Like my colleagues, I would like to start by thanking the speakers for their enlightening contributions.
At the Summit of the Future, Monicah Malith, a young Sudanese woman, made a poignant appeal to us to “shape a future based on cooperation, understanding and common goals”. Her words resonate powerfully, reminding us that the future of this world is in the hands of its youth, as by 2050, 40% of the world's young people will be living on the African continent. It is therefore young Africans who will play a key role in shaping the world's future. They embody hope and commitment. It is therefore essential to give them the means to act and fully involve them in peace and development processes.
Cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) is a fundamental pillar of peace and development in the world in general, and in Africa in particular. This partnership has grown stronger over the years, but today's challenges call for even closer collaboration - particularly in the field of peace prevention and peacebuilding.
Allow me to highlight three points for tangible implementation of the vision of the New Agenda for Peace:
First, prevention. As we all know, conflict prevention is more crucial than ever. Crises on the African continent are often the result of interconnected factors: poor governance, political marginalization, inequality, security challenges, lack of respect for human rights, climate change and others. Faced with this complexity, the UN and the AU need to strengthen their preventive diplomacy and invest in early warning mechanisms - particularly in relation to rising inter-state tensions. The AU has a number of instruments of preventive diplomacy, such as the Panel of the Wise and the African Youth Ambassadors for Peace (AYAP), which are already doing essential work and could do even more with the necessary support.
Second, climate change. Switzerland welcomes the AU's work to develop a common African position on climate change, peace and security. Indeed, climate change poses an existential threat to peace and security in Africa. Prolonged droughts, devastating floods and land degradation exacerbate tensions and conflicts. We must therefore take urgent, coordinated action to mitigate the effects of climate change and strengthen the resilience of African communities. With this in mind, Switzerland supports the UN Office to the African Union in the field of climate, peace and security. A regional and cross-border approach is essential to address the security risks associated with climate change, and would enable the AU to maintain a leading role in this field.
Third, institutions and networks: We need to strengthen synergies between our institutions and networks. Existing tools and mechanisms, such as the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (FemWise) and the Network of African Women Leaders, offer immense potential.
By sharing best practice and strengthening collaboration - for example between subsidiary bodies and informal expert groups - we can multiply our impact. The AU's role in managing the continent's current and emerging security challenges is essential. To fulfill their mandates, peace operations must be able to rely on predictable, sustainable and flexible funding. Switzerland welcomes the creation of the joint UN-AU working group for the implementation of resolution 2719 (2023). This cooperation is essential for operational readiness. The regular updates we receive from the Secretariat are most welcome.
We look forward to the finalization and adoption of the joint roadmap and the dedicated report on the operationalization of the resolution. In the meantime, the Security Council will discuss progress made in implementing the resolution with the Peace and Security Council at their annual exchange in mid-October.
In conclusion, Africa - with its youth, economic potential and natural resources - is a continent of the future. To promote this potential, we must act together, with determination and solidarity. By investing in young people, strengthening cooperation between the UN and the AU, and addressing common challenges, we can all build a more peaceful, just and prosperous continent. The forthcoming retreat with the Peace and Security Council in two weeks' time will be a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the topics mentioned today.