Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Taye Atske-Selassie Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia at the United Nations Security Council Debate on Peace And Security In Africa: "The Centrality of Preventive Diplomacy, Conflict Prevention and Resolution."
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Mr. President,

At the outset, I wish to congratulate South Africa for assuming the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of October 2019. Our delegation wishes to assure you of its fullest support and cooperation during your tenure.

Let me also thank you, Ambassador Jerry, for organizing this critically important debate. We hope it will rekindle our aspiration for strong cooperation between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, especially in building capacity for preventive diplomacy.

We thank Secretary-General António Guterres, Amb. Liberata Mulamula, and the two Civil Society Representatives for their comprehensive briefings and reflections.

Mr. President,

Ethiopia strongly believes that conflict prevention and mediation are critical tools for sustaining peace and development. Preventing the outbreak of conflicts and their recurrence are also the central pillars of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture. We trust the fundamentals in the cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union lies on the need to promote conflict prevention and the primacy of political solutions, which centers on properly implementing the objectives of the Architecture such as the projects of African Continental Early Warning System, the targeted activities of the AU Mediation Support Unit and the work of the AU Panel of the Wise.

Mr. President,

At this juncture, I wish to recall that discussions in this Council on the importance of strengthening AU’s Peace and Security Architecture, including the need for sustainable and predictable funding for AU peace support operations through such mechanisms as the UN assessed contributions is not showing satisfactory progress.

On balance, the use of preventive diplomacy by the United Nations system, particularly the Secretary-General’s good offices, remains indispensable but underutilized in avoiding and containing crisis situations. The Security Council must also do more to support and promote national and regional conflict prevention efforts. This is highly important since the nature of modern conflicts tends to be transnational, especially where borders are porous as it is the case in many parts of Africa. It, therefore, goes without saying that both the humanitarian and material losses resulting from conflicts are too great. That's why they should be stopped or minimized through conflict prevention, mediation and preventive diplomacy, which are by far the best tools we have to avert the outbreak of crises.

Mr. President,

We have recently witnessed the significance of mediation in our region. The collective wisdom of the Sudanese people, the endeavors of the African Union, Ethiopia and IGAD have resulted in facilitating peace and stability in The Sudan. Indeed, blessed are the peacemakers!

What we witnessed again is conflict prevention and resolution are less costly; it brings hope, nurtures cooperation, give us the moment and serenity to reflect on how wars are destructive; and peace builds life and hope.

Mr. President,

We believe that inclusivity and building national consensus is a foundation for successful conflict prevention in intrastate disputes. Peace endures when development is inclusive; when citizens' security is guaranteed; when women and young people are actively involved in decision making and when barriers to their economic advancement are removed.

We have seen the power and potential of young people as agents of positive change all across our region – most recently in Ethiopia and Sudan, as well as across West African countries. We must listen to young people: their hopes, aspirations, and worries. The meaningful participation of youth in peace-building activities will deny armed and terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab the chance to thrive by exploiting development and governance gaps.

In some of the conflict zones in the African continent, the total absence of state structures and functioning institutions, as well as corruption and maladministration, have pushed a sizable number of young people to consider joining these groups. It is, therefore, critical to continue to invest in youth empowerment, bolster state capacity and good governance initiatives at the local level, including in ungoverned spaces.

Mr. President,

Ethiopia is committed to the implementation of the African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture, as well as its flagship vision of “silencing the guns by 2020” -- both of which emphasize conflict prevention and the pacific settlement of disputes on the Continent. In our sub-region, Ethiopia has championed the goals of IGAD Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism, which aims to prevent violent conflicts through structured and consistent early warning and early response.

At the national level, over the past year and a half, Ethiopia has prioritized building peace, including by setting up a cabinet-level Ministry to ensure the implementation of peace-building measures, to strengthen the rule of law, and bolster the capacity of our security sectors. In addition to empowering local communities, we are anchoring our peace-building initiatives on indigenous traditions such as the use of elders’ councils and religious leaders with the objective of reaching a national consensus. We recognize that these efforts will not succeed without the active participation of women and youth. That is why inclusivity has been a core element of our economic and political reform efforts.

Once again, we would like to reiterate that, despite significant progress in recent years, these regional and national conflict prevention objectives cannot be met by Africans alone, not least because of a lack of material and financial resources.

The international community, particularly the Security Council, whose primary function is the maintenance of international peace and security, should actively support national, sub-regional and regional efforts with the view that “prevention is better than cure.”

In this regard, we urge members of the Security Council to further strengthen UN-AU partnership around peace and security as a platform for conflict prevention and mediation in the continent.

I Thank You!