PSC/PR/BR(CDXXX) Page 1 PRESS STATEMENT The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 430th meeting, held an open session, on 24 April 2014, devoted to the theme: “Silencing the Guns: Pre-requisites for Realising a Conflict-Free Africa by the Year 2020”. Statements were made by AU Member States, non-African countries, bilateral and multilateral partners and international organization/institutions, as well as by civil society organisations (CSOs). Participants and Council agreed on the need for rapid, appropriate and courageous response to early warnings on potential outbreaks of violent conflicts. In this context, they called for the further strengthening of all existing preventive diplomacy tools, including the Panel of the Wise and the Continental Early Warning System and to ensure quick response when the need arises. Participants underscored the importance of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and called for its full operationalization, particularly the African Standby Force and its Rapid Deployment Capability. Participants and Council acknowledged the primary responsibility of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in maintaining international peace and security and stressed the need for enhancing the strategic partnership between the AU PSC and the UNSC. They also emphasized the importance of the partnership between Africa and the international community in effectively addressing both current and emerging threats to peace and security on the continent. They nonetheless, stressed the primary responsibility of AU Member States in protecting their citizens and ensuring stability. Participants and Council also emphasized the obligations of individuals and non-state actors to uphold the culture of peace and tolerance, as well as to refrain from actions that undermine peace and stability on the continent. Participants and Council stressed the need for the identification and neutralisation of the root causes of violent conflicts. They called for common understanding, definition of, and response to, the root causes of violent conflicts so as to build consensus on the solutions required to comprehensively and effectively address them. The importance of good governance, respect for human rights, popular participation and inclusivity was recognized. In this regard, there was a strong call for AU Member States to deepen the culture of democracy, accountability and good governance on the continent. Furthermore, they called on AU Member States that are yet to sign, ratify and domesticate existing AU legal frameworks and normative instruments, to do so, with a view to promoting durable peace and stability. As a foundation for durable peace and stability, Member States were urged to redouble their efforts in economic development, ensure the well-being of their people and comprehensively address the problem of youth unemployment on the continent.