In Addis Ababa, the UN and the African Union (AU) have been deliberating on funding peacekeeping operations in Africa.
The annual meeting between the UN Security Council (UNSC) and the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) is taking place in Ethiopia’s capital.
AU Peace and Security Commissioner Bankole Adeoye urged attendees to address the key issue of securing predictable, adequate, flexible, and sustainable funding for African peacekeeping operations.
This issue has been on the UNSC’s agenda for over a decade. African countries are advocating for compulsory contributions from UN member states to finance these operations.
A draft resolution has been under negotiation since 2018, but progress has been slow due to disagreements within the AU.
The AU has struggled to finance its peace operations, which have relied heavily on partners like the European Union (EU).
UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ emphasized in his New Agenda for Peace that addressing threats to peace and security on the continent requires new responses implemented by African partners, mandated by the UN Security Council, and funded by mandatory contributions.
Funding AU-led peace and security operations will enhance the capacity of both organizations to address threats to peace and security in Africa.
However, there are concerns within the UN Security Council regarding the types of operations to be financed (peacekeeping or anti-terrorist missions) and questions about criminal liability in cases of abuse.