YouSaid · the spoken record

António

lines on the record: 609
first: 2003-08-06
most recent: 2021-10-20
sittings or episodes: 58
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The African Union has always been committed to global disarmament and non-proliferation efforts. As early as 1964, the first Summit of the Organization of African Unity adopted the landmark Cairo Declaration on the Denuclearization of Africa. That Declaration formed the basis for and origin of subsequent efforts that culminated in the adoption of the Treaty of Pelindaba, which established the continent as a nuclear-weapon-free zone. It is indeed our view that nuclear-weapon-free zones remain an instrumental approach to strengthen global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament norms and consolidate international efforts towards achieving the objectives of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).”
2016-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7837 (2016) · source
“Mr. Antonio: I would like to start by thanking Spain for inviting the African Union to this very important debate, and also Minister Alfonso Dastis Quecedo for making the journey to New York. I would also like to thank all the ministers and high-level representatives who have come to the Security Council to debate on a very important item for the African continent. I thank Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson for his briefing, and I welcome all the other briefings made this morning, which were very insightful. The regional dimension is certainly a very important one if we are really to tackle this question and achieve tangible results. As the Council knows, with the entry into force of the Pelindaba Treaty, Africa is a nuclear-weapon-free region.”
2016-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7837 (2016) · source
“Greater predictability would allow the AU to properly stabilize the situation before handing matters over to a United Nations mission, which could be in the best interests of the AU, the United Nations and peace and security in general. The international system is going through a period of profound reassessment, as old certainties are being questioned and new fault lines of conflict emerge, linked to growing inequality, migration, climate change and governance issues, among other things. The United Nations cannot, on its own, adequately respond to those challenges; therefore, partnerships with regional organizations such as the African Union will only grow in importance. It is therefore vital that we work to ensure that together we put in place the appropriate architecture to meet those weighty challenges.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“We also wish to recall that this is an issue that has been on the agenda of the African Union since 2007, having emerged initially through the difficult experience of the African Union Mission in the Sudan, which had to transition into the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur as a result ofthe AU lacking the funds to sustain the Mission. Experience has clearly shown that the lack of financial support for AU missions has had a direct impact on the overall success of those missions and subsequent United Nations missions, since the AU is forced to transition to United Nations missions prematurely.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“We will need to think deeply about the nature of the missions that could benefit from that type of support from the United Nations. It is clear that broader partnerships will still be required to support the AU in that complex area, but the AU-United Nations partnership will remain a central pillar. I would like to conclude by encouraging all Council members to support the adoption of the draft resolution under consideration, which, among other things, expresses the Security Council's willingness to consider how such a partnership could be realized and identifies the tasks to be completed by the United Nations Secretariat and the African Union Commission to take the process forward.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“The detailed proposals in the report of the AU High Representative for the Peace Fund, known as the Kaberuka report, provide a solid foundation for the evolution of the strategic AU-United Nations partnership in the area of peacekeeping. This is a necessary evolution that will only enhance the overall effectiveness of our international peace and security architecture. We appreciate and recognize the fact that there is much detail to be worked out over the coming months, and we are confident that our two institutions can quickly establish a joint process to develop more detailed implementation modalities to move us towards a substantive framework draft resolution on predictable financing for AU- led peace-support operations in 2017.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“Agreement on the principle that United Nations- assessed contributions could be made available to support United Nations-authorized AU-led peace-support operations is therefore not a new proposition. It is already being implemented in the case of AMISOM, albeit in an ad hoc and partial manner. The fact that we are having this debate on that critical question today demonstrates that there is the strategic imperative and the collective political will to move away from ad hoc financing arrangements to a partnership based on greater predictability, mutual accountability and the two organizations' respective authorities, competencies and capacities.