Update on the AU Reform – Review of the Peace and Security Council
Amani Africa
Date | 25 April 2018
Update on PSC Reform
Today (25 April), the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) will receive update on the ‘AU Reform – Review of the Peace and Security Council’. Pierre MouKoko Mbonjou, Head of the AU Reform Implementation Unit (RIU) in the Office of the Chairperson of the AU Commission is expected to brief the PSC.
Currently, the RIU is in the process of undertaking the review of the various organs of the AU and is convening consultations with AU organs. In its decision Assembly/AU/Dec.635(XXVIII) on the Report on “The Imperative to Strengthen our Union: Proposed Recommendations for the Institutional Reform of the African Union, the AU Assembly decided that ‘the PSC should be reformed to ensure that it meets the ambition foreseen in its Protocol, by strengthening its working methods and its role in conflict prevention and crisis management’. This session is the first opportunity for PSC members to convene a meeting with the RIU within the framework of this Assembly decision.
In his briefing to the PSC, Mr Mbonjou is expected to offer insights both on what the review of the PSC would focus on and the methodology to be used in identifying areas for review. It would highlight that, instead of a reform requiring amendment of the PSC Protocol, the review of the PSC would follow strictly the terms f the decision of the AU Assembly, and hence limited to the ‘strengthening of its (PSC’s) working methods and its role in conflict prevention and management.’
The briefing would also highlight on how the review and assessment of the PSC is to be undertaken and the envisaged role of the PSC in the process. The review, expected to use consultant, is anticipated to deliver draft paper outlining the challenges and systematically presenting existing proposals on strengthening the role of the PSC in conflict prevention and crises management. The briefing is expected to indicate how the PSC participates in the review and assessment process, including the option of engaging the PSC Committee of Experts on the development of proposals on the reform of the PSC.
In terms of the methodology, apart from review of existing reviews, assessments and evaluations, the review and assessment process is anticipated to cover the recommendations from the conclusions of the PSC’s many working method retreats. There is already a document of the PSC Secretariat highlighting the various proposals and the lack of implementation of the various proposals. The review is also expected to rely on the ongoing APSA/AGA Study that the AU Peace and Security Department leads.
For members of the PSC questions of interest include those relating to the PSC decision-making processes, on timelines of finalization of the review and authority for validation of the proposed recommendations. Other issues of interest also include working relationships and the institutional and resource implications of PSC’s work, including on the use of the finances in the Peace Fund.
No outcome is expected from this update. But, the PSC may consider providing guidelines on modalities of the review and assessment of its works and provision of further updates on the assessment process and final adoption of the proposed reforms.
Operationalization of the African Standby Force
Amani Africa
Date | 24 April, 2018
Briefing on the ASF
Tomorrow (25 April), the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) will hold a briefing on ‘the operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF)’. The meeting will evaluate the state of readiness of Regional Standby Forces and progress made since the last briefing to the PSC. The meeting is a follow up to the decision of the PSC and Executive Council on regular updating of the PSC on the ASF.
The Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) is also expected to provide updates to the PSC. The focus of this briefing will be on works done at the level of the AU including in respect to the implementation of the Maputo Strategic Work Plan on the Enhancement of the ASF (2016-2020). The five-year work plan for the ASF highlighted the changing security environment and threats on the continent and outlined the dynamism and changes needed into the design and structure of the ASF to respond to the challenges. The Council will examine the progress made based on the indicators, deliverables and timelines put by the work plan. It is also expected in particular to update the PSC on progress made in elaborating AU-RECs/RMs agreement on decision-making processes on the deployment of the ASF and the launch in January 2018 of the Continental Logistics Base in Cameroon.
In its last session on the ASF held on 21 July 2017, the PSC also anticipated to review the Report of the Commission on the verification, confirmation and validation of pledged capabilities of the ASF that Professor Ibrahim Gambari led. In the light of the discussion on adapting the design and structure of the ASF with an objective of enhancing its deployment capabilities and mission effectiveness, the briefing session is expected to discuss the updates in this process.
With respect to the RECs/RMs, some member states expressed the need for the RECs/RMs to update the PSC themselves on the level of preparedness of their regional forces. In the Executive Council’s Declaration on the 10th Ordinary Meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defense, Safety and Security (STCDSS), RECs/RMs are urged ‘to provide regular updates to the AU Peace and Security Council on their Regional Standby Forces and attend PSC sessions as required’. The PSC Secretariat has sent out invitations to the heads of the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs).
