EU Statement - UN General Assembly: High-level Thematic Debate on the Multifaceted Aspects of Peace and Security in Africa and the Future of Peacekeeping Operations

Mr President, Excellencies, I am delivering this statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* and Georgia align themselves with this statement. I would like to thank you Mr President, for organizing this debate on a topic that is a high priority for the European Union. In the current geopolitical environment, the EU remains committed to a sustained political engagement and adequate financing of peace operations. The EU has been the African Union’s number one partner on peace and security issues in terms of financial and technical support, from the establishment of the Africa Peace Facility in 2003 to the allocation of over 1 billion EUR so far to African partners under the European Peace Facility since 2021. Over half of the beneficiaries of the European Peace Facility are African partners. Last month, at the EU-AU Ministerial Meeting of 21 May, African and European Ministers welcomed cooperation in peacebuilding efforts as well as in peace operations at the level of the United Nations, the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities as well as other regional and bilateral initiatives. They agreed to strengthen African security, defence capabilities and stabilization, including the supply of military equipment through the European Peace Facility and the African Peace and Security Architecture. The EU-UN Strategic...