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Statement by H.E. Mr. Yoshifumi Okamura Ambassador,
Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations,
Chargé d’Affaires
At the Open Debate of the Security Council
On “Peace Operations: The UN-AU Partnership and Its Evolution”
16 December 2014
Mr. President,
At the outset, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your leadership in convening today’s open debate. I would also like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his briefing.
Mr. President,
Let me start my statement by underlining the importance of African ownership in resolving conflicts in Africa. The African people know themselves better than anyone else. Political mediation efforts and peace operations in Africa can best succeed when they are conducted in ways that are respectful of African cultures and traditions.
Therefore, Japan highly commends Africa’s ownership in the field of peace and security. The African Union (AU) has been taking the lead in these efforts. The roles played by various sub-regional communities are also noteworthy.
I witnessed on the ground how crucial African-led processes are in dealing with crises on the continent. Serving as Japan’s Ambassador to the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, I closely observed the situation following the presidential elections in November 2010. As the Ivoirians went through political turmoil, the AU and the ECOWAS weighed in by mediating between parties concerned. Although that did not prevent military clashes from occurring in the ensuing months, active engagement on the part of these African institutions helped lay the necessary foundation for political stability and reconstruction that have been brought about in the country since May 2011 under the leadership of President Alassane Ouattara.
Mr. President,
African ownership and international partnership are the basic principles of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). These principles were reaffirmed in the “Yokohama Declaration” issued at the TICAD V that Japan hosted in June last year together with the AU Commission, the UN, the UNDP, and the World Bank.
As Director-General for African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I was directly in charge of the organization of the TICAD V. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my personal gratitude to my African counterparts, in particular my Chadian colleagues, for their valuable cooperation in successfully holding the conference. Among them was Ambassador Mahamat Zene Cherif, then Permanent Representative of Chad to the AU. It is a great honor for me to be able to continue to closely work with him in his new capacity as Permanent Representative of Chad to the UN.
Mr. President,
Today’s debate at the Security Council is particularly relevant and timely for exploring ways to deepen the UN-AU partnership for peace, as the issue of partnerships is one of the areas that the review process by the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations will focus on. I would like to touch upon two challenges to be addressed in this regard.
My first point concerns the financing of AU peace operations. While the primary responsibility to secure financial resources lies with the African Union, the United Nations needs to continue to engage with the African Union to consider how to enhance the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of the financing of AU operations mandated by the Security Council.
In this vein, we note that the Prodi Panel recommended the establishment of a multi-donor trust fund as a possible option. We are of the view, however, that this option needs to be carefully considered in light of whether such a fund would be operated under an appropriate oversight, including a reliable audit system.
Japan has been making its own financial contributions through the AU Peace Fund, which now totals approximately 12 million dollars. Last March, Japan donated 3 million dollars to this fund to support the Africa-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA), and later on, the African Union Mission for the Central African Republic and Central Africa (MISAC).
My second point concerns the issue of rapid deployment of peacekeeping operations. Japan appreciates African ownership in this area. Japan looks forward to the early operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF). We hope that the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC) that the AU unveiled last year will serve in the interim to facilitate the rapid deployment of African forces. We would also like to commend the initiative taken by the United States to launch the African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership (APRRP).
Japan, for its part, will continue to support African endeavors in line with the pledges that Prime Minister Abe expressed at the Summit meeting on the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) held in New York on September 26th. For instance, we are currently working on a new assistance package to provide heavy engineering equipment and personnel training in Africa. Furthermore, Japan’s assistance to PKO training centers in Africa contributes to capacity building of African personnel. As many as 13 PKO centers have received so far a total of 36.6 million dollars from Japan since 2008. Japan’s Self Defense Forces personnel have also been dispatched to manage programs or deliver lectures at these centers.
Mr. President,
In closing, I would like to underscore once again the importance of Africa’s ownership in the field of peace and security. We expect Africa to continue to actively engage not only in resolving their conflicts but also preventing them.
As a “proactive contributor to peace”, Japan stands ready to support these African efforts. Our contributions are not limited to capacity building. We will continue to provide development assistance to reduce poverty and promote growth. We are confident that our assistance contributes to addressing the root causes of conflicts. These are key commitments that Prime Minister Abe made to African leaders on the occasion of the TICAD V.
The African Union Commission and the United Nations are among the co-organizers of the TICAD process. Japan will continue to work hand in hand with these two institutions to promote peace and prosperity in Africa, based on the TICAD’s twin principles of African ownership and international partnership.
I thank you, Mr. President.
