I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, and the potential candidate country Georgia, align themselves with this statement.

Madam/Mr. President,

At the outset, we wish to thank Eritrea as the Facilitator of the resolution on the “promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa”, Kenya as coordinator of the G77 and China, as well as colleagues representing Groups and Member States who participated in informal consultations.

I also want to direct a special thanks to the African Group for tirelessly championing the link between sustainable development and peace, which is at the heart of this resolution. As stated by DSG Amina Mohammed at the Security Council recently, “There is only one route to durable peace… It is the route of sustainable development.”

Africa and the European Union have a close and longstanding partnership in a number of fields. The EU is Africa’s largest trade, investment and development partner. Deepening our partnership with Africa is a key priority for the EU. Moreover, we believe that the multilateral system, including the Security Council, would benefit from a stronger African voice and representation. .

The EU continues to support African-led peace and security initiatives such as the Silencing the Guns roadmap.  The EU also contributes significant financial support and personnel to peace and security operations in Africa. Since 2003, the EU has committed EUR 3.5 billion in support of African-led initiatives, contributing to early responses to crisis, capacity-building and the financing of AU mandated peace support operations. The EU supports predictable and sustainable funding for African-led Peace Support Operations authorised by the Security Council and the on-going discussions on the use of UN assessed contributions. A tangible example of this is our support to the African Union Human Rights Compliance Framework. In addition, the EU promotes the active inclusion of women and youth in the processes to attain durable peace and sustainable development in Africa.

The present report of the Secretary General on the Promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa shows evidence of a trend of increasing violence and conflict in Africa, which is deeply worrying. It also presents a highly relevant analysis of the impact of politics and governance on conflict and sustainable development. It documents relevant avenues to increase the presence of state institutions in remote areas and strengthening the trust and cohesion of local communities. The correlation between good governance and fewer conflicts strengthens our conviction that we need to support both the presence and the quality of governance structures that can provide public services across the territory. As we approach the SDG Summit in September, where we will collectively evaluate the state of implementation of the 2030 Agenda, it is worrying that so many African countries are struggling with progress on SDG 16. We believe stronger engagement between the Peacebuilding Commission and the African Union Peace and Security Council could provide renewed impetus to accelerate the implementation of the SDG 16.

The European Union looks forward to further discussions of the Secretary General’s report. In future considerations of the present resolution, it would be logical to time the report to allow reflections of its findings in the resolution itself.  

Regarding the resolution, we note that it has been updated to reflect several important developments in the past year. First, on climate change, it welcomes COP27 on Climate Change held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The strong adverse effects of climate change on sustainable development are well reflected in the resolution but we regret that some delegations could not support the reference to the link between the adverse effects of climate change on durable peace, as the G77 and China had proposed. Second, the resolution makes reference to the adoption in May 2022 of Security Council resolution 2634 on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. Third, we want to highlight the reference to the important Financing for Peacebuilding Resolution which was unanimously adopted in September 2022. We encourage the 5^th Committee to reach agreement on assessed contributions for the Peacebuilding Fund in its upcoming session. The European Union will continue to support adequate, predictable and sustained financing for peacebuilding, including through assessed contributions to the PBF, and we will work together with the African group for a positive outcome on this issue.

In closing, let me reassure you of our ongoing and unwavering support for durable peace through sustainable development in Africa. The EU and its Member States will continue to work towards strengthened cooperation with our African partner countries.

Thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.