Thank You My Dear Friend and Brother, the President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta. I greet you in love, faith and hope! Your contribution this morning, has been stellar. I endorse everything you outlined in your Statement.
Permit me to express, on behalf of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, our deepest appreciation to the Republic of Kenya for convening this important discussion. We also thank our esteemed briefers for their insightful remarks. I am particularly moved, too, by the presentation of another of my Dear Friend and Brother, the President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Mr. President,
A spate of complex and interconnecting challenges, of the most arduous kind, bear upon peace and security globally. In fragile settings violent conflict, widespread displacement, acute hunger, underdevelopment, the hazards of climate change and environmental degradation permeate most profusely, with the most devastating socio-economic and political outcomes.
Across the African continent, the bellowing calls for fresh initiatives and renewed commitments – by the international community at large – are unmistakeable. To be sure, the positions and priorities of the African Union, in particular the “Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want” and “Silencing the Guns” initiatives, provide the most practical blueprint for continental peace and stability. And so, the historical injustices and contemporary contradictions of the present multilateral order demand that homegrown solutions to problems on the African continent be fully embraced, reinforced, and advanced. During this International Decade for People of African Descent, developmental and reparatory solutions for all African peoples must be supported as vital priorities.
African countries have a vast wealth of experience in building peaceful, orderly and viable states amidst their post-colonial struggles. The African Union’s depth of expertise in regional diplomacy, mediation, reconciliation, transitional justice, security sector governance and reform (SSG/R), and disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) initiatives have delivered effective peace processes and political transitions in many settings. These efforts ought to be provided with greater support – politically and financially – through all practical means.
The sustainable funding of AU-led peace operations and measures to ensure adequate, predictable and reliable financing of peacebuilding initiatives in African countries should also be treated as urgent imperatives by the international community. So too should major donors – in particular developed countries and the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) – ramp up their overseas development assistance (ODA) commitments, eliminate barriers for concessional financing, and advance new pathways for African countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in line with national priorities and perspectives.
At the institutional level, the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union remains undeniably essential in building and maintaining peace. This partnership must be further broadened, with the systematic engagement of sub-regional organisations and mechanisms including ECOWAS, ECCAS, SADC, IGAD and others. Conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and the entire spectrum of activities across the security-development-humanitarian linkages are most effective when addressed by a broad and inclusive consortium of stakeholders. The contributions of regional and sub-regional actors to these processes are unparalleled.
The United Nations Security Council and African Union Peace and Security Council should continue to explore all modalities for information-sharing, in particular through joint field visits. Joint institutional engagement should also be pursued, in a consultative and pragmatic fashion, to address emergent and consequential challenges such as Climate Change and environmental degradation. The impacts of Climate Change on peace and security across the continent are indisputable. Other areas for coordinated action include mine action, terrorism, piracy and organised crime.
Mr. President,
The conflict landscape is being profoundly altered and redefined by Climate Change, technological advancement, and other compounding factors. Despite this changing nature of conflict, however, security remains – at its very core – a feat accomplished only on the terms of the collective. We must work together, with a renewed vigour and an unyielding solidarity, to expand our multilateral engagements, to enhance cooperation at the regional and sub-regional levels, and to deliver peace and security to all countries and peoples.
I thank you.