SA champions closer UN-AU co-operation in resolving conflicts

16 Oct 2019

South Africa is this month (October 2019) serving as President of the United Nations Security Council in a rotating capacity following the presidency in September of the Russian Federation. The theme of South Africa’s tenure in the Security Council, including for its presidency this month, is: ‘Continuing the Legacy: Working for a Just and Peaceful World’. The theme focuses on the lessons from our late former president, Nelson Mandela, and is in recognition of his legacy of championing the resolution of conflicts through peaceful means.

As one of the principal organs of the United Nations, the Security Council is charged with the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. South Africa serves its two-year (2019-2020) tenure in the Security Council alongside nine non-permanent members. These are Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Peru and Poland.

South Africa recognises the importance of co-operation among the non-permanent members as a way of leveraging their contribution to the work of the Security Council in the face of persistent divisions among the five permanent members, which are China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States.

South Africa is using its tenure on the Security Council to promote the maintenance of international peace and security by advocating for the peaceful settlement of disputes through meaningful and inclusive dialogue. South Africa is also advocating for closer co-operation between the Security Council and other regional and sub-regional organisations, particularly the African Union.

One of the key focus areas for South Africa is the security situation on the African continent. Thus far this month, we have already drawn attention to the need to bring lasting peace and security to the Great Lakes region, which includes, among other countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. We have also been seized with the situation in Mali.

Regarding the Great Lakes, South Africa welcomes the normalisation of bilateral relations between Rwanda and Uganda, which was mediated by Angola with the support of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the DRC, the security situation in the east of the country remains volatile, and this is being compounded by the outbreak of the ebola virus. South Africa has underscored the need for the government of the DRC to strengthen the capacity of state institutions, with the support of the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC, known as Monusco. South Africa is one of the largest contributors to Monusco, with over 1,000 troops serving in that country.

South Africa believes a stable Great Lakes region will serve as a foundation for regional economic integration. The persistent illicit exploitation and trade in natural resources in the region undermines the proper management of these resources and this reverses the efforts of the international community in restoring stability to this important region of the African continent.

Regarding the situation in Mali, South Africa has welcomed the launch of the inclusive national dialogue in September, urging stakeholders to participate in the national dialogue aimed at contributing to the creation of political and institutional reforms. These reforms will characterise the future state of Mali as well as address the situation in the northern and central parts of the country with a view to maintaining Mali’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

There is an urgent need to resolve the root causes of instability, inter-communal clashes, terrorism and violent extremism ravaging parts of Mali. In this regard, the decision taken by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) leaders at their recent extraordinary summit, which pledged resources to fighting terrorism in the region, is an indication of the willingness of countries on the continent to resolve and find home-grown solutions to Africa’s problems.

As part of its contribution to the mandate of the Security Council to maintain international peace and security, South Africa will continue to advocate for the resolution of conflicts through peaceful means. Working closely with the two African non-permanent members (Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea), South Africa will also seek to facilitate greater co-operation between the Security Council and the AU’s Peace and Security Council.

We further emphasise the role of women in the resolution of conflict. In this regard, South Africa argues for a gender perspective to be mainstreamed into all Security Council resolutions in line with Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, which was adopted at the initiative of our neighbour Namibia. Despite the commitments in Resolution 1325, women remain excluded within peace processes, including in the drafting of peace agreements, and their involvement in United Nations peacekeeping is limited. In addition, the contribution of women and girls to peace-building processes remains undervalued and under-resourced. Women and girls also continue to be severely affected by conflict situations, especially with regard to sexual abuse and violence.

During our presidency, we will preside over the Security Council’s debate on this subject. The emphasis of the debate should be to ensure the implementation of the commitments we have made to fully implement the Women Peace and Security agenda.

As we have consistently stated, South Africa is supportive of the UN and a rules-based multilateral system. However, the UN remains hamstrung by the fact that the organisation remains undemocratic and anachronistic. We remain gravely concerned that 74 years after the founding of the UN, key decisions on peace and security are de-facto the domain of only five countries.

Twenty years of discussions on the reform of the Security Council have yielded no movement towards a more representative and inclusive Security Council. We believe the time has come for the broader UN membership to heed the overwhelming call for Africa to obtain at least two permanent seats, with all the prerogatives of permanent membership, as well as five non-permanent seats, as embodied in the Common African Position as espoused in the Ezulwini Consensus on the comprehensive reform of the Security Council.

In this regard, UN member states must invigorate the negotiations on reform at the Intergovernmental Negotiations, including by initiating text-based negotiations. DM

Clayson Monyela is the head of public diplomacy at the Department of International Relations and Co-operation.

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