Stalni predstavnik RH pri Ujedinjenim narodima, veleposlanik Neven Jurica održao je govor 16. travnja 2008. godine u Vijecu sigurnosti UN-a na temu mira i sigurnosti u Africi ("Peace and security in Africa").
Statement by
H.E. Neven Jurica
Ambassador
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia
to the United Nations
Peace and Security in Africa
United Nations, New York
16 April 2008
Thank you, Mr. President.
Mr. President, I thank you for organizing this exchange of views on peace and security in Africa. We sincerely believe that today's deliberations shall help us take stock of the lessons learned and to better understand future challenges. Let me also join previous speakers in thanking the Secretary-General for his pertinent and valuable remarks as well as for his active engagement in promoting effective cooperation and collaboration between the United Nations and regional organizations in general and the African Union in particular.
Croatia recognizes the primary responsibility and the leading role of the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security, as the only global body mandated with this task. Nevertheless, this global task can be more effectively implemented with active engagement at the regional, sub-regional and national levels. Optimally, these three levels of responsibility- global, regional and national- due to their intertwining nature, should act in harmony in order to achieve peace and security, respecting the principles of subsidiarity, division of labor and effectiveness. In that respect, regional organizations should take their part of the responsibility, as appropriate, in this global-regional partnership mechanism.
A regional organizations' unique knowledge and local expertise often places them in a better position to asses regional and local situations. The question remains how to make best use of these assessments. Having said that, Croatia believes that the Security Council should evaluate regional initiatives on their own merits and contributions, especially as their work is complementary to the continued and active engagement of the overall UN system in supporting, for example, peace processes and peace-keeping operations in Africa.
And here we come to the first point my delegation wishes to make: capacity building as a way of enhancing regional organizations' effectiveness and efficiency to conflict prevention, management and resolution. My delegation attaches particular importance to security sector reform, as demonstrated in numerous Reports of the Secretary-General, in particular taking into consideration the input and expertise of his Special Representatives in the field. In that respect, we acknowledge some encouraging developments in West and Central Africa.
Secondly, we would like to single out one particular concept – that is, conflict prevention - that could and should be strengthened and given more prominence in the work of this global-regional partnership.
We can all agree that experience teaches us that any crisis can be better handled in its early stages. Therefore, an approach that would encompass a better early warning system as a means to identify potential crises before they emerge is of utmost importance. On this point, we welcome the meeting convened by the Southern African Development Community regarding Zimbabwe held last week in Lusaka. My delegation is very concerned with the recent situation in Zimbabwe, especially as we firmly believe that every nation has the right to enjoy the benefits of democracy, and not to have them denied. On the other hand, Kenya was a good example on the timely intervention of a regional mediation mission led by former UN Secretary- General, Mr. Kofi Annan.
The third point we would like to make relates to the need of “new thinking” and innovative functional approaches. There is one lesson that we always like to repeat: there is no "one size fits all" approach, and any attempt to build upon such an approach necessarily leads to failure. Sudan is an excellent example where the UN Security Council is working together with the African Union to create a special relationship in addressing the ongoing crisis in that country. Thought should be given to using a similar model in other conflict areas.
Fourthly, in the response to a growing need to develop a comprehensive approach - encompassing political, military, humanitarian and developmental components - in the post-conflict period, we recognize the valuable goals and role of the UN Peace-building Commission. The Commission has been successful in its tailored approach and within this framework we see an excellent opportunity for meaningful cooperation with regional and sub-regional organizations.
Mr. President, allow me to reflect here upon a matter my Government deems to be of utmost significance. There has been a great deal of talk about the danger of the culture of impunity taking root in some of the conflict-ridden areas of Africa. We would like to reiterate there is no lasting peace without justice (and development, of course) and that justice is vital to any reconciliation process and building of a healthy society.
Finally, Mr. President, Croatia acknowledged that the formation of the African Union back in 2002 was a major step forward in strengthening Africa's regional political security structures and conflict prevention mechanisms. Also, I would like to note that Croatia established formal relations with the African Union in May 2007, and subsequently participated in the African Union summit in Accra for the first time in June/July 2007.
Mr. President, my delegation would like to express its appreciation to you for your personal dedication to peace and stability in Africa and elsewhere, and for your presence here at this fruitful debate.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Priopćenja
