Africa: | Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at a UN Safety Council Open Debate on Peace and Safety in Africa

United Nations — Thanks, Mr. President. And since that is my first time within the Council because you took over your presidency, in the event you would enable me, I want to first thank Brazil for a profitable month as President and welcome you in your chair of the presidency and need you a profitable month as nicely.

Mr. President, I would additionally wish to thank China for convening right this moment’s open debate on capability constructing for sustaining peace in Africa. AU Commissioner Mr. Adeoye and Particular Advisor Ms. Duarte, thanks to your shows on among the keys to making sure sustainable peace. And Ambassador Muhith, our heat welcome and because of you as you’re taking in your new place as Chair of the Peacebuilding Fee. I’d additionally wish to welcome different members of the Council who’re collaborating on this debate right this moment.

As we speak, I would like to debate three core areas of focus that may transfer us towards a extra sustainable and peaceable Africa. First, the significance of growth and human rights in our work. Second, continued cooperation on battle prevention and backbone. And third, our collective efforts to deal with the dire spike in world meals insecurity.

And all of that is prime of our thoughts for me as a result of I simply got here again final evening from a visit that took me to Uganda, Ghana, and Cabo Verde. Throughout my go to, I laid out a imaginative and prescient for peace and meals safety in Africa. In my remarks, I quoted one in all my private heroes and a founding father of the United Nations, Ralph Bunche. Bunche stated, and I quote, “If peace is to be safe, long-suffering and long-starved, forgotten folks of the world, the underprivileged and the undernourished, should start to understand directly the promise of a brand new day and a brand new life.”

This can be a message I needed to carry right here right this moment, as nicely. Peace can’t wait in Africa. It should come from African leaders, African establishments for Africa’s folks.

Colleagues, we have now a chance to step up our assist. And I be part of many on this room in highlighting our dedication to growth, and on the similar time, peace and safety and human rights as equal, interlinked pillars of the UN Constitution. One instance of an interlinked strategy to those pillars is our implementation of the U.S. Technique to Stop Battle and Promote Stability over the subsequent 10 years.

I additionally be part of many right here in calling for advancing growth in pursuit of the Sustainable Growth Targets, which, because the Workplace of the Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights notes, are firmly anchored in human rights rules and requirements.

It is this sort of human rights-centered growth and safety agenda that we look ahead to prioritizing at our upcoming Africa Leaders Summit, which is able to happen in Washington this December. Collectively, we are able to work to strengthen commerce relations, financial growth, and prosperity in Africa.

In step with what Secretary Blinken stated right this moment in Pretoria whereas launching the U.S. Technique for Sub-Saharan Africa: We consider Africa will form the longer term – not simply the longer term for African folks – however for the world. African nations have the assets, they usually have the need to do exactly that. African establishments are already main the way in which by facilitating the decision of crises and conflicts within the Nice Lakes area, Mozambique, and Somalia – and by serving as main contributors to UN peacekeeping efforts all over the world.

And the US is utilizing diplomacy to assist these efforts. As only one instance, throughout my go to to Uganda simply final week, I underscored our assist for African mediation efforts to the battle enjoying out within the DRC. Secretary Blinken will do the identical in his visits to DRC and Rwanda within the subsequent few days. And we’re urging an finish to assist for non-state armed teams and de-escalation of violence.

Let’s additionally acknowledge the truth that the African Union is vital to Africa’s peace, as we heard from the Commissioner earlier. The African Union can proceed to mediate battle and assist its Regional Financial Communities throughout political transitions and civil conflicts. And we applaud the progress that the AU has made in creating its personal human rights and worldwide humanitarian regulation frameworks. We’re dedicated to persevering with to work with the AU to additional the financing of AU peace assist operations envisioned in Resolutions 2320 and 2378.

Moreover, after we speak about peace in Africa, we should acknowledge the necessary function UN arms embargos play in sustaining peace in Africa. And on that time, exemptions to arms embargos be certain that governments have the power to acquire what they want, whereas the arms embargos present transparency for weapons flows into battle areas. Arms embargos restrict the power of belligerents to interact in hostilities and finally does save lives. These sorts of arms embargos are integral to the AU’s Silencing the Weapons Initiative, which was prolonged to 2030.

However for all of the hope that I’ve – and that I consider we must always all have – we can’t talk about sustainable peace in Africa with out acknowledging the tumultuous occasions through which we discover ourselves. Spikes in power costs, COVID, the local weather disaster, and battle – all talked about by every of you right this moment – have all led to a dramatic rise in meals insecurity. This was a continuing drumbeat after I was on the continent final week. Two-hundred-million folks are actually meals insecure, uncertain of the place they are going to discover their subsequent meal. And also you add Russia’s warfare of alternative in Ukraine on prime of all of this, and you’ve got the worst meals safety disaster we have now seen in our lifetimes. The accountability for this added disruption of worldwide provide chains, hovering, surging gasoline costs, and struggling lies squarely and solely with the Russian authorities. And we all know the consequences are hitting Africa significantly exhausting.

Within the case of meals, as in lots of different areas, we’re partnering with African governments and leaders to deal with instant crises, whereas additionally connecting these short-term efforts with the a longer-term crucial of bolstering Africa’s skill to unravel world issues.

Colleagues: allow us to work collectively beneath the management of African nations to forge a extra peaceable, extra affluent, safer future. And allow us to achieve this, as Ralph Bunche urged us, directly.

Thanks.