The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 470^th meeting held on 26 November 2014, was briefed by the Chairperson of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (UNPBC), H.E. Antonio de Aguiar, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations. Council also received updates from other members of UNPBC on the UNPBC on peacebuilding activities in Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Guinea-Bissau, as well as on the impact on peace and economic activities of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Council and members of the UNPBC also exchanged views on enhancing their collaboration in support of peacebuilding efforts in countries on the UNPBC agenda and other African countries emerging from conflict.

Council recalled the conclusions of its earlier consultative meetings with the UNPBC, since 2009, and renewed its commitment to support its activities in Africa. Council commended the role of the UNPBC in Africa, especially in view of the fact that all the six countries currently on the UNPBC’s agenda are from the African continent, namely: Burundi, CAR, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Council recalled the AU Policy Framework on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) and other relevant AU decisions, and underlined the importance of making an effective use of them to enable Africa to take a lead in peacebuilding activities in African countries emerging from conflict with a view to avoiding relapse and promoting sustainable peace. In this regard, Council stressed the importance of national ownership of the peacebuilding agenda and its implementation in countries emerging from conflict.

Council welcomed the planned comprehensive review of the UN peacebuilding architecture scheduled to take place in 2015, and which would draw lessons from the past decade of peacebuilding in Africa and other parts of the world. Council emphasized the need for more dialogue within the AU and RECs/RMs and between them and the UNPBC, with a view to identifying more areas for collaboration and strengthen national ownership and local participation, in keeping with the core principles that underpin the AU Policy on PCRD, in order to ensure that PCRD activities address the root causes of conflict and relapse, contribute to the creation of sustainable peace, social justice, renewal and participatory governance. In this regard, Council urged AU Member States to be proactive and contribute towards the review of the UN peacebuilding architecture.

Council underlined the importance of strengthening its collaboration with the UNPBC and agreed to hold annual consultative meetings with the UNPBC, in Addis Ababa and also in New York, on the margins of the joint consultative meetings of the PSC and the United Nations Security Council. Furthermore, Council commended the establishment of the Africa Caucus in New York on peacebuilding activities.

Council appealed to AU Member States to further support those African countries emerging from conflict and facilitate the work of the UNPBC to this effect. Council further called upon the international community to provide the necessary support to post-conflict countries in Africa.  

Council requested the Commission to play an active role with respect to the review process mentioned above and to regularly update Council.

Council agreed to remain seized of the matter.

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