PSC/PR/COMM.2(DCXXVIII)
Page 2
COMMUNIQUE
The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 628thmeeting, held
on 29 September 2016, was briefed by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador
Smail Chergui, and the United Nations Special Representative to the African Union and Head of
United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), Haile Menkerios, on ‘Strengthening the
partnership between the United Nations (UN) and the African Union on issues of peace and
security in Africa’ and adopted the following decision;
Council:
1.
Takes note of the briefings provided by the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security and
the United Nations Special Representative to the African Union and Head of UNOAU, as well as
the statements delivered by the representatives of China, France, New Zealand, United Kingdom
and the United States of America;
2.
Recalls its previous press statements and communiques on AU-UN partnership, in
particular the communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.(CCCVII)]of its 307th meeting held on 9 January 2012,
which considered the report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the partnership between
the AU and the UN on peace and security;
3.
Welcomes the Report of the UN Secretary-General on Strengthening the partnership
between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of Peace and Security in Africa,
including the Work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2016/780) which
emphasizes the need for new and stronger ways to address international peace and security
challenges and renews the UN’s commitment to strengthen partnership between the two
Organizations on the basis of collective responsibility to respond early, coherently and decisively
to prevent and manage conflicts;
4.
Commends the significant progress made in AU-UN partnership in the past five years and
stresses that it develops into a systematic, predictable and strategic one. Furthermore, Council
welcomes the signing by the UN Secretariat and the AU Commission of an overarching framework
on enhancing partnership in peace and security in Africa;
5.
Recognizes the primacy of the UN Security Council in the maintenance of international
peace and security, as defined by the UN Charter and acknowledges the need for Africa to
enhance its capacity to address the scourge of conflicts on the continent. In this regard, Council
stresses the importance of further strengthening the partnership between the AU PSC and the
UN Security Council consistent with Chapter VII of the UN Charter for the enhancement of
coordination on peace and security issues in Africa, to ensure that AU views are taken into
account;