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“From that perspective, we can all agree that it is critical that African Union peace-support operations authorized by the Security Council be given the necessary support to effectively address increasingly complex mandates in increasingly challenging environments. The evidence also shows that both the United Nations and the AU have already shown considerable innovation and pragmatism in identifying modalities to provide financial and materiel support to AU missions, including through assessed contributions in specific cases. It also shows that access to United Nations-assessed contributions provides the greatest predictability and sustainability for certain types of missions.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“In particular, it will be recalled that the HIPPO report (see S/2015/446) recommended that "United Nations-assessed contributions be provided on a case-by-case basis to support African Union peace support operations authorized by the Security Council" (S/2015/446, para. 249 (a)). It should be noted that the joint African Union-United Nations review of available mechanisms to finance and support AU peace-support operations authorized by the Security Council concluded that access to United Nations-assessed contributions had provided a reliable, predictable and sustainable means of financing AU peace-support operations.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“While partners have demonstrated much flexibility and innovation - and I wish to take this opportunity to express the profound appreciation of the African Union for the support of our partners - there is nonetheless a consensus that the current financing arrangements continue to be unsustainable. That is borne out by current experience as partners, facing their own financial pressures back home, are forced to cut back on the support provided, most notably to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). In that respect, the recommendations of the High- level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO), which are consistent with the Common African Position of the AU itself, are pertinent.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“Against this background, the AU has consistently argued for predictable and sustainable financing through United Nations assessed contributions for AU- led peace operations that the United Nations cannot itself undertake but that are regarded as critical to the maintenance of international peace and security. The AU's view is that in deploying such missions, it is doing so on behalf of the Security Council, which retains primary responsibility for the maintenance of international security in accordance with the United Nations Charter. There is general agreement that the current financing arrangements for AU-led peace-support operations are neither reliable nor predictable, especially in the context of high- tempo combat operations.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“However, while the AU has the mandate, experience and political will to deploy rapidly in order to deliver in these cases, it is unable to sustain such missions over the medium to long term because it lacks sufficient means. For this reason, in 2015 the African Union Heads of State and Government made a commitment at the twenty-fourth ordinary session of the Assembly to finance 25 percent of the cost of AU- led peace-support operations from AU member States' assessed contributions. This decision was reaffirmed at the twenty-fifth ordinary session of the Assembly and culminated in the Assembly's financing decision in July this year, at the Kigali Summit.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“Forging an effective partnership between the United Nations and the African Union is therefore of the greatest strategic importance to our collective security. The African Union's proven ability to act as first responder is a critical element of the evolving international peace and security architecture. Since the establishment of the Union in 2002, the AU and the subregional organizations have demonstrated a clear comparative advantage in two particular types of situations: first, in missions where offensive operations are needed and the United Nations is unable to deploy forces in a timely manner; and, secondly, where the Security Council is unable to mobilize the requisite political consensus to initiate action. The AU has blazed a path in its deployment of missions to Burundi, Darfur, Somalia, Mali and the Central African Republic.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“On behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, I wish to pay tribute to you, Mr. Minister, for having taken the time to travel to New York in order personally to preside over this important Security Council debate. I should also like to pay tribute to your country, Senegal, whose presidency has focused in particular on the issue of strategic cooperation between regional organizations and the United Nations, with specific attention devoted to the African Union (AU). (spoke in English) Numerous reports have highlighted the fact that the current international peace and security architecture is under significant pressure given the complexity of the peace and security challenges that the world faces today. The complexity of today's crises is likely only to increase, placing ever-greater demands on this architecture.”
