World: Communique of the 883rd meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council at Ministerial level, Interdependence between peace, security: "towards a collective engagement for action and development"

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at the ministerial level during its 883rd meeting held on 27 September 2019, on the margins of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, on « the Interdependence between peace, security and development: towards a collective engagement for action ».

Noting the opening statement of H.E Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco and Chairperson of the PSC for the month of September 2019; also noting the remarks made by H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt; Further noting the thematic presentation made by Ambassador Smail Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security on « the interdependence between peace, security and development: towards a collective engagement for action ».

Recalling, in this context, the relevant provisions of the AU Constitutive Act, its principles and objectives, and notably its preamble, which states that « the scourge of conflicts in Africa constitutes a major impediment to the socio-economic development of the continent » and reaffirming the « need to promote peace, security and stability as a prerequisite for the implementation of our development and integration agenda »;

Also recalling that, in Agenda 2063, the AU “recognizes that a prosperous, integrated and united Africa, based on good governance, democracy, social inclusion and respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law are the necessary pre-conditions for a peaceful and conflict-free Continent”;

Reaffirming the commitment of the Member States to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, particularly the promotion of peace and inclusive societies;

Further recalling the relevant provisions of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which underscores the interdependence between socio-economic development and security of people and States;

Also reaffirming the essence and fundamentals of human security, in line with the Common African Defense and Security Policy and the AU Policy Framework on Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD), as a multidimensional notion of security encompassing socio-economic and political rights;

Acknowledging that, achieving a higher level of socio-economic development, particularly through the full implementation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA), contributes towards addressing the underlying causes of conflicts in the Continent;

Mindful of the vital role of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as the building blocks of the continental integration process, as highlighted in the 1991 Abuja Treaty on the African Economic Community, as well as of the principles of subsidiarity, complementarity and comparative advantage;

Also mindful of the need for the consideration and conception of an integrated, inclusive, holistic and multidimensional approach regarding the interdependence between peace, security and development, aiming at enabling the African Union and the RECs to respond effectively to the challenges imposed by conflict cycles in Africa;

Further mindful, in line with the AU Master Roadmap of Practical Steps for Silencing the Guns in Africa by the Year 2020, of the imperative to deploy all available preventive diplomacy tools and mechanisms at the national, regional, continental and global levels to enable the Continent to effectively prevent, manage and resolve conflicts;

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1. Recognizes the importance of giving due consideration to the interdependence between peace, security and development, in order to ensure the effectiveness of all efforts aimed at conflict prevention, peace keeping and the consolidation of peace in Africa.

2. Emphasizes that the full implementation and operationalization of APSA and AGA is crucial for achieving peace, security and development in Africa and to reduce the number of conflicts in the Continent;

3. Strongly calls for the urgent reinforcement of AU’s action towards conflict prevention, with a view to preserving peace and stability and sparing human lives and avoid destruction of vital infrastructures and property, as it negatively impacts on the livelihoods of the population concerned;

4. Underlines the interlinkage between terrorism, violent extremism and transnational organized crime, and in this regard, calls on Member States to fully implement all AU frameworks, particularly the APSA and AGA;

5. Welcomes the initiatives taken by the Lake Chad Basin Region, with the support of the AU Commission, through their Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience of the Boko Haram- affected Areas, as well as the comprehensive approach adopted by the G5-Sahel and the recent decision adopted on 14 September 2019, by the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the fight against terrorism, which decided to mobilize one billion United States dollars for a comprehensive and holistic action plan to fight against terrorism in the region; Also welcomes efforts being deployed by Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) towards a comprehensive approach encompassing regional stability, cooperation and development in the region;

6. Calls for an effective implementation of the AU Policy Framework for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) and, in this respect, looks forward to the expeditious operationalization of the African Union Center for PCRD in Cairo, Egypt; further calls on various Departments of the AU Commission to further enhance their synergy in supporting PCRD activities;

7. Emphasizes the need for the AU to continue mobilizing a united African front against the negative effects of climate change at the national, regional, continental and global levels, through resilience and adaptation, within the context of the 2015 Paris Agreement and the support for existing African initiatives and strategies, such as the first African Summit for Action, held in Marrakech on 16 November 2016 and its three Commissions dedicated to the Sahel Region, the Congo Basin and the Island States;

8. Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to expedite the appointment of a Special Envoy on Climate Change, Peace and Security in Africa;

9. Calls for the full operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by Member States and RECs as a way of boosting intra-African trade and promote inclusive socio-economic conditions that will contribute to sustainable peace and development;

10. Calls on Member States to take full advantage of Africa’s demographic dividend, through expediting policy implementation, with a view to accelerating the socio-economic development; in the context, measures should be taken towards the empowerment of the population, particularly the youth and women;

11. Underlines the imperative of mainstreaming the dimension of peace, security and development in the continued implementation of the AU Master Roadmap of Practical Steps to silence the guns in Africa, given its positive impact on the stabilization of the Continent;

12. Urges the AU Commission and the Secretariats of the RECs to further enhance their support to Member States, in addressing, through a multidimensional approach, the pressing conflicts in Africa, including terrorism, transnational organized crime, impacts of climate change and inter-communal clashes, which all require urgent and effective solutions in order, for the continent, to more proactively generate conditions conducive for socio-economic development, in line with Agenda 2063 and 2030 Agenda on SDGs;

13. Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to further enhance the collaboration and coordination between the different departments within the AU Commission and AU Specialized Agencies to support the PSC, taking into account the interdependence between peace, security and development, whilst carrying out its mandate; in this regard, also requests the Chairperson of the Commission to submit, once a year, a report on the measures taken to this end;

14. Looks forward to the convening of a conference on Silencing the Guns in Africa, by Equatorial Guinea, in November 2019; and

15. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.