UN, AU commit to strategically review peace operations

The United Nations and the African Union have jointly committed to review the way peace operations are conducted to challenge the new forms of warfare.

This was announced by the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at a joint press conference on Wednesday with the African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat after signing a new partnership agreement at the UN Headquarters in New York.

“We are witnessing, in Africa, as around the world, changes in the security situation that force us to have a strategic review of the way peace operations take place. We no longer have only the traditional peacekeeping operations,” Guterres said.

“We are indeed creating the conditions for an enhanced coordination of our activities at all levels,” he added.

Mahamat lauded the sustainable development, peace and security agreement saying it will help produce better results between the two organisations.

The AU Chairperson earlier attended the United Nations- African Union (UN-AU) Annual Conference.

The framework is expected to align the Agenda 2063 of the African Union for sustainable development and the United Nation’s Agenda 2030.

“There are lots of positive success stories that need to be fully in our own narrative as a UN about Africa and in our cooperation with the African Union … I would also like to underline that in relation to human rights, to good governance, there was a total identity of points of view that will allow us to work together very strongly,” Guterres concluded.

The two leaders earlier discussed situations in Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Somalia, as well as the activities of the Boko Haram terrorist group.