2016-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7816 (2016) · source
“We therefore hope to be able to rely on the unanimous support of Security Council members in enshrining the principle of burden- sharing and authorizing funding from the United Nations budget amounting to 75 per cent of the costs of operations conducted by the African Union with the Council's consent. We hope to see the ongoing preparations culminate in the Council's adoption of a resolution during the Senegal presidency.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“In that regard, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union recently decided to take on greater responsibility for financing its peace operations and to meet the commitment made in 2015 to finance 25 per cent of the cost of African Union-led peace support operations. Those developments reflect the importance of working to consolidate a strategic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, based on the sharing of responsibilities and the resulting costs. That Vision is particularly legitimate given the fact that the sustainable financing of peace and security in Africa is not merely an African priority but an international strategic imperative, given the complex and interconnected nature of the threats we are seeing to peace and security.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“The African Union believes in intervening as quickly as possible in order to save lives, contain violent conflicts and help stabilize security situations in order to create the conditions necessary for the United Nations to deploy its peacekeeping operations at a later stage. In mandating the deployment since 2003 of more than 70,000 uniformed personnel and about 1,500 civilians in nine operations, the African Union and its regional mechanisms have shown their determination to play their part to the full and make a significant contribution to collective security efforts in Africa.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“The experience of the African Union - which, should it need emphasizing, has enabled the emergence of an African model for peace operations - highlights the need to rethink the cooperation model between the United Nations and the AU with a View to strengthening peacekeeping's effectiveness. Based essentially on the principle of non-indifference to human suffering, what distinguishes our model is that it deploys missions with robust mandates whose main tasks are usually protecting civilians, neutralizing armed and terrorist groups and promoting the authority of the State.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“That effort should also take into account the principle of complementarity, as provided for in Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, and which highlights the importance of making judicious combined use both of the universality of the United Nations and the advantages that regional organizations offer. Given their proximity to and familiarity with conflicts occurring in Africa, the African Union (AU) and its regional mechanisms have shown a renewed determination to display the necessary leadership and, together with the United Nations, to contribute to our collective security, as laid down in the Charter.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“In that regard, while recognizing the validity of the statement in the 2015 report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations that "United Nations peacekeeping missions... are not suitedto engage in military counter-terrorism operations" (S/2015/446, p. 45), we must continue our effort to arrive at the right balance between preserving important aspects of our traditional principles, on the one hand, and the growing need to use force in order to tackle armed groups that fly in the face of all fundamental rights, on the other.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“In dealing with various asymmetric threats, including the proliferation of non-State armed groups and rising terrorism and violent extremism, the conduct of peacekeeping, which has been through several transformations, is still struggling to adapt to the increasing complexity of security environments. Except for a few notable cases, peacekeeping work is still underpinned by the formal principles of impartiality, neutrality and the limited use of force. Today's debate comes at the right time for us to identify areas we should think about with the goal of adapting and modernizing this valuable tool in order to enable our Organization to tackle the emerging challenges and fulfil its mission more efficiently.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“Michaelle Jean, Secretary-General of the International Organization of la Francophonie; Mr. Jean-Paul Laborde, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate; and Mr. Arthur Boutellis for their briefings. Lastly, I would like to reiterate our admiration for the men and women who struggle daily, in extremely difficult conditions, in order to implement the mandate entrusted to them, and to pay heartfelt tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in fulfilling their mission under the banner of the United Nations. Today, peacekeeping is evolving in highly complex and often hostile situations.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“At the outset, on behalf of the African Union Commission, 1 would like to warmly congratulate you, Mr. President, on the Republic of Senegal's assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. And I would like to welcome the notable presence in the Council this morning of Mr. Mankeur Ndiaye, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Senegal, in a reflection of the unwavering commitment of his country, one of the Organization's largest contributors of troops to the maintenance of peace and international security, and of its determination to make a substantial contribution to the work of the Council. I would also like to thank those ministers who travelled to New York to be here today, as well as Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson; Ms.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“Instituting a more consolidated model of cooperation between the United Nations and African Union could offer appropriate answers to some of these existential challenges. In this regard, it is essential to consolidate the shared responsibility that begins to emerge when the African Union acts as first responder to stabilize the situation in countries experiencing conflict, creating conditions for the United Nations to deploy peacekeeping operations at a later stage.