other donors to follow suit, and we hope that additional countries will consider contributing to AMISOM to join in this important effort. There is much more for all of us to do, but we look forward to working together to create a more peaceful, prosperous and secure Africa.

Mr. Kafando (Burkina Faso)

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