The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) held its 1220th meeting (Open Session) on 5 July 2024, which was dedicated to the theme ‘PSC@20: Brainstorming: Summit of the Future.’

Council took note of the opening remarks of H.E. Ambassador Professor Miguel Cesar Domingos Bembe, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Angola to the AU and PSC Chairperson for July 2024, and the introductory statement by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.

Council also took note of the presentations by H.E. Ambassador Emilia Ndinelao Mkusa, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Namibia to the AU, and H.E. Mr. Stephan Auer, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, as Co-Facilitators for the Summit of the Future. The Council noted the statements of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the AU and Head of the UN Office to the AU (UNOAU); the Director General of the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) and Co-Chair of NeTT4Peace; and the Representative of the European Union Delegation to the AU; as well as the statements by the representatives of AU Member States and Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution (RECs/RMs).

Council recalled the Dar es Salaam Declaration: “20 Years of the AU PSC as a Standing Decision-Making Organ: The Next Two Decades of the Peace and Security We Want in Africa”, adopted on 25 May 2024 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, during the 20th Anniversary of the PSC.
Council commended the Republic of Namibia and the Federal Republic of Germany for cofacilitating the development of the Global Pact for the Summit of the Future and for their dedication and tireless efforts in leading the discussions and negotiations on the Pact of the Future, and in this regard, encouraged all Member States to support them.

The Council expressed appreciation to Sweden and Zambia, the co-facilitators of the Global Digital Compact, and the Netherlands and Jamaica, the co-facilitators of the Declaration on Future Generations. Council also commended the African Group in the United Nations for ensuring that African interests and common positions are reflected in the Global Pact for the Summit of the Future.

Council strongly commended H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for their leadership towards the convening of the Summit of the Future in September 2024.

Council welcomed the Summit of the Future as an opportunity for Member States to candidly reflect on the most pressing challenges facing the African Continent, particularly in the areas of peace, security, stability and sustainable development and at a time when global governance and the rules-based multilateral system are weakening significantly and in urgent need for reforms.

Council encouraged Member States to continue engaging in genuine discussions and consultations to reach a global agreement leading to a concise and action-oriented document that takes into consideration all challenges facing the world in general and, in particular, Africa, especially in the areas of peace, security, governance and development in Africa;

Council emphasized the importance of the rule-based multilateral system founded on the UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in full alignment with Agenda 2063 and International Law. In this regard, Council stressed the need for the Pact of the Future to reaffirm the purposes and principles of the UN Charter explicitly, the primacy of politics and the importance of peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for the principles of sovereignty, noninterference in internal affairs of Member States, non-indifference, the inviolability of the borders inherited at independence and respect for the territorial integrity of Member States.

Council took note of the Chapeau and five chapters of the Global Pact for the Summit of the Future, with a Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations annexed to the Pact.

Chapter I: Sustainable Development and Financing for Development

Council reiterated that the three pillars of the UN, namely, Development, Peace and Security are equally inter-linked and mutually reinforcing and, in this context, Council re-affirmed the need for the Pact of the Future to mainstream the Right to Development across all developmental efforts and recognize that the equality of opportunity for development is a prerogative both, of nations and individuals.

Council acknowledged that poverty eradication in all its forms and dimensions, as well as ending hunger, are the most pressing global priorities and overarching goals towards sustainable development.

Council stressed the urgent need for reforming the global financial architecture to ensure that they respond to the needs of developing countries, in such a way as to enable developing countries, particularly those in Africa, not to be subjected to choosing between achieving sustainable development and responding to the needs of their populations to mitigate the effects of global shocks and interrelated crises.

Council underscored the need for debt resolution frameworks, establishment of a global financial safety net, credit enhancement, the provision of concessional finance, and increased and equitable representation of African countries in multilateral institutions.

Council stressed the need to discourage unilateral trade measures and ensure that Special and Differential Treatment shall be an integral part of all World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreements and future multilateral outcomes and shall be embodied, as appropriate, in schedules of concessions and commitments and in the rules and disciplines, so as to be operationally effective and to enable developing countries, in particular Least Developed countries (LDCs), to effectively address their development needs in line with Africa’s industrialization and development priorities as enshrined in the Agenda 2063.

Chapter II: International Peace and Security

Council underscored the importance of ensuring that the Pact of the Future acknowledges and guarantees support for the efforts of regional organizations in promoting peace, security and stability, as well as to ensure that it addresses the perennial call by Africa for predictable, adequate, sustainable and flexible financing for AU led peace and security initiatives including through UN assessed contributions, while welcoming UN Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023) as a positive first step.

Council called for the Pact of the Future to be in alignment with the aspiration of the AU to silence the guns in Africa and to clearly underline the primary responsibility of the UN System, particularly the UN Security Council, in the promotion and maintenance of international peace and security.

Council further called for a reference to the Rule of Law as a critical element that pertains to many elements, including prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding, while underscoring the use of diplomacy and dialogue as the primary means for settling disputes and peacefully overcoming societal divisions.