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“These interventions can be performed with or without the consent of any member State whose peoples' lives are threatened. This approach, which is in tension with United Nations practice, requires us to think about the model of cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union with a View to achieving effective and modern peacekeeping in the service ofthe protection of civilians. From our perspective, this approach involves, on the one hand, the search for the right balance between preserving important aspects of traditional principles of peacekeeping and, on the other, the need for increased use of force. It also requires a thorough review of the limits of peacekeeping, including when it comes to the fight against terrorist groups.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“Accordingly, since 2003, the AU has mandated the deployment of more than 70,000 uniformed personnel and about 1,500 civilians in the framework of nine deployed operations with robust mandates, which, most often, have as their main tasks the protection of civilians, the neutralization of armed or terrorist groups, and the promotion of State authority. Alongside the deployment of peacekeeping operations on the ground, the African Union is striving to strengthen its long-term capacity through the operationalization of the African Standby Force, which provides the capacity for rapid deployment in the event of genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity. It is a matter of the African Union intervening without delay to save lives.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“While it is true that the context of peacekeeping has changed dramatically over the last decade, the same cannot be said of the concept and practice of United Nations peacekeeping which, setting aside some notable exceptions, continues to be underpinned by the formal principles ofimpartiality, neutrality and the limited use of force. In contrast, the practice of the African Union in this area is based on the principle ofnon-indifference to human suffering, which in practice often leads to the deployment of robust missions to protect civilians.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“In this context, the entire nomenclature of the founding and regulatory acts of the AU is in line with this philosophy, which aims primarily to preserve the peace and security of populations in all circumstances, the latter being seen as a key factor in social and economic development. In this regard, for the African Union, peace and security is a fundamental prerequisite for any development policy as well as for integration of the continent. The protection of civilians is understood within this overall philosophy and is an integral part of it.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“We do not need long speeches or learned references in order to emphasize the importance of the protection of civilians, which plays an ever more central role in United Nations peacekeeping operations and regional peacekeeping operations. For the African Union, the protection of civilians is a problem that is integrated into the perception of security, and it is a major challenge for peace. That concept, which the African Union renders as the principle ofnon-indifference to human suffering, is one of the most remarkable developments accompanying the passage of the Organization of African Unity to the African Union.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“At the outset, allow me, Sir, to warmly congratulate your country on its accession to the presidency of the Security Council for this month. I would also like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr. Peter Maurer, for their very informative briefings this morning. I would also like to welcome many dignitaries who are present here today, particularly Mr. Faustin Archange Touadera, President of the Central African Republic, who gave us the views of his country and its priorities, which we believe all partners must listen to carefully, bearing in mind the principle of national ownership, if we want our efforts to succeed in the Central African Republic.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“We should ensure the optimal use of opportunities and available resources, thanks to the intervention of actors who can act with better advantage on the ground in the search for solutions. The ultimate objective is the prevention or the resolution of conflicts, no matter how or when they emerge.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“The Heads of State and Government of the African Union have made a commitment to finance about 25 per cent of the peacekeeping operations conducted by the African Union. That decision will be gradually implemented so that it reaches an optimal operational level by 2020. This will therefore mean that 75 per cent of the budgets of missions carried out with Security Council authorization will be supported by the United Nations through assessed contributions. As Mr. Ladsous has already said, Mr. Kaberuka, the special envoy of the chair of the commission on the issue, will work towards that objective. It is appropriate to highlight once again that the strategic partnership between the African Union and the United Nations in the area of peace is in constant evolution.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“In that regard, the financial, operational and logistical difficulties of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), if appropriate responses are not found - to cite one example - will certainly have negative implications on the eve of decisive political and security schedules for the future of the country. We are of the view that AMISOM. has added value as the first African Union mission to combat terrorism, an experience that the rest of the world could share. The African Union believes that using assessed contributions from the United Nations budget should be considered a viable option in the spirit of burden- sharing between the two organizations. Concurrently, we are aware that it will also be necessary for Africa to mobilize increased resources on the continent so that it can finance its own peace operations.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“Indeed, if the peacekeeping operations of the African Union are deployed effectively, they will be able to better pave the way for the deployment of United Nations operations, which in their turn could support long-term stabilization activities in the countries concerned. However, African Union operations still suffer the lack of predictable, flexible and sustainable financing and depend to a significant extent on the voluntary support of international partners. While it is true that the African Union very much appreciates the support it receives from its partners, it is also true that the lack of predictability, flexibility and, increasingly, sustainability of financing has had negative consequences forthe effectiveness ofoperations carried out by the African Union.