The main part of the briefing will be a progress report by the chairs and representatives of the five RECs/RMs. The Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), North African Regional Capability (NARC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) are expected to make presentations on the status of the regional brigades and the training, financing, and mobilization capacities of their respective regional forces. The statements and subsequent exchanges are also expected to cover training and exercises, airlift and mission support capabilities of the regional forces. The difficult issue of command structure and control, and matters related with logistics will also be topics that will feature in the meeting.
Despite regional differences and uneven developments of regional brigades by the regional mechanisms notably NARC, the ASF proved to be a great mechanism to build a permanent infrastructure for standardization, training and mobilization of peacekeeping in Africa. The ECOWAS, EASF and SADC are regions that showed relative progress while central and northern Africa are significantly lagging.
However, the structure of the force, and its place in the APSA is a matter of ongoing conversation at the PSC. The AU member states are relying on ad-hoc regional coalitions and deployment arrangements and alliances even after the official declaration of the operationalization of the ASF. There are various issues that member states of the PSC would raise in regard to these developments. The first is the relationship of these ad hoc arrangements with the ASF framework. In its January 2018 Declaration on the meeting of the STCDSS, the Executive Council called for the harmonization enhance cooperation with all ad-hoc coalitions, namely, MNJTF, Group of Five Sahel Joint Force and RCILRA.
There is also the issue of African Capacity for Rapid Intervention in Crises (ACIRC). There are member states who see it as an initiative that diverts and distracts the attention, energy, resources and political focus of the continent from the ASF. Although the AU Commission or the RECs/RMs may not be in a position to provide full answer, a second and related issue for discussion is the harmonization of the activities of (ACIRC) with the Framework of the ASF.
Finally, there is also the issue of the mandating and deployment of the ASF for AU peace support operations including the ad hoc coalitions within the framework of the Constitutive Act and the Protocol Establishing the PSC. In this respect, the briefing in the PSC is expected to cover how new initiatives are being aliened with the processes envisaged in AU founding instruments. A recent major development has been the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Smaïl Chergui, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security and Maman Sidiko, Executive Secretary of the G5 Sahel Secretariat on 25 March 2018.
The expected outcome of the briefing is a communiqué. It is anticipated to give guidance on the follow up to the various decisions including notably the process of alignment, harmonization and coherence of decision-making and mandating process between AU and RECs/RMs and the finalization of the draft ASF Legal Framework.
Africa’s peace and security landscape by 2023
Amani Africa
Date | 24 April 2018
Looking into the future: Africa’s Peace and Security Landscape by 2023
Tomorrow (24 April), the PSC is scheduled to hold a second open session of the month. The theme of the session is ‘Africa’s peace and security landscape by 2023 (end of the ten-year plan of Agenda 2063): A prospective analysis of peace and security challenges’. This session was slated in the original program of work for the month for 3rd April but was postponed to finalize preparations including the concept note for the session. The Peace and Security Department, the Department of Political Affairs and the Agenda 2063 Unit of the AU (SSPERM) are expected to provide briefings. The Institute for Security Studies is also envisaged to make presentation based on the concept note it initiated for the session.
In May 2013 AU member states adopted Agenda 2063, the continent’s development, governance and security vision. This session on the prospect of peace in Africa by 2023 comes half way through the first ten years plan of Agenda 2063. In looking into the future, this session draws on the peace and security trends of the continent thus far.
When Agenda 2063 was adopted in 2013, the continent has been witnessing an upsurge of conflicts and crises. Apart from ongoing protracted conflicts, new conflicts and crises erupted as post-conflict transitions unraveled in DRC, Central African Republic (CAR), Mali, Burundi and South Sudan. The continent also witnessed the spread of terrorism in both territorial coverage and intensity of violence. During 2014/15 Boko Haram became the most deadly terrorist group in the world until its capacity was degraded during the past year.
In West Africa, Mali, experiencing the twin challenges of unconstitutional change of government and that violent seizure by armed groups of its northern territories, saw the internationalization of its conflict with the intervention of the French to stop the southern march of the armed opposition to seize Mali’s capital, Bamako. Terrorism and armed insurgency affecting Nigeria and countries of the Sahel was on the rise. In the Central African region, Séléka’s overthrow of the government of François Bozizé of the CAR ushered in a new period of violent conflagration involving the collapse of the little that existed of the state and a brutal sectarian violence between the Seleka and the ‘anti-balaka’ that triggered major humanitarian crisis. DRC was also under the grip of a new war against the March 23 rebel group in its volatile eastern region.
In North Africa, the transitions in all the North African countries affected by the 2011 popular uprisings faltered as each suffered setbacks. All the countries in transition experienced increasing levels political upheavals and violence during the year. Most notably, downward spiral of Libya into the abyss culminated in the following years in the country’s fragmentation into violent rival armed militias and criminal networks of weapons traffickers, smugglers and terrorist groups including IS.
Another region that witnessed major deterioration in its peace and security outlook in 2013 was East and Horn of Africa. Despite limited progress in Somalia amid persisting political and security crises, the most significant development was the eruption of South Sudan into violent civil war.
Progress has been registered in arresting the worst manifestations of the newly erupted armed conflicts and the spread of the terrorist menace since 2013, albeit unevenly. Apart from highlighting the progress made, the briefings and deliberations are expected to underscore the persistence of the conflicts and violent extremist in all the regions that experienced the upsurge of these conditions around 2013. This has implications for prospects for peace and security in 2023, notably with respect to how these situations evolve in terms of resolution, continuation or further deterioration.
There are some key factors that would determine how the current conflict situations shape the peace and security landscape of Africa in 2023. Apart from the role of African and international mediation and peace operations efforts, one such factor concerns the fragility or weakness of the state that makes it vulnerable to conflicts. Another but related factor is the extent to which the underlying political, socio-economic and demographic conditions are effectively addressed.
The prospect of peace and security challenges in 2023 does not depend only on the dynamics of current conflict situations and the changing dynamics of violent extremism in Africa. It also depends on the evolution of vulnerabilities of various countries and regions to conflicts and major insecurities. The concept note anticipates much focus on what it calls the seven structural drivers of conflicts in Africa that will determine the security outlook of Africa by 2023 and beyond. These relate to poverty, democratization, regime type, population age structure, repeat violence, the bad neighborhood effect and poor governance. Other drivers of conflicts highlighted in the AU roadmap on silencing the guns by 2020 include illicit trafficking and use of weapons.
The nature and dynamics of conflicts would also witness change. Due to population pressure, increasing vulnerability of people due to pressure from large scale projects including activities of extractive industries, climate change and weak or bad governance infrastructure, resource-based conflicts notably over water and land are likely to increase and assume prominence. These would be both sub-national and cross border in nature.
Another source of security challenge for Africa is the increasing militarization of some parts of the continent. This is particularly the case in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa where various old and new powers continue to scramble for establishing military bases.
Governance related crises are also set to witness significant increase. Riots and mass protests are the dominant conflict events in 2017. Changing demographic dynamics involving mostly youthful, increasingly educated and politically conscious public coupled with the spread of information technology have led to expanding the gulf in the expectations of the public and the ability of governments to deliver in terms of political responsiveness, accountability and socio-economic inclusivity. The resulting political upheavals and conflicts taking the form of protests, riots, election induced violence and disputes over revision of presidential term limits are expected to be the most dominant conflict events.
The briefing from PSD is expected to highlight the measures envisaged under the AU Roadmap on silencing the guns by 2020. This session is expected to also highlight the importance of conflict prevention and the need for a strategy on the effective deployment of preventive instruments. In this context, the AU Unit on Agenda 2063 is expected to highlight the areas of intervention planned to address the current peace and security challenges and those expected by 2023.
As rightly pointed out in the concept note for the session, attention would also be drawn to the need for enhanced investment in and effective utilization of the governance frameworks and instruments of the AU that make up the African Governance Architecture (AGA). Other areas of intervention proposed in the concept note include greater focus on security sector reform, a rule of law based approach to counter terrorism, more independent and resourced election monitoring unit, and partnering with election monitors from other international bodies.
The expected outcome of this session is a press statement. In terms of follow up, issues worth focusing on in the press statement include the need for identifying and sharpening interventions tailored to the different security challenges and the imperative of resolving current conflicts and greater use of prevention tools with full operationalization of the Continental Structural Conflict Prevention framework including through the use of the country structural vulnerability/Resilience assessment.
Insights on the PSC Update on PSC’s April 2018 Program of Work
Amani Africa
Date | April 2018
The Amani insight on the monthly program of work of the Peace and Security Council was produced on 2 April 2018. Since then the arrangement for the sessions anticipated in the monthly
program has been changed. Most notably, as preparations for facilitating the visit had to be finalized, the PSC plan for a field visit to South Sudan from 9 to 13 April was shifted to the following week.