Council underlined that the Pact of the Future should be the foundation for a sustainable and prosperous future for the present and future generations, which requires enhancement of international peace and security, the peaceful settlement of conflicts, and combating terrorism and violent extremism, addressing the threat of proliferation of nuclear weapons and eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

Council emphasized the need for a new vision for disarmament anchored principally on an inclusive and multi-stakeholder defence and security governance of Security Sector Reform (SSR) and Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR);

Council emphasized that the Pact of the Future is critical to the ongoing reform of the global peace and security architecture as an imperative for renewed multilateralism for world stability and called for the scaling up of comprehensive strategies to face terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations and encourage coordination of efforts, both, at the national, regional, continental and global levels to ensure effective prevention and combating of terrorism and violent extremism.

Council stressed the pre-eminence of post-conflict reconstruction and development in building and sustaining peace and implementing the peace, security, and sustainable development nexus for assured human security and resilience.

Chapter III: On Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and Digital Cooperation

Council called for durable cybersecurity, information and technology communication, and artificial intelligence solutions, as well as a global regulatory system, to address the new pervasive threats to international security.

Council recalled its Communique [PSC/PR/COMM.1214 (2024)] of 13 June 2024 dedicated to “Looking into the Future: Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on Peace and Security in Africa”, which underscored the importance of continuous dialogue and enhanced collaboration on the use of Artificial Intelligence between and among Member States, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), the private sector and think tanks, as well as between the AU, the United Nations and other stakeholders, to ensure a harmonized approach towards harnessing Artificial Intelligence and called for the urgent development of a Global Compact on Artificial Intelligence and, in this respect.

Appealed to Member States and to implement and promote the Common African Position on the Application of International Law to the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Cyberspace adopted by the PSC at its 1196th Meeting held on 29 January 2024 and endorsed by the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union on 17-18 February 2024; in this regard, encouraged Member States and other stakeholders to make full use of the Common African Position on the Application of International Law to the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Cyberspace during the negotiation of the Global Pact for the Summit of the Future.

Council called for enhanced cooperation and partnerships to leverage the full potential of ICT technologies in the transformation of African societies including in bridging the social, digital and economic divides that exist.

Chapter IV: On Youth and Future Generations

Council also underlined the need for the Pact to ensure the mainstreaming and more meaningful participation of women and the youth in all peace, security, and development processes, as well as to ensure the protection and promotion of the rights of children, as well as civilians in global security interventions; and in this regard, Council called for the establishment of a global fund for women and youth empowerment.

Chapter V: On Transforming Global Governance

Council also called for the urgent need to reform the UN Security Council, in line with the Common African Position as enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, to ensure inclusivity and equality of all of its Members. In the same context, Council stressed the need to ensure that the working methods of the UN Security Council contribute to its inclusive, transparent and consultative decision-making process, including democratizing the penholder system, as well as the need to ensure systematic coordination with the AU PSC, particularly on African files.

African interests:

Council also encouraged all stakeholders to ensure the inclusion of AU instruments, policies and programmes, in the Pact, including the AU Agenda 2063, the Master Roadmap of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa by the Year 2030, the Youth, Peace and Security Programme, and the Women, Peace and Security;

Council also underlined the need for the Pact to ensure that the African countries are guaranteed funding for the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as the need for supporting efforts by African countries in addressing the negative effects of climate change including facilitating the transition to renewable sources of energy and the promotion of climate-sensitive agriculture and development.

Council emphasized that the Pact of the Future should also address the need for the mobilization of sufficient resources for the countries in the Global South and the imperative for holistic management of humanitarian crises facing Africa and the world at large;

Council also emphasized that the Pact should also call for the appointment of a UN Special Envoy for Water and to avail the Envoy with adequate resources to discharge his/her mandate effectively;

Council underlined the importance of an implementation Roadmap, means of implementation, as well as a follow-up and monitoring mechanism to the Pact of the Future;

Council appealed to all Member States, RECs/RMs as well as civil society, think tanks and all relevant stakeholders to continue to support the Co-Facilitators in their efforts to reach the outcome that will lead to reforms to the multilateral system for the benefit of Africa that is fit for purpose with the UN Charter at its center.

Council called for the provision of means of implementation for Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement in order to achieve the ambitions set therein. Council further, noted that discussions on the Post 2030 Agenda shall be decided by Member States at an appropriate time.

Council encouraged all Member States to participate actively in the Summit of the Future and to amplify and unify Africa’s voice and, to this end, emphasized the importance of coordination and aggregation of all African views, including the views from the Africa Group in New York and in Geneva, as well as from the African think tanks, and called for the appointment of an AU Special Envoy to facilitate the process ahead of the Summit of the Future;

Council requested the Commission to urgently transmit the present Press Statement to the African Members of the United Nations Security Council (A3), in New York, as a reference document and for guidance; and

Council agreed to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS