Luanda - Angola has called on the African Union and the United Nations to step up efforts to implement Resolution 2719 (2023) on peacekeeping operations in Africa," the country’s permanent representative to the continental organization, Miguel Bembe, said Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Angola’s position was expressed during the 1215th Meeting of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) dedicated to the future of Peace Support Operations led by the continental organization.
According to the Angolan diplomat, UN Security Council Resolution 2719 represents an important milestone for the financing of AU Peace Support Operations.
The diplomat lamented the situation of some African countries facing armed conflicts and humanitarian crises, which makes it imperative to implement this resolution effectively and swiftly and crucial that funding mechanisms are activated to respond to the immediate and emerging needs of peace operations on the African continent.
"This commitment is essential to strengthen the AU's capacity to respond effectively to conflicts on the continent, guaranteeing peace and security for our peoples," Bembe said.
In his view, this is a decisive step towards consolidating a collaborative partnership between the AU and the UN.
According to Ambassador Miguel Bembe, despite the progress made, Angola considers that the implementation of Resolution 2719 (2023) presents obstacles, namely the need to define the operational modalities to ensure the financing of AU Peace Support Operations.
"The complexity of the coordination processes between the various entities involved, within the AU, with the UN agencies, requires a joint and continuous effort, while the evolution of conflicts on the African continent requires rapid and efficient responses, for the entry into operation of this Resolution," said the diplomat.
Angola's recommendations include the creation of a specific Emergency Fund, financed by contributions assessed by the UN, to support AU Peace Support Operations in situations of acute crisis, in order to guarantee a rapid and efficient response to security emergencies on the continent.
The urgent holding of a retreat to reflect on Resolution 2719 and the process of its entry into operation, the format, composition and modalities of which should be defined in due course, is another of the recommendations put forward by Angola at this meeting led by Ambassador Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Uganda's permanent representative to the African Union, who is chairing the AUPSC this month.
The meeting approved the draft agenda for next July, the month in which Angola is due to take over the rotating presidency of the PSC, the AU's permanent decision-making body for conflict prevention, management and resolution.
The document was previously analyzed during a meeting that Ambassador Miguel Bembe held with the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye. ART/AMP