Since 15 April, the PSC has been in South Sudan for its field visit and this field visit is anticipated to run until 20 April. This presents members of the PSC to have first hand engagement on the ground and interaction with the various stakeholders in the South Sudan peace process. Apart from conveying the continental body’s message for ensuring that the national dialogue is inclusive and complements the High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), this visit galvanizes the push for committed participation of South Sudanese parties in the peace revitalization process of the HLRF expected to take place from 2 to 6 May 2018 in Addis Ababa.
Accordingly, some of the sessions of the PSC planned for the week of 16 April were brought forward to the week of 9 April. Accordingly, the PSC held its briefing on the effective take off of the AU Humanitarian Agency on 9 April. The following day, the PSC held its briefing on ‘Nuclear energy, non-proliferation and disarmament’.
The open session on corruption and conflict resolution, initially planned for 24 April, took place on 12 April. Our pre-session insight on this agenda is here. On 13 April, the PSC held the briefing on peace support operations in Africa focusing on the highlevel joint field visit by the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security and the UN Under Secretary for Peacekeeping Operations. The major highlights of this session as covered in our pre-session insight is here. This was also the session where the PSC considered and adopted the provisional program of work for May 2018.
On its return to Addis Ababa next week, the PSC will continue with its program of work. A second open session that was initially scheduled to take place before the field mission to South Sudan is now planed to take place on Tuesday 24 April. The focus of this open session is ‘Africa’s peace and security landscape by 2023 (end of the first ten year plan of AU agenda 2063): A prospective analysis of peace and security challenges. Representatives of various organizations including the Institute for Security Studies and International IDEA are expected to present briefings at this session.
On 25 April, the PSC will have a briefing on the operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF). While much of the agenda in the monthly program of work came from Nigeria as chair of the month and a few from the Peace and Security Department, this agenda came from a member of the PSC. AU Peace Support Operations Division and Regional Economic Communities and/or Regional Mechanisms are expected to brief the PSC.
The PSC is scheduled to hold a session on the situation in South Sudan, the only country situation on the agenda of the month, on 26 April. This is also the session where the PSC would consider the Report of its field mission to South Sudan. Briefings are also expected from the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, the UN Panel of Experts on South Sudan and IGAD.
On 30 April, the PSC may hold a briefing on sustainable financing of AU peace operations and the Peace Fund, although this could be shifted to the next month program of work under Rwandan
presidency of the PSC. Two footnotes in the monthly program envisage plan on the establishment of the PSC Sub-Committees on Counter-Terrorism and Sanctions and for informal consultative meeting with the AU Commission Chairperson.
Briefing on Durable Solutions to Internal Displacement in Africa
Amani Africa
Date | 17 April, 2018
Tomorrow (18 April) the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) will hold a briefing session on ‘Durable Solutions to Internal Displacement in Africa: Humanitarian Action through the Incoming AU Humanitarian Agency’.
Commissioner for Political Affairs Cessouma Minata Samate and the independent consultant working on the operationalization of the AU African Humanitarian Agency (AHA) are expected to brief the PSC. The department of Peace and Security is also expected to make a statement.
The session was initiated by Nigeria as the chair of the month and it is taking place in line with the theme of the year on refugees, internally displaced persons and returnees and the commitment of finding durable solutions to forced displacement. The briefing is expected to shed light on humanitarian crisis and the ongoing efforts spearheaded by the AUC in strengthening humanitarian action.
According to the concept note developed by the AUC on theme of year ‘over a third of the world’s forcibly displaced persons are in Africa, including 6.3 million refugees and 14.5 IDPs’. The compounded effects of conflicts, poor governance, human rights violations, environmental degradation and natural disasters have resulted in protracted displacement and prolonged humanitarian crisis.
The ‘Roundtable on Addressing Root Causes of Forced Displacement and Achieving Durable Solutions in Africa’ convened by AUC at the margins of the February 2019 Summit as part of the Project 2019 commemorative work highlighted that the major driver of forced displacement in Africa is conflict and addressing the structural drivers of conflict requires political commitment and preventive diplomacy. Addressing root causes of displacement also entails measures that must be put in place to facilitate all forms of durable solutions return, resettlement and local integration.
The AU has taken major policy strides in protecting and promoting the rights of displaced persons as well as in enhancing humanitarian action across the continent. One of the landmark instruments is the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of IDPs, also known as the Kampala Convention adopted in 2009 and it is currently ratified by 27 countries. The Convention is the only legally binding international instrument that specifically addresses the needs of IDPs. Moreover the AU Model Law for the implementation of the Convention was adopted at the AU Summit in January 2018 to promote the domestication and implementation of the continental instrument at national level. Although there isn’t any structured dedicated body or organ that is responsible to receive statutory and regular reporting, the Conference of State Parties to the Convention is mandated to serve as a platform to monitor its implementation. However since the adoption of the Convention in 2009 the Conference of State Parities was only able to meet once in April 2017.
