Representing President of Republic, AU Chairman, Minister Secretary General of Presidency of Republic Participates in Meeting Commemorating 20th Anniversary of AU Peace, Security Council
On 25 May, in Dar esSalam (Tanzania), Mr. Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdhaf, the Minister Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, representing His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the President of the Republic and Chairman of the African Union (AU), participated in the commemorative meeting of the 20th anniversary of the creation of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC).
Taking the floor, the Minister Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic expressed his thanks to the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him since his arrival in this beautiful country andfor the quality of the organization and the facilities made available for the success of this meeting.
He also conveyed the greetings of His Excellency Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and AU Chairman.
Here is the full text of the speech:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
–Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Chairperson of the AU Peace and Security Council.
– Excellencies Heads of State of AU PSC Member States.
– Excellencies the representatives of the Member States.
– Excellency Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the AU Commission.
– Excellencies Commissioners.
– Excellencies Ambassadors.
– Ladies and gentlemen.
Allow me to express to my sister, Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, my feelings of appreciation and respect, as well as my sincere thanks for Tanzania’s hosting of this important meeting and the means it has put in place to ensure its success.
I would also like to thank His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, for his efforts toward peace and security on the African continent.
Je voudrais également féliciter Son Excellence le Commissaire, M. Bankole Adeoye, pour sa gestion du CPS de l’UA.
I would also like to congratulate His Excellency the Commissioner, Mr. Bankole Adeoye, for his management of the AU PSC.
Those following the process of establishing the AU PSC as a mechanism for promoting peace, security, and stability realize the paramount importance that the leaders of our continent attach to the security and well-being of our citizens to ensure the protection of lives, and the preservation of property and the well-being of African populations and their environment to create favorable conditions for sustainable development.
We recall here the Cairo Declaration of the 1993 Conference of Heads of State and Government, which established a mechanism within the OAU for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts, as well as the decision of the Conference of Heads of State and Government at the Lusaka Summit in 2001, which incorporated the OAU Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, and Resolution as an organ of the Union, by the Article 5, paragraph 2, of the Constitutive Act of the AU, through the decisions of the Conference of Heads of State and Government, held in Algiers in 1999, and of the Conference of Heads of State and government, held in Lome (Togo) in 2000, on unconstitutional changes of government and the framework for dealing with them.
Excellency.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Africa took a decisive step toward peace and stability with the PSC establishment on this day twenty years ago. This institution has, despite great difficulties and challenges, played a key role in the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts on our continent. Since its inception in 2004, Africa has faced many complex security challenges, such as armed conflicts, violent extremism, and political instability, but thanks to the determination and commitment of our leaders, the PSC was able to meet these challenges with courage and efficiency.
Over the years, the Council has deployed peacekeeping missions, facilitated mediation and reconciliation processes, and supported the strengthening of peacekeeping and security capacities in our Member States, and its efforts have contributed to resolving certain conflicts, restoring stability in troubled areas, and creating a more favorable environment for economic and social development in our countries.
The anniversary of the creation of the PSC deserves to be commemorated under the carefully chosen theme: “The next two decades of peace and security that we want in Africa”.Excellency,
Ladies and gentlemen.
The organic link between peace and security, on the one hand, and development and prosperity, on the other hand, no longer needs to be demonstrated, because the exploitation of natural resources, the implementation of major projects in the areas of agriculture, energy, infrastructure, partnerships, and the attraction of foreign investments, which have a direct positive impact on growth, employment, and prosperity, cannot be imagined in the shadows of armed conflicts and crises which are shaking some of our countries.
The AU PSC, the establishment of which represents an ambitious institutional innovation for Africa in the approach to peace and security and an effective tool for the consolidation of democracy, conflict resolution, conflict prevention, and the promotion of peace in our young countries, has made many achievements, despite the difficult circumstances and complex contexts in which it has often operated and despite the persistent challenges, we can be proud of the progress we have made. The PSC has become an indispensable institution, respected on the international scene for its expertise and commitment to peace in Africa.
I take this opportunity to congratulate our young Council on these achievements.
Excellency,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Achieving Africa’s Agenda 2063 requires all of us to work tirelessly to resolve conflicts on our continent and anticipate crises. This can only be done by developing the operating mechanisms of the PSC and providing it with the necessary means to carry out its tasks, by the requirements of the Establishment Protocol, the AU Charter, and the principles of international law.
There is no doubt that the imminent completion of financing of the Peace Fund from the special budgets of our countries and the significant progress made in the establishment of the African force will effectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the PSC.
We very much hope that the necessary mechanisms will be put in place to ensure the continuity of the Peace Fund and that it will be managed with the required rationality, ensuring that it is self-financing without adding new burdens to Member States.
We also believe that it is urgent to activate the role of the continental early warning system and the group of wise men, which will make it possible to monitor the causes of conflicts on the continent before they turn into armed conflicts and intervene in time to resolve them by diplomatic means to avoid material and human losses and ensure peace and stability in Africa.
The security and stability to which we aspire today in the countries of our continent are clearly defined by the vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic, President of the African Union, by adopting an approach of rapprochement between the opposing brothers in several conflicts on our continent and Mauritania is proud of its effective participation in peacekeeping missions on our continent for more than a decade.
Long live a united and peaceful Africa, long live the African Union.
Thank you for your attention
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.”