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“The peace operations review process conducted by the United Nations last year also provided an opportunity to review our relationship with a view to ensuring greater flexibility and predictability and so that we could guarantee sustainable financing for the peace operations carried out jointly by the African Union and the regional economic communities and regional mechanisms in Africa. That undertaking was all the more necessary because the African Union and its regional mechanisms continue to play an increasingly dominant role in the promotion of peace, security and stability on the continent, notably through the deployment of peacekeeping operations.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“Particular emphasis was placed on the founding elements of a true strategic partnership that the PSC wishes to build with the United Nations Security Council, based on the following: the principle of mutual respect, the taking into account of comparative advantages of the two Councils, the need to adopt methods of work that are clearly set out, orientation towards action and results, and an approach having a strategic and comprehensive character that truly integrates all issues of peace and security in Africa. There should be a spirit of shared responsibility, cooperation and close coordination.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“Regular consultations between the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the United Nations Security Council, along with the ever closer coordination between the AU Commission and the United Nations Secretariat, well illustrate the shared will to foster greater synergy between the African Union and the United Nations. In that regard, the convening yesterday of the tenth annual consultative meeting between the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council produced a joint assessment of the state of the partnership between the two Councils, 10 years after its establishment. It highlighted the need for a profound reorganization of this mechanism with a view to its readjustment, readaptation and strengthening to ensure its viability and its effectiveness.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“The strategic relationship between the African Union and the United Nations has continued to grow with a view to building a more coherent and effective partnership within the framework of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations and article 17 of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. This strategic partnership has in particular allowed our two organizations to maintain regular consultations on issues of concern and of mutual interest in the area of peace and security, where collaboration has been the most extensive.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“They are the first responders to security crises and armed conflicts and the initiators of political processes that have made it possible to provide those operations with mandates. They are also the largest troop contributors. That recasting has been based on the significant changes that have occurred in the African security landscape, the evolution of which has been difficult to predict or to control. Those developments have had a positive impact on the African Union-United Nations partnership over the past ten years.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“The increasingly important role of regional and subregional organizations in the maintenance of international peace and security is a major feature of the post-Cold War international security landscape. Regional organizations now have a central place in the international security architecture and are viewed as key elements of security in their respective regions. That reality is nowhere more evident that in Africa. The transition from the Organization of African Unity to the African Union (AU) was certainly the most remarkable development in Africa, given its major implications it has had at the international level. In that context, the development of the African Peace and Security Architecture has made it possible for the African Union and its regional mechanisms to become major players in international peace support missions.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“At the outset, on behalf of the African Union Commission, allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your country's assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. I also commend you on your initiative to convene this timely open debate a day after the tenth annual consultative meeting between the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Security Council of the United Nations, as well as on the eve of the fifty-third anniversary of the establishment of the Organization of the African Unity, forerunner of the African Union. I also welcome the presence in New York of the members of the Peace and Security Council, a delegation led by its Chair, Ambassador Mmamosadinyana Molefe, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Botswana to the African Union.”
2016-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7694 (2016) · source
“We must also ensure that our interventions in the fields of development, including the development of the blue economy, which was already well stated by the Minister of Togo; cooperation; peacebuilding; conflict prevention and international security are mutually reinforcing. For its part, the African Union will continue to support all efforts of the region and its coastal States to address the many challenges of maritime security and organized crime that peoples of this region are facing.”
2016-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7675 (2016) · source
“These efforts must also include other neighbouring regional and international bodies, namely the Southern Africa Development Community and the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic, which includes 21 African countries and three countries from Latin America, namely, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, the latter being the current President of the zone, as already stated by the Uruguayan delegation. Maritime security is closely linked to security on land, as well as to the conditions of stability and development of the concerned nations. The concerned countries need to be supported to achieve long-term prosperity, including for the development of the maritime domain to enable greater trade, cooperation and job creation.”