Both the Kampala Convention and the Common African Position on Humanitarian Effectiveness including AHA are anchored on the fundamental premise of the primacy of state responsibility in providing protection and assistance to displaced population. The CAP itself is designed towards ‘strengthening the capabilities of the state to: predict, prevent, respond and adapt’. Within the framework of the primary responsibility of national authorities particularly within the context of responding to the needs of IDPs, it is duly recognized that humanitarian action needs to also reflect collective responsibility and burden-sharing extending to regional, continental and international actors.
In January 2016 the Assembly decision Assembly/AU/Dec.604 (XXVI) adopted the Common African Position (CAP) on Humanitarian Effectiveness and through it the establishment of the African Humanitarian Agency (AHA). The Agency is one of the ten pillars of the CAP ‘dealing with forced displacement on the continent, giving effect to the objective of the centrality of the African States in humanitarian action on the continent’. This function is expected to complement global systems and national institutions for effective humanitarian action. To this end, the establishment of the agency was expected to play a critical role in fostering synergy and coordination among national, regional and continental bodies. Increasingly the role of the agency is also looking further into increasing AU’s operational presence in the field and to enhance humanitarian coordination.
It is to be recalled that at its 762ndsession the PSC has requested the AUC ‘to expedite the development of the modalities for the operationalization of the AHA and emphasized that the proposed mechanisms should outline the structural, financial and legal implications for consideration of the AU Decision-making Organs’. The Council has also underlined the need to ensure the genuine African ownership of the project, hence it has urged member states to urgently implement the decision EX.CL/Dec.567 (XVII) to increase AU humanitarian fund from 2% to 4% of Member States’ assessed contributions. The council has also highlighted its expectation to see the full operationalization of the agency by January 2019.
Hence the presentation by Cessouma Minata Samate is expected to provide an overview of the structural, financial and legal aspects of the establishment of the agency. The consultant is also expected to brief the PSC on the process and outcome of the feasibility study and consultations held with member states and partners with the aim of implementing the Assembly decision. Moreover the presentation may also shed light on the modalities and mandate of the agency and its objectives in mobilizing political solutions to address root causes, building national capacity, setting standards and supporting continental coordination while working with RECs and other stakeholders.
The briefing is expected to provide a platform for member states and AU stakeholders to exchange views, lessons learnt and experiences that will support the effective operationalization of the AHA. The PSC may also reiterate its previous request on the operationalization within reasonable time.
The other key issue that is expected to be discussed is around humanitarian financing to ensure effective African response to forced displacement and in operationalizing the AHA. The scale and magnitude of the problem of forced and protracted displacement requires significant contribution in financing initiatives. In addition to humanitarian assessed contribution, the 75 per cent of the revitalized Peace Fund will also be used to support mediation and preventive diplomacy which is expected to play a role in addressing roots causes and drivers of forced displacement by offering political solutions to conflicts in Africa.
The PSC may also be briefed on the broader activities that will be undertaken in 2019 in line with the theme of the year which can also contribute to the operationalization of the Agency. These may include efforts towards reinforcing ratification and domestication of legal instruments such as the Kampala Convention and the OAU Refugee Convention to ensure increased ownership of both instruments and to effectively respond towards forced displacement.
At the time of production of this insight the form that the outcome of the session takes was unknown.
Briefing on Peace Support Operations in Africa
Amani Africa
Date | 13 April, 2018
Peace Support Operations in Africa
Today (13 April) at 3:30pm the Peace and Security Council (PSC) will hold a briefing session on peace support operations in Africa. The Council will receive a briefing from the Smaïl Chergui, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security and Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.
It is expected that the briefing would have two dimensions. The first of this and the main focus of the briefing is the recent joint field visits that Chergui and Lacroix undertook including to Darfur where UN-AU have their joint mission UNAMID and the Central African Republic. As a practical manifestation of the implementation of the AU-UN partnership, it is also anticipated that the briefing session would highlight efforts at implementing enhanced partnership between the two organizations.
Chergui and Lacroix have been on a joint filed visit to Sudan with a focus on the joint UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and in the Central African Republic (CAR) where the UN runs a mission, MINUSCA and the AU leads the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the CAR. In their joint briefing, Chergui and Lacroix are expected to explain to the PSC the current state of the peace and security situation in Sudan, Darfur and CAR, and on challenges and the next steps.
