Spiegazioni di Voto pronunciate dall’Ambasciatore Sebastiano Cardi, Rappresentante Permanente dell’Italia presso le Nazioni Unite, al Dibattito in Consiglio di Sicurezza sull’adozione dell’estensione del mandato di UNISFA (Sudan) —
Mr. President,
I am going to speak also on behalf of Sweden.
This unanimous vote is a strong sign of Council’s unity. We are grateful to the United States, also in their role as penholder, for their constructive position that allowed us to reach such an important result. We thank Ethiopia for its flexibility and of course for its role in the mission in Abyei.
We share the points raised by the United States on the need for greater effectiveness in UN peace missions. Renewing the mandate of a peacekeeping mission should never be considered a routine activity, or “business as usual”. Instead, it always requires an in-depth analysis by this Council. This is why, together with Sweden, that I commend for the cooperation, and in close consultations with the E10, we asked on Friday to continue our discussions.
We thank you, Mr. President, for having accepted that request, which led to a fruitful discussion that permitted to bridge positions and pave the way for consensus, in the interest of the Council’s unity, which we consider to be of paramount importance.
In this spirit, we worked towards a balanced solution that brings together the need for more efficient peacekeeping while contributing to preventing further instability across East Africa.
Mr. President,
The review of Peacekeeping Missions should take into account the views of the regional actors and of the TCCs, particularly when such views are convergent and adherent to the Secretary-General’s strategic review, as is the case for UNISFA. This Resolution does just that.
Nevertheless, we agreed that the stalemate in Abyei has gone on for too long. Today this Council is saying to the parties that they must demonstrate a clear commitment in the next six months, or UNISFA’s support to the JBVMM will come to an end. In this regard, we welcome the recent meeting held in Addis Ababa of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism. The parties must now promptly make concrete progress on the implementation of the border arrangements.
The outcome of today’s vote can provide a successful model for discussions in the coming months on other peacekeeping operations. Italy and Sweden will continue to work with all members of this Council for sustainable and inclusive solutions.
I thank you, Mr. President.