2016-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7675 (2016) · source
“The key question remains how adequately and effectively we have supported all of those initiatives. The coordination of those initiatives is important as well. Also ofparamount importance is the use of established bodies, such as the Gulf of Guinea Commission and the Gulf of Guinea Interregional Coordination Centre. Regional and continental efforts need to be fully supported and enabled by the international community, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 2018 (2011) and 2039 (2012). We also need to strengthen the collective efforts of the United Nations, the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Economic Community of West African States and the Gulf of Guinea Commission.”
2016-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7675 (2016) · source
“It is unnecessary, therefore, to underscore what many delegations have already said with regard to the importance of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of Central and West Africa on Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea, held in June 2013 in Yaounde. That Summit led to an ambitious memorandum of understanding that established the Code of Conduct Concerning the Repression of Piracy, Armed Robbery Against Ships, and Illicit Maritime Activity in West and Central Africa and the Interregional Coordination Centre for Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea. The memorandum also established the International Conference on Maritime and Energy Security, which was sponsored by Angola, the United States of America and Italy, and held in Luanda.”
2016-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7675 (2016) · source
“It is also in that context that the African Union plans to hold an Extraordinary Summit in Lome, as mentioned by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of the Republic of Togo, on the issue of maritime security. As we already stated, his participation in this meeting is another demonstration of not only the engagement, but also the awareness on the part of the leadership in Africa. At the regional level, countries of the region and concerned regional organizations have taken numerous steps to combat piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea.”
2016-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7675 (2016) · source
“National, regional, continental and international coordination appear to be a sine qua non if we want to effectively fight maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea and beyond. The African Union continues to cooperate closely with subregional actors in taking all the appropriate measures to combat maritime crime and insecurity and to address the underlying factors so as to foster long-term security and stability in the region. It is in that context that the African Union adopted, at its twenty-second Summit, the 2050 African Union Integrated Maritime Strategy and Plan of Action, which should be viewed as a complement and support to regional efforts on the continent.”
2016-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7675 (2016) · source
“As indicated in the concept note (S/2016/321, annex), every year such attacks inflict billions of dollars of economic losses on the countries concerned in the region. Despite those facts, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has only recently gained international attention. We all remember the efforts made by African delegations, especially the delegation of the Republic of Benin, to draw the Council's attention and concern to that issue. Unfortunately, little concrete action has been taken since the adoption of resolutions 2018 (2011) and 2039 (2012), regarding acts of piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea. The resolutions have therefore had only minimal impact on the number of incidents of piracy in the region. Moreover, the technical assistance requested from the international community has yet to be deployed in full.”
2016-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7675 (2016) · source
“(spoke in English) Acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea in Africa's Gulf of Guinea represent a major concern not only to the region but also to the African Union and the international community as a whole. Our concerns are all the more acute as, over the past decade, piracy attacks in that region have increased in severity and scope, spreading northward and southward. Nowadays, such attacks represent more than a quarter of all attacks reported worldwide. There is no need to underscore the long-range and far-reaching negative implications that those criminal acts continue to have on the countries concerned, given the fact that energy security and trade in the region depend, to a large extent, on sea-based transport.”
2016-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7675 (2016) · source
“Mr. Antonio: Allow me to start by congratulating the delegations of Angola, China and Senegal for having jointly convened this timely debate on an important issue that deserves greater attention from the international community. I also thank the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Mr. Taye-Brook Zerihoun, for his briefing. (spoke in French) I would also like to welcome the presence of Mr. Robert Dussey, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of the Republic of Togo, and Ms. Annika deer, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Sweden. I would especially like to thank Mr. Dussey for shedding light on the African Union initiatives, including thee draft charter clarifying what is being done on the continent.”
2016-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7675 (2016) · source