President Cyril Ramaphosa will later today preside over a United Nations (UN) high-level debate on “cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organisations with a specific focus on the UN and the African Union (AU)”.
South Africa will host the high-level debate as part of its Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This role draws to a close at the end of December.
During the high-level debate, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, will highlight their respective interventions for cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in seeking peace and security solutions in Africa.
In line with the theme of the debate, Heads of State and Government of African countries currently on the agenda on the UNSC will set out their experiences in terms on the Council’s maintenance of peace and security on the continent.
These countries include the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR), Mali and Libya.
During this month, South Africa will focus on strengthening UN-AU cooperation and emphasising the importance of a proactive approach to the maintenance of international peace and security through greater attention to preventative diplomacy mechanisms and post-conflict reconstruction and development.
South Africa’s current term of the Security Council focused on preventing and resolving conflicts on the African continent, advancing the Women Peace and Security Agenda and the promotion of the pacifist settlement of disputes as well as conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
“Serving on the UN Security Council has provided South Africa with an opportunity to meaningfully contribute towards the African Union’s goal of ending conflicts and silencing the guns on the Continent by 2020, specifically during this year where we concurrently Chair the African Union,” said the Presidency. – SAnews.gov.za
