In a plea for a strengthened alliance between the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU), Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, urged a decisive shift from rhetoric to tangible action at the 6th Annual Consultative Meeting in Addis Ababa.
Ambassador Hilale called for a renewed strategy, emphasizing the pressing need for a comprehensive action plan aligned with Africa’s priorities, signaling a pivotal moment for the UN-AU partnership.
“Without this renewal in collective action, we risk repeating such annual meetings without delivering adequate responses to African expectations,” cautioned Hilale, underscoring the urgency of moving beyond symbolic gatherings to address the escalating security challenges facing the continent.
Reflecting on the past decade, Hilale lamented Africa’s deteriorating security landscape, attributing the increased instability, armed crises, and the proliferation of terrorist networks to the failure of the UN and AU to provide effective responses.
Hilale’s address focused on the necessity for synergy and complementarity in actions, advocating for a paradigm shift towards tangible cooperation.
“We must move beyond rhetoric and work together to strengthen peace,” he asserted, urging concerted efforts and pooled resources between the UN’s Peacebuilding Commission and the AU’s Peace and Security Council.
The diplomat called for a thorough evaluation of the strategic partnership, insisting on initiatives that yield real progress in implementing Africa’s priorities.
These priorities, according to Hilale, include national ownership of peace consolidation, institutional strengthening, transitional justice, and reconciliation at both the national and communal levels.
The UN Peacebuilding Commission delegation to Addis Ababa in the framework of the 6th Annual Consultative Meeting engaged in high-level discussions with key figures, including Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, AU Commission President Moussa Faki Mahamat, and Claver Gatete, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.
Additionally, the delegation convened with influential voices such as Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the AU, and Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa.
A dialogue with civil society further underscored the commitment to fostering a robust and effective UN-AU partnership in the face of mounting security challenges on the African continent.
Source: Moroccoworldnews
