Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), I wish to welcome the delegation of experts of the UN Advisory Panel on the Review of the UN Peace Building Architecture.

The PSC maintains, with the UN Peacebuilding Commission, a partnership prepared on the basis of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations and Article 17 of the Protocol relating to the Establishment of the PSC. In this regard, we need to stress the regular consultations between the PSC and the Commission on the margins of the annual meetings with the UN Security Council. 

The First Review carried out with the Peace building Panel in 2010 forms part of this process.

The PSC of the African Union (AU), at its 470th meeting, held on 26 November 2014, interacted with the members of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (UNPBC). During that meeting the PSC welcomed the detailed review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture which was then approved by the UN Secretary General on 15 December 2014. The PSC requested the Commission to support the revised process.

The African Union Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy(PCRDP) was thus adopted.

Since the adoption of the PCRD Policy, the Commission took a number of measures for its implementation. These include the identification of experts to be included in an African experts database on peacebuilding; development of guidelines for the implementation of specific activities of the PCRDP; organisation of assessment missions to countries emerging from conflict; the execution of to peace support projects (PSP) and the provision of other forms of support to countries in need; and the mobilisation of support from within the continent for post-conflict reconstruction and development. The AU also launched the African Solidarity Initiative (ASI).

If there is a general improvement in the conflict situation on the continent, the challenges are still too many. These multifaceted challenges have disastrous humanitarian consequences. They fall within the ambit of the transnational dynamics whose negative effects extend from one country to another, from one region to another, hence a see-saw evolution. Some states, emerging from conflict situations remain fragile and face risks of relapse, new conflict zones appear and finally other countries appear to have turned the page to attain peace and stability.

Consequently, it is important to identify and enhance the ways and means, the policies and programmes which make it possible to (i) consider and address the root causes of conflicts (ii) accelerate reconstruction activities, and (iii) consolidate and prevent a return to violence.

In this task, some parametres are critical like the full adherence and involvement of stakeholders in the conflict which must be convinced about the need to find a solution. This same will must be expressed in terms of peace building activities. All this is underpinned by the capacity building of all stakeholders.

Conflict management and post-conflict reconstruction should not make us forget the duty of vigilance and surveillance to prevent a return to the vicious circle of violence. Some studies have indeed shown that a year of conflict leads to a backward move of nearly 10 years. Consequently, a year conflict results in rebuilding for 10 years.

This should motivate us to act more for greater coordination of our mutual mechanisms in the African Peace and Security Architecture and in the UN Peace building Architecture.

I am confident that if we maintain our interactions like this morning to define a coordinated and concerted approach to conflicts in Africa, we certainly will manage to improve our fight to prevent, manage and preserve peace.

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