Statement [Made on Behalf of the Security Council, 19 Apr. 2021, in Connection with the Council's Consideration of the Item Entitled "Cooperation Between the United Nations and Regional and Subregional Organizations in Maintaining International Peace and Security"]

S/PRST/2021/9View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Presidential Statement of the Security Council, under agenda item 9 Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security, published in 2021.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Cooperation Between Organizations Peacebuilding Regional Organizations War Prevention

What’s in this document?

13 paragraphs

On 19 April 2021, in connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security”, in accordance with the procedure agreed in light of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and set out in S/2020/372, the President of the Security Council issued the following statement on behalf of the Council:

“The Security Council recalls its previous relevant resolutions and statements of its President which underscore the importance of developing effective partnerships between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant statutes of the regional and subregional organizations.

“The Security Council reiterates its primary responsibility under the Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security, and recalls that cooperation with