I.  INTRODUCTION

1.  Le Conseil de paix et de sécurité (CPS) de l'Union africaine (UA) et les membres africains du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies (A3), en collaboration avec le Département des affaires politiques, de la paix et de la sécurité de la Commission de l'UA (CUA) et le gouvernement de la République algérienne démocratique et populaire, ont organisé, les 1er et 2 décembre 2024 à Oran (Algérie), le 11^e Séminaire annuel de haut niveau sur la paix et la sécurité en Afrique :  « Aider les nouveaux membres africains du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies (A3) à se préparer à traiter les questions de paix et de sécurité sur le Continent ». Le séminaire a été organisé dans le sillage de la 397^e réunion du CPS tenue, le 23 septembre 2013, au niveau des chefs d'État et de gouvernement à New York et qui a examiné le partenariat entre l'UA et les Nations unies (ONU) dans le domaine de la paix et de la sécurité, et a décidé, entre autres, de la nécessité de « renforcer les consultations entre le Conseil de paix et de sécurité et les membres africains du Conseil de sécurité, afin de s'assurer que les décisions du CPS et celles de la Conférence de l'UA sont effectivement promues et défendues au sein du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies ».

2. Le 11^e Séminaire de haut niveau s'est tenu dans le contexte du 20^e anniversaire du CPS. Les participants ont saisi l'occasion pour faire le point sur les progrès accomplis par les A3 Plus 1 en matière d'amplification de la voix de l'Afrique et de promotion efficace des intérêts africains et des positions africaines communes dans le cadre du processus de prise de décision du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies, y compris les défis rencontrés, les enseignements tirés et les bonnes pratiques. Ils ont également saisi l'occasion du séminaire pour saluer les acquis du Centre de l'Union africaine pour la lutte contre le terrorisme (AUCTC) depuis sa création il y a vingt ans.

3. Les participants au 11^e Séminaire de haut niveau ont aussi rappelé la primauté du Conseil de Sécurité des Nations Unies dans le maintien de la paix et de la sécurité internationales, conformément aux dispositions pertinentes de la Charte des Nations Unies, de l’Acte constitutif de l’UA et du Protocole relatif à la création du Conseil de paix et de sécurité de l’Union Africaine.

4. Le Séminaire a été présidé par S.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, ministre des Affaires étrangères de la République de Djibouti et Président du CPS pour le mois de décembre 2024. S.E. Ahmed Attaf, ministre d'État, ministre des Affaires étrangères, de la Communauté nationale à l'étranger et des Affaires africaines et hôte et coordinateur des membres africains du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies, a prononcé le discours d'ouverture ; S.E. Sidi Mohamed Abdellahi, Ambassadeur de la République islamique de Mauritanie en Algérie, a prononcé un discours liminaire au nom de S.E. Mohamed Salem Merzoug, ministre des Affaires étrangères, de la Coopération africaine et des Mauritaniens de l'extérieur et Président de l'UA.  S.E. l'Ambassadeur Bankole Adeoye, Commissaire de l'UA aux affaires politiques, à la paix et à la sécurité, a fait une déclaration, et la Suisse a livré un message de bonne volonté au nom des partenaires.

II.  PARTICIPATION

5. Participants included the fifteen members of the PSC as follows: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti (Chair), Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda. The following Members of the current A3 Plus 1 also attended the High-Level Seminar: Algeria, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Guyana. Somalia attended as an incoming A3 Member.

6. The High-Level Seminar was also attended by Friends of the Seminar, namely Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia and South Africa. The United Nations and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), Institute for Security Studies (ISS), and Amani Africa also participated in the High-Level Seminar. Representatives of Denmark, Norway and Switzerland attended the Seminar as partners of the High-Level Seminar.

III.  MAIN OBJECTIVE

7. Held within the context of the PSC 20^th Anniversary and building on the solid foundation and momentum established by the previous ten (10) High-Level Seminars, the 11^th High-Level Seminar sought to review the milestones achieved, lessons learned, best practices, and challenges to be addressed. As with previous editions, the High-Level Seminar was meant to contribute towards further strengthening the capacity of the A3 Plus 1 to more effectively promote and defend common African positions on peace and security issues within the UN Security Council, as well as to further strengthen coordination between the AU PSC and the A3 Plus 1 to foster coherence between the two entities. 

8. The High-Level Seminar took note of the 20^th Anniversary of the AU Counterterrorism Centre (AUCTC) and commended it for its continued efforts to enhance African responses to terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism. It reiterated the urgency of fully capacitating the Centre to enable it to discharge its mandate more effectively.

IV. AGENDA ITEMS

9. The Agenda of the High-Level Seminar was structured around the following three main thematic sessions:

A. Building Integrated Capacity for Combating Counterterrorism and Violent Extremism, “20^th Anniversary of the African Union Counter-terrorism Center: Achievements and Vision for the Future”.

B.   Implementation of the Pact for the Future: “Focusing on the UN Security Council Reform and Update on the Implementation of the Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023).”

