Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at the UN Security Council Debate "Peace and Security in Africa: the Centrality of preventive Diplomacy; Conflict Prevention and Resolution"

Mr. President,

We thank you for convening this event. We are also thankful to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his report. Special thanks to Ambassador Malamula, Ms.N.Maite, and Ms.L.Vilakazi for their interesting briefings.

We are in full support of the topic that our South African friends have put to the center of this discussion. Indeed, once founded, the United Nations and its Security Council were tasked to prevent armed conflict. It is a big question – why this task is not implemented to the needed extent. Perhaps, it has to do with political will, or rather the lack of it.

Meanwhile, prevention of armed conflict, especially on the African continent, is crucial for ensuring global stability. Today preventive diplomacy and its main mechanisms – mediation and “good services”, are demanded as never before.

Indeed, as Ms.L.Malamula rightly stated, there is no need to invent a wheel. The United Nations already has every tool needed to work at this track. I mean Chapters 1 and 6 of the UN Charter, and a number of addendum decisions, including UN Security Council resolution 2171 that enshrined fundamental principles of international cooperation in this area. We welcome the aspiration of the Secretary-General to strengthen this potential. The High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation consisting of renowned politicians and diplomats that was established in 2017 has become an important element of this potential.

We fully share the point contained in the Concept Note that “the voice of Africa on issues of peace and security on the continent should be taken into consideration”. Moreover, we believe this voice should be the deciding one.

It is vital that African countries, in accordance with the principle of national ownership, play an important role in conflict prevention and resolution. Thereby it is the task of global community to support these efforts while upholding sovereignty of States and abiding by the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.

Mr.President,

We commend that over the recent years African countries have come up with a whole range of tools and mechanisms to prevent conflicts on the continent. All of them are part of the African peace and security architecture, the fundamental elements of which are the Panel of Wise, the Continental Early Warning System, and AU’s Peace Fund. When implementing its mandate to prevent conflict, the continental organization acts under the Plan of action to build the AU’s mediation capacity and the strategy of standard operating procedures for mediation support. Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security that was signed in 2017 also stipulated key obligations in the area of preventive diplomacy.

There are practical results at this track. In particular, the African Union made an important contribution to achieving all-encompassing peace agreements in the Central African Republic and South Sudan, convening peaceful democratic elections in DR Congo and Nigeria, improving the situation in the Horn of Africa. Among the recent examples – successful action of Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union Mr.H.Lebatt on stabilization in Sudan.

What also plays an important role is African sub-regional organizations, including ECOWAS, IGAD, SADC, ECCAS. In this regard, we cannot fail to mention successful efforts of the African Union, United Nations, SADC and other partners that prevented political crisis in Madagascar.

We fully support strengthening of partnership on these issues between the UN Security Council and Peace and Security Council of the African Union. In this context, a great capacity remains with the Security Council Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa.

We assume that interaction should base on mutual respect and be carried out in line with regional initiatives. Preventive diplomacy should rest on an unbiased and equidistant approach, void of any mentoring and pressure on sovereign states’ political processes. It is only mediation, based on rapprochement of positions, search for points of contact and achievement of mutually acceptable agreements that has a chance to succeed. We should maintain dialogue with all constructive stakeholders that are involved in conflict. It is also vital to remember that there is but a fine line between preventive diplomacy and pressure on internal political processes. Sometimes the only thing that needs to be done to prevent conflict is to stop interfering in internal affairs and stop mentoring about how to build democracy and observe human rights.

Here is an example of a completely worthless prevention – NATO operation in Libya that was carried out in violation of the Security Council mandate. It led to multiple problems in Libya and Sahara-Sahel and fostered spread of terrorism in the region. This kind of prevention we do not need.

Mr.President,

Russia will continue to implement mediator policy in support of African efforts to prevent and resolve African conflicts. We stand ready to help Africa develop its crisis relief capacity, i.a. through training of peacekeepers and law enforcement officers of African states at Russian facilities.

We expect that the upcoming first-of-its-kind Russia-Africa summit will boost our cooperation with African countries and give impetus towards normalization of the situation on the continent.

Thank you.