With respect to Sudan, particular attention would focus on not only the process of the withdrawal of UNAMID but also the effort for political solution to the situation. They are expected to indicate how the AU and the UN jointly support the stabilization and restoration of peace in Darfur. In terms of the visit to the CAR, the two are expected to brief the PSC on the security situation in the CAR including the recent incident of fighting that ensued when CAR and MINUSCA undertook an operation. The two arrive in Bangui while the situation on the ground was tense. On 11 April, they issued a joint statement on the situation expressing concern about persistent tensions in the PK5 neighborhood of Bangui and explaining that ‘the operations conducted by the Government and MINUSCA on 8 April were aimed at putting an end to the activities of criminal elements that endanger the lives of peaceful citizens, in a neighborhood that is also the economic hub of Bangui.’
Both the AU and the UN have each got a new leadership in the past year. Both Antonio Guterres, UN’s Secretary-General and Moussa Faki Mahamat, AU Commission Chairperson, have expressed commitment for enhancing the partnership of the two organizations on peace and security in Africa. Exactly a year ago, the two leaders signed a landmark framework agreement for enhanced partnership in peace and security envisaging coordinated engagement and joint processes throughout the cycle of conflict.
Today’s briefing session marks one year since the signing of the agreement and offers an opportunity for reviewing the progress made thus far. At the time of the signing of the agreement in April 2017, Secretary-General Guterres observed that ‘we are witnessing, in Africa, as around the world, changes …that force us to have a strategic review of the way peace support operations take place’. Both Chergui and Lacroix would inform the PSC that the joint field visit constitutes a practical manifestation of the efforts to translate the vision of elevating the partnership between the AU and the UN to a strategic level through joint strategic engagement on the ground.
In today’s session, Lacroix is expected to highlight UN’s expectation to move away from peace support operations seeking to implement wide range of tasks (with an extended presence on the ground and limited effectiveness) to operations with limited set of tasks aimed at enabling the building of national institutions and transfer responsibility to national authorities within shortest time possible.
The briefing would also highlight the importance of the search for political solutions and the value of joint strategic level engagement through joint filed visits. It is to be recalled that 2320 also envisaged UN-AU partnership ‘based on respective comparative advantage, burden sharing, consultative decision making, joint analysis and planning missions and assessment visits by the UN and AU, monitoring and evaluation, transparency and accountability.’
In translating joint approaches envisaged in this resolution and in the framework, this joint field visit is an experiment that can be developed into one tool for implementing joint approaches. It helps in achieving joint understanding of the situation on the ground. Additionally, it serves as leverage for supporting the search for political solution in the conflict-affected countries by sending a message of unity of views. Indeed, Chergui and Lacroix sought to achieve that in the CAR, thereby contributing to calming down the tense situation arising from recent incidents relating to the CAR and MINUSCA operation. In their joint statement, they underscored the ‘complete unity and common resolve of the African Union and the United Nations’.
In terms of AU-UN partnership, today’s PSC session will be informed by the long list of recommendations made by the 2015 High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO), which highlighted, among others, the need for a more responsive collaborative arrangement and partnership between UN and regional organizations, particularly the UN. Additionally, in its Resolution 2320 of 18 November 2016, the UN Security Council welcomed the AU Assembly decision in July 2016 to finance 25 per cent of the cost of AU-led peace support operations by 2020 with the understanding that the UN would cover the remaining from assessed contributions. From the side of AU PSC members, they may also recall PSC’s its communiqué of 30 May 2016 that underscored the importance of securing a substantive Security Council resolution establishing that UN assessed contributions should, on a case by case basis, finance Security Council-mandated AU peace support missions and seek update in this respect.
Next week on 18 April, Chergui and Lacroix are also expected to brief the UNSC jointly, Chergui via VCT from Addis Ababa and Lacroix in person in New York. With the field visit leading to joint briefing of both the UNSC and the PSC, it can also evolve into useful vehicle for coordinating the agenda and monthly program of work of the two Councils as well.
It is anticipated that after an analysis and review of this joint field visit, the two may explore modalities for effective institutionalization of such visit. The follow up to the visits would also explore in what ways such tools would best be implemented for leveraging the role of peace support operations and the search for the political resolution of conflicts.
While no particular outcome is expected, depending on the joint briefing and the ensuing deliberations, the PSC may both express support for such joint high-level field visit and call for its institutionalization.