Statement by H.E. Ambassador Koro Bessho
Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations
at the Debate of the United Nations Security Council
on Cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union  
18 November 2016

 

 

Mr. President,

 

          Thank you for convening this debate. I also thank Mr. Menkerios, Ambassador Chergui, and Dr. Kaberuka for their briefings.

 

          Cooperation between the UN and the AU on peace and security has evolved markedly in recent years.  Indeed, the international challenges we face today demand that our organizations develop an ever-closer strategic partnership.  This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Joint Annual Consultative Meeting between the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council.  Our dialogue and partnership will only continue to grow.

 

          We are encouraged by AU commitments to make the AU more self-reliant, including via financial arrangements on peace support operations through the African Peace Fund.  Not only the UN Secretariat but also UN Member States themselves should respond to this progress by engaging in discussions on financial issues.

 

          In discussing peacekeeping, we should recall that the true aim of the UN-AU partnership is sustaining peace.  Strengthened peace operations are an important tool to this end, but not our final goal. I believe this is the essence of the AU aspiration to “silence the guns by 2020, through enhanced dialogue-centered conflict prevention and resolution.”  And as the Council recognized through its presidential statement under the Japanese presidency in July, we believe that peacebuilding is the key.  The AU has a comparative advantage in its contextual knowledge and mediation abilities in support of political solutions, including through the Panel of the Wise.  Japan believes strongly in political solutions and has supported AU mediation efforts and good offices since 1996, the time of the OAU.  Strengthened UN-AU partnerships in conflict management and peacebuilding will be key success factors in creating more effective peace operations and more sustainable peace in the long-term.

 

          Ultimately, it is Africa’s socio-economic development that will lead to sustainable peace and the AU’s self-reliance.  The AU Policy on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development reminds us that security and development are closely linked.  As we consider how to strengthen UN-AU cooperation, we should focus on Agenda 2063’s call for economic and human development, conflict prevention, and institutions.  The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) also complements UN-AU cooperation and is based on the principles of African ownership and international partnership.

 

          More than anything, the UN-AU partnership is about empowering African states, societies and people to play an active role in creating a safer and more prosperous future.  Japan looks forward to supporting continued collaboration that employs the comparative advantages of each organization in pursuit of our common goal.

 

          Thank you, Mr. President.