C.   Coordination between the PSC and the African Members of the United Nations Security Council Plus (A3 Plus) towards the Africa agenda in the PSC and in the UN Security Council.

Session 1: Building Integrated Capacity for Combating Counterterrorism and Violent Extremism, “20^th Anniversary of the African Union Counter-terrorism Center: Achievements and Vision for the Future

10. The Panelists in this session acknowledged the global nature of terrorism and its growing threat in Africa, where the scourge is now prevalent in all five regions of the continent.  They noted with deep concern the growing capacity of terrorist organizations to integrate the use of sophisticated modern technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence in their activities.  They recalled all relevant AU and international instruments on terrorism, radicalization and violent extremism, in particular the Declaration on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa, adopted by the 16^th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly held on 28 May 2022, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, as well as all relevant international instruments.

11. During the extensive deliberations, participants underscored the following:

i. Member States to establish synergies for the effective early detection, prevention and swift combating of terrorism, as well as the development of comprehensive, integrated and whole-of-society security approaches, including through establishing deliberate socio-economic programs aimed at economically empowering the population, especially the Women and Youth. This will not only capture the hearts and minds of the people but will re-orient them away from the politics of identity to the politics of interests, in order to more effectively combat the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism in Africa;

ii. Need for the AU Commission, in particular the AUCTC, AFRIPOL and CISSA, to work together towards the development of a new AU Continental Strategic Plan of Action on Counter-terrorism and, in this regard, to review and update the 2002 OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of terrorism to ensure that the AU effectively adapts to the contemporary nature of terrorism on the Continent;

iii. Enhancement of collective security approaches between and among Member States and RECs/RMs, including enhanced intelligence and information sharing as well as joint operations between and among Member States;

iv. Utmost importance of fast-tracking the implementation of the Malabo Declaration adopted by the 16^th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly held on 28 May 2022 as well as the Abuja Declaration of April 2024, particularly with regard to the operationalization of the Ministerial Committee on Counter-Terrorism and the PSC Sub-Committee on Counter-Terrorism;

v.  Enhancement of collaboration between and among Member States and also between and among the RECs/RMs, as well as the need for enhancing the effectiveness of the regional intelligence cooperation platform such as the Djibouti and Nouakchott Processes, and other complementary mechanisms;

vi. Balance between kinetic and non-kinetic strategies that more positively address underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment and other drivers of conflict to address the structural root causes and catalysts of terrorism;

vii.  Need for  partners and stakeholders to invest and provide the necessary support  to  facilitate the  implementation of  AU post-conflict,  reconstruction and  development programmes, including support for efforts of the AU PCRD Centre.

viii. Need for Member States to ensure predictable, adequate and sustainable funding for their national defence and security institutions so as to ensure their robustness and to enable them to guarantee human security;

ix. Member States to implement comprehensive approaches to combating the financing of non-State illegal armed groups, negative forces, and terrorist organizations, by implementing a multidimensional strategy that more effectively restricts the financial lifelines of such groups;

x.   Members to promote cooperation between States and to pursue the exploration of economic opportunities, in particular trade facilitation and cross-border infrastructure to strengthen the regional integration necessary for the consolidation of peace and security on the continent;

xi.   Expediting the development of a watchlist of terrorist organizations and individuals, including foreign terrorist fighters operating on the Continent;

xii.    Expediting the operationalization of the AU Special Fund for combating terrorism, as well as the operationalization of the Africa Arrest Warrant, in order to promote  effective cooperation between and among Member States, with the active support of the African Standby Force;

xiii.  Need for the establishment and further strengthening of inclusive platforms for promoting genuine inter-faith and inter-community dialogue, as well as the efficacy of community-based approaches, mindful of the critical role of local communities, particularly traditional leaders and leaders of various religious persuasions;

xiv. Emphasis on the efforts of the AU Champion on counter-terrorism and violent extremism, President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Mr. Abdelamadjid Tebboune, in advancing the AU agenda of combating terrorism and violent extremism;

xv.  Need to encourage Member States to continuously enhance/reinforce the institutional capacities of their national defence and security forces, including equipping them with the correct ideology of Non-Sectarianism; Pan-Africanism; and Nationalism, in order to ensure their resilience and capacity to more effectively defend their national unity and territorial integrity, as well as to guarantee the human security of their populations; and

xvi.  Encouragement of Member States to redouble investments in countering dangerous narratives that contribute to the easy radicalization and recruitment of the youth by terrorist organizations;

Session 2: Implementation of the Pact for the Future: “Focusing on the UN Security Council Reform and Update on the Implementation of the Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023)”:

-  On the Pact of the Future;

12. The Seminar welcomed the adoption of the Pact for the Future and underscored the urgent need for the reform of the UN Security Council to make it more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable.

