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Madam President,
For how long, have we sat in these halls and heard the despair of the Africa? For how long have we viewed the horrible genocide and so much of waste of so beautiful a land? For how long, have we further despaired and the world has not taken cognizance of some of the brutal acts that have taken place in the history of the world?
Today I am proud to be a member of this organization where Madam President you, as an African, are the President of the Security Council; and we have an African as a President of the General Assembly and some august members sitting around this table are members of that Continent.
South Africa needs to be congratulated for holding a tournament of international brotherhood, never before held so significantly in such a peaceful an atmosphere. I feel these reflections and the just recent speech from this very Chair my brother, the PR of Senegal who stated the case of Africa so eloquently. If anyone today believes the world has a chance, it is here in this Security Council and in this institution that so much has been made possible by your compatriots.
Africa has made important strides towards addressing the challenges of peace, security and nation building. I think the holding of today’s debate is a reflection of the close attention that is being paid towards peace and security by very able leadership of Africa.
In first half of the twentieth century, the independence movements in Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent and the freedom struggle against colonialism in Africa were mutually inspiring. Today, Africa’s collective endeavor towards peace and security helps us believe and reinforces our own quest for sustainable peace in our region and beyond.
Pakistan, as a partner of Africa and as a country in search of peace and stability in its own neighborhood, associates closely with the theme of today’s debate. Out of nearly 11,000 Pakistani peacekeepers in the UN Missions, 8700 are performing duties in Africa. In peace and stability of Africa, we see their safety and, eventually, safe return home. In economic progress of Africa, we see opportunities for the whole global South, including Pakistan.
I am proud to say that Africa of today is leading the way with so many practical examples that we indeed can learn from you. We have seen in the recent past so many fires of conflicts and wars in Africa that a decade ago, were considered inextinguishable, have been brought to an amicable ending. I must add here that two very able Secretary Generals preceding the current Secretary General and even our own current Secretary General have played such an important role in creating the preventive doctrine that has made this possible.
African countries have put in place a solid peace and security architecture, through regional and sub-regional organizations, with built-in mechanisms of conflict-prevention and mediation. Bodies like ‘Peace and Security Council’ and ‘the Panel of the Wise’ impart further strength to this architecture.
Africa has sagaciously resorted to the vast spectrum of modalities envisaged in Chapter VI and other relevant provisions of the UN Charter, with a view to preventing disputes from arising between parties and controlling existing disputes from escalating into conflicts.
We, however, need to strengthen and make full use of comparative advantages of regional, national and local capacities for mediation, conflict prevention, reconciliation and dialogue; and under reconciliation one cannot pass by without mentioning the former President Mandela and Archbishop Toto. These leaders have been very larger than their lives, bright illuminating stars that have outshone all those around the world and today they are the icon of peace, security and stability.
Madam President,
On its part, the United Nations also has had some success in employing the tools of preventive diplomacy in conflicts in Africa. The Secretary General’s report of April 2009 (S/2009/189) on enhancing mediation and its support activities had laid emphasis on early engagement and on processes addressing the root causes of conflict. This is an important lesson learnt from past engagements.
As a primary body responsible for maintenance of international peace and security, the Security Council also needs to make a wider and effective use of the procedures and means for pacific settlement of disputes, particularly Articles 33-38 of the Charter.
At the same time, injudicious use of Chapter VII in certain conflict situations also merits due consideration. This injudicious use, in our view, has damaged the efforts for pacific settlement under Chapter VI and created an impression that non-Chapter VII resolutions are somehow not equally binding. This does not augur well for international peace. A proactive regional organization with its hands on the local pulse can counter such trend.
The African Union has provided strategic coherence, leadership and on-ground management in nearly all conflicts in the continent. Through close partnership in recent years, it has added value to the work of the UN, particularly the Security Council and the Peace-building Commission. The AU is also ideally placed to improve the structure of global governance and make it more egalitarian and just and its last review at Addis Ababa makes positive reading for the future of the Africa.
The AU with other regional and sub-regional actors, including local civil societies, has effectively worked for the cause of peace, in sectors as diverse as the UNAMID, anti-piracy campaign off the coast of Somalia and in facilitating the political processes following the recently-held elections in Burundi and in many other African States where elections were not possible some years ago. The Secretary General’s report, dated 13 July 2010, also notes active role of the ECOWAS in peace and stability of West Africa.
Madam President,
You have very elaborately outlined the future challenges of peace and security in Africa. These challenges are not confined to Africa alone.
In our view, demographic trends with high proportion of youth population, lack of employment, poverty, income-inequalities, food and water crises and deficits in education and health lie at the root of these conflicts.
I would particularly like to state that the example set by Africa in Copenhagen was indeed something that can be emulated by many others. Even in the very reform of this Council, Africa has stood by its steadfastness and on its own beliefs – a trend which many thought could not last and they have been baffled by what has been achieved.
To address challenges of peace an security of Africa and, indeed, of the wider world, our discourse has to move beyond the security paradigm and traditional tools of preventive diplomacy to include areas like fair trade practices, food & environmental security and investment in governance institutions. Accordingly, tools of preventive diplomacy could be better optimized if used in adjunct with rectifying measures in such areas.
Today’s debate will refresh our collective understanding of the issue of peace and security in Africa. For this invaluable initiative, Madam President let me say thank you for opening a debate which will be a proof to the world how very important your leadership is today.