New York: Europe and the Arabs
The UN Security Council held its regular meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, including the African Union. A UN official emphasized that Africa is a continent of tremendous promise, with a young, energetic, and innovative population brimming with hope and vast untapped potential.
This came in a briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, who reviewed the Secretary-General's report on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, which showed that free, fair, and credible elections were held in several countries over the past year.
He added: "Economically, Africa continues to demonstrate commendable resilience, driven by its young population, abundant natural resources, expanding consumer markets, and transformative opportunities." According to the UN daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received Wednesday morning:
Complex Conflicts
The UN official warned of concerns in some parts of the continent about the number and complexity of conflicts, which are often exacerbated by factors including weak or ineffective state authority, violence and extremism leading to terrorist activities, inequitable management of natural resources, organized crime, the impact of climate change, severe food insecurity, and, in some cases, the denial of basic human rights.
He pointed to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which stands out as the world's largest humanitarian and forced displacement crisis, welcoming the renewed momentum of diplomatic efforts in recent weeks to end the conflict.
Onanga-Anyanga reiterated "the urgent need to address the situation of women and girls in conflict-affected areas," particularly in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, where gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual violence remain widespread.
He emphasized that the strong and enduring partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, as well as with other regional organizations, "forms the foundation of effective and interconnected multilateralism."
The Key to Successful Partnerships
The Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Poopie, focused her briefing on the latest developments regarding the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2719 on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union.
Poopie said, "Resolution 2719 was designed as a means to address a long-standing gap in the African Union's peace and security architecture, enabling a better response to armed conflicts on the African continent, with the support of the broader international community."
She expressed optimism that the Council has repeatedly reiterated its support for the implementation of the resolution on a case-by-case basis since its adoption in 2023.
She spoke of the progress made in implementing the resolution across its four priority workstreams: joint planning, mission support, finance and budget, compliance, and protection of civilians.
She noted that "challenges remain," emphasizing that the United Nations and the African Union must continue working to foster a shared understanding of the resolution and expectations regarding it. "Shared understanding and realistic expectations are key to successful partnerships," she said.
A Partnership Built on Integration
The Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United Nations, Mohamed Idriss, said, "This meeting is taking place at a time when Africa is facing an unprecedented array of security threats."
He added, "We must work together to address these challenges," from Libya to the Sahel, the Chad Basin, and West Africa, as well as exert the same resolve to achieve peace in Sudan, prevent any escalation of conflicts in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, and facilitate all efforts aimed at stabilizing the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region.
He said that multilateral efforts and support from the international community for conflict prevention and mediation should be directed towards strengthening African ownership and leadership, commending the strong partnership between the African Union and the United Nations, "based on the principle of complementarity."