Luanda - Angola's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), Francisco José da Cruz, defended on Monday the need for the Security Council (SC) to guarantee complete and consistent political support for peace operations.
The diplomat manifested this position in the open debate of the United Nations Security Council on the topic “Strengthening Peacekeeping: Reflections for the Future”, stating that such support will allow the UNSC to fulfill its mandates in its operations more effectively and create conditions favorable to finding durable solutions in conflicts.
On the occasion, he highlighted the need to address the widening gap between UN peacekeeping mandates and what missions can realistically accomplish on the ground, in order to manage the expectations of authorities and citizens of the host country, and to avoid crisis of legitimacy and forced premature exit, “as we saw in Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)”.
In the context of the draft Pact for the Future under discussion, a document to be approved at the Future Summit, to be held from 22 to 23 September of the current year, he highlighted that it is essential to take into account the role of regional partners in operations peace and its respective comparative advantages, have a comprehensive and effective response to current and emerging peace and security threats.
According to the diplomat, UN peace operations are an essential tool to protect civilians in conflict situations and actively promote long-term peace and security strategies.
However, he noted that international support for peace operations is waning, requiring them to urgently adapt to these evolving diplomatic dynamics in order to effectively fulfill their mandates.
“Africa, the continent that hosts the majority of peacekeeping operations in the world, continues to struggle with limited financial resources to meet its security needs, he highlighted.
To Ambassador Francisco José da Cruz, the adoption of UNSC resolution 2019, in December 2023, constitutes an important milestone in the United Nations – African Union partnership on peace and security.
The document provides the framework for adequate, predictable and sustainable financing for African Union-led Peace Support Operations.
The diplomat recalled that, like other African countries in conflict situations, Angola benefited from four UN peacekeeping missions authorized by the Security Council, between 1989 and 2007, to help the country restore peace and achieve national reconciliation.
He said that, although the critical role played by the United Nations in the success of this process is recognized, in the end, the strong commitment of Angolan leaders to a political solution and the Government's high-level stance regarding to peace and national unity, were the determining factors to end decades of internal conflict on April 4, 2002.
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