76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
UN Security Council debate on UN and African Union cooperation
Statement by Deputy Foreign Minister Andre Rundu
October 28, New York
Mr President, Excellences,
It is a great honour for me to participate in this high-level debate organised by Kenya. Now is the time to discuss the need to enhance our cooperation and renew solidarity. Our world is becoming more and more complex, with challenges like COVID-19 pandemic or climate change having clear implications on international peace and security. The debate on enhancing cooperation with regional organisations and renewing solidarity is therefore very timely and relevant.
Cooperation between the United Nations and African Union is crucial in maintaining peace and security.
Estonia strongly condemns the military coup of 25 October in Sudan. We call on Sudan’s military authorities refrain from violence, and immediately return to the road map for transition to civilian rule as laid out in the Constitutional Document.
Estonia believes that in order to contribute to conflict prevention, we should focus on three priority areas.
First, more cooperation is needed in the area of climate change. The negative impacts of climate change have already hit hard, especially in Africa. A new report by the United Nations highlights Africa’s “disproportionate vulnerability” to food insecurity, poverty and population displacement due to climate change. The focus of the cooperation between the United Nations and African Union must be on tackling climate change, as one of the greatest challenges of our time.
Second, respect and protection of human rights is one of the fundamental corner stones to achieve lasting peace and security in Africa. Weak rule of law and judicial institutions are one of the primary underlying reasons why there is not sufficient developments in safeguarding human rights. Building fair and trustworthy accountability mechanisms for serious violations across the continent should be one of our strategic priorities in the collaboration between the UN and African Union.
Third, empowering women and youth must be at the core of our cooperation efforts. Again, without full, meaningful and effective participation of women and youth, we cannot realistically expect to build sustainable societies and lasting peace. More needs to be done in this area.
Estonia believes that with genuine effort and focus, we can do more within the cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union.
The objective of today’s debate is to raise awareness and share the assessment of these trends. The situation is alarming, we need to act together.
The Sahel region is especially vulnerable to these negative developments. Estonia contributes in the region by participating in various missions in Sahel. Yes, African solutions are needed for African challenges. At the same time, it is our collective responsibility, as no state should be left alone in fighting global challenges.
The security architecture is there. The United Nations and the African Union are working together. Africa is an important stakeholder in international peacebuilding efforts. Common African Position on the UN Peacebuilding Architecture calls for enhanced efforts to implement Agenda 2063. That includes its flagship programme Silencing the Guns. While it is the matter of the African leaders to define how to silence the guns, we as the international community are there to help.
We encourage regional and subregional organisations to make full use of their comparative advantage.
We also welcome the continuous important efforts and enhanced peacekeeping role of the African Union and subregional organisations. The African Union Mission in Somalia and the G5 Sahel Force are crucial contributors to the security of the respective countries and regions. We need to ensure effective and orderly transition to the renewed mandates to consolidate peace and development gains, reduce the risk of relapse and insurgency.
Mr President,
To conclude my statement on Africa’s role in maintaining peace and security it is pertinent to recall the Secretary General’s recent report Our Common Agenda which notes that the UN Security Council could be made more representative of the twenty-first century, including better representation for Africa. Estonia agrees with this assessment.
Thank you.
