Mr. President, Excellencies,
I will be brief, as the European Union colleague has already delivered a statement that fully reflects our common position on the significance of resolution 2719.
Allow me nonetheless to thank Mozambique for opening the Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa not only to the wider membership, but also to civil society representatives.
Italy welcomed the adoption of the resolution, which is indeed a milestone for UN – AU cooperation in responding to the evolving nature of conflicts in Africa, and we appreciate this opportunity to reflect on the next steps.
As today’s panelists have highlighted, the focus is now on the implementation phase. While some questions remain open on how to effectively implement the resolution, particularly on the joint AU-UN decision-making process and the 25% financing gap, we believe that solutions are within our reach.
It is paramount to continue to support the capacities of the United Nations and the African Union to work together on conducting joint conflict analysis and elaborating Concepts of operations. A stronger collaboration will then be required in the operational phase.
With this in mind, Italy is financing targeted projects implemented UN Department of Peace Operations and the Department of Operational Support, to enhance the AU-UN cooperation also on operational support matters.
As a member of the European Union, Italy will continue to advocate for continued support to AU led Peace Support Operations, while also encouraging other Member States and regional organizations to contribute to peace operations in Africa authorized by the UN Security Council.
Finally, I would like to stress the necessity of conducting all peace operations in compliance with International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law. In this regard, we welcome the progress made by the African Union to define compliance framework. Such progress is also the result the UN-AU-European Union cooperation, which we fully support.
I thank you.
