The UN Security Council and the Africa Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) have agreed to embark on a joint visit to conflict areas in Africa.
The members of the two councils held their 12th annual joint consultative meeting in New York and issued a joint communique.
Members of the two councils reaffirmed the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and “affirmed the intention to consider joint visits of the Security Council and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union to conflict situations in Africa.”
In April, UN Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and AU Peace and Security Commissioner Smail Chergui made a joint trip to the Central African Republic and Sudan.
Olof Skoog, Swedish ambassador to the UN, said after the meeting that a strategic partnership is crucial for the two councils to achieve their objectives at all levels, country-wise, regional and global.
He also commended AU and its regional partners for their cooperation with the UN, adding that “AU is a model for many other regions in the world.”
Members from the two councils discussed situations in South Sudan and in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during their meeting.
Both sides said only a political solution to the conflict in South Sudan will bring sustainable peace, according to the communique.
In addition, they further noted that all the parties must urgently demonstrate a strong will to an Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan to end the longstanding conflict in the country, referring to a peace deal signed in 2015 that has been repeated violated.
On DRC issues, the two councils called on the government, the independent National Electoral Commission and all stakeholders to work together towards the holding of an election on Dec. 23.
They also said the election should take place with “the requisite conditions of transparency, credibility and inclusivity, including the full and effective participation of women at all stages.”