This meeting was a follow up to the two previous meetings in 2007 and 2008, held in Addis Ababa and New York, respectively. Bearing in mind the UN Security Council’s primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and the mandate of the AU PSC with regard to the maintenance of peace and security in Africa, the meeting availed itself of this opportunity to review matters of common interest, in particular the enhancement of cooperation between the two institutions as regards the maintenance of peace and security in Africa and the development of effective partnership between the two institutions, under the framework of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter.
The meeting reviewed situations in Somalia and Sudan, the relations between Sudan and Chad as well as the issues of unconstitutional changes of Governments in Africa. The two bodies agreed to continue to work closely together on these issues, with a view to achieving concrete results. With reference to the report of the African Union - United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union peacekeeping operations, including the funding of AU led peace support operations, the AUPSC and the UNSC look forward to the report to be submitted by the UN Secretary –General no later than 18 September 2009, in accordance with the Security Council Presidential Statement of 18 March 2009, and to the AU input to that report.
The members of the UNSC and the AU PSC are committed to strengthening further and enhancing their co-operation, particularly in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peacekeeping and peace building, including the promotion of human rights, democracy, and rule of law and constitutional order in Africa. In this respect, the meeting welcomed the adoption by the UNSC of a Presidential Statement on the issue of unconstitutional changes of Government in Africa, which will further enhance the AU’s efforts in addressing such situations on the continent.
The AU PSC and the members of the UNSC agreed to pursue their consultations on ways and means to strengthen their cooperation and partnership, as well as on the modalities for the organization of their annual consultations. They agreed to hold their next consultative meeting in New York, in 2010, at a date to be agreed upon.