13. Participants expressed concern over the lack of progress on the reform of the UN Security Council and reiterated the call for the reform to be in line with the common African position, as enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, which emphasize the importance of ensuring that Africa has two permanent seats on the Security Council, with the same powers and privileges as the current Permanent Members . The Seminar further underscored the imperative of democratizing the penholder system in favour of the A3 Plus 1,  especially on African files.

- On UN Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023):

14. Participants highlighted the lack of sufficient funding as a major challenge for Peace Support Operations in Africa and underscored the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023) as an important framework for guaranteeing  adequate, predictable and sustainable funding for AU-led Peace Support Operations. They called for its full operationalization and application to the new AU Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) as the first beneficiary case. 

15. Furthermore, the Seminar underscored the need to ensure that AUSSOM does not face the same challenges that ATMIS and AMISOM faced over the years, namely the lack of adequate force multipliers and enablers, and insufficient funding.

16. Participants appealed to international partners to continue supporting ATMIS as it transitions to AUSSOM, including in addressing the current funding deficit. They welcomed the decision of the PSC, adopted during its 1236^th meeting, to use part of the interest accrued from the AU Peace Fund, including the Crisis Reserve Facility, to contribute to the financing of AUSSOM.

CLOSED SEGMENT:

Session 3: Coordination between the PSC and the African Members of the United Nations Security Council Plus (A3 Plus) towards the Africa agenda in the PSC and the UN Security Council:

17. Participants noted the significant contribution of the High-Level Seminar towards enhancing and further strengthening the capacity of the A3 Plus 1 to more effectively discharge their continental mandate within the UNSC.

18. Participants commended Algeria for the successful coordination of the A3 Plus 1 and endorsed the summary of the A3 Plus 1 Ministerial Meeting, held on 24 September 2024, in New York. They also encouraged the A3 Plus1 to ensure the full implementation of the recommendations of the A3+ Ministerial meeting.

19. Participants noted with satisfaction the significant achievements made by the A3 Plus 1 since the launch of the 1^st High-Level Seminar in 2013, in Oran, Algeria, and specifically commended the current A3 Members (Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone). They commended the Republic of Mozambique, an outgoing A3 Member, in particular, for its exemplary contribution to the efforts of the A3 Plus 1. They congratulated the Federal Republic of Somalia on its election as the new Member of the A3 Plus 1 family and encouraged the incoming A3 to sustain the existing momentum in order to further strengthen the A3 cohesion, with a view to amplifying and spearheading the African voice within the UN Security Council.

20. Participants commended the AU Permanent Observer Mission to the UN in New York, as the Secretariat of A3+, for its continued support to the activities of the Group. They noted with concern the continued institutional capacity challenges facing the AU Permanent Observer Mission and reiterated the request for the Chairperson of the AU Commission to urgently find lasting solutions. Participants commended the Governments of Algeria, Morocco and Nigeria for the secondment of staff to the Mission and encouraged other Member States to do the same.

21. In addition, participants underscored as follows:

a)      Synchronization of the meetings of the PSC and those of the UNSC on matters relating to peace, security and stability in Africa, which come under the joint mandate of the two Councils, so as to ensure proper guidance to the A3 Plus;

b)      Need for ensuring continued push for the A3 to take effective pen-holders or co-pen-holding on African files on the UNSC Agenda, and which come under the joint jurisdiction of the two Councils;

c)       Frequency and institutionalization of the interactions between the PSC and A3 plus, at the level of experts and ambassadors on African issues, which come under the joint mandate of the two Councils;

d)      Strengthening of the A3 Plus mechanism with a view to getting the support of the future Caribbean countries in the UN Security Council; 

e)      Need for the A3 Plus 1 to brief the PSC on a quarterly basis, or at any other time when the need arises, on African issues on the Agenda of the UN Security Council and which come under the joint mandate of the two Councils, for the purposes of information sharing and necessary guidance;

f)       Encouragement of the A3 Plus 1 to hold coordination meetings at the high level on the margins of the AU Summit the UN General Assembly, and Joint Consultations between the PSC and the A3 on the margins of the AU Assembly Sessions; the UN General Assembly and the Annual Joint Consultative Meetings between the PSC and the UNSC;

22. Participants underscored the importance of further enhancing the institutionalization of the strategic partnership between the AU and the UN, with a view to further promoting coordination, coherence and complementarity of effort between the two institutions.

23. Participants also noted the significant progress achieved by the Oran Process and raised the possibility of replicating it on other thematic areas to foster common African positions.

24. Participants also took note of the progress made in the development of the Manual on Engagement between the PSC and A3+ and looked forward to its finalization by the Committee of Experts of the PSC before its submission to the Ambassadors for consideration and adoption.

V. CONCLUSIONS

25.  Participants expressed gratitude to the Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria and, in particular, to the Oran authorities for the generous hospitality and the excellent facilities that ensured the successful organization of the 11^th High-Level Seminar. They also expressed gratitude to UNITAR, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland for their continued support towards the successful organization of the High-Level Seminar and looked forward to the successful organization of the 12^th High-Level Seminar in Oran, Algeria, in December 2025.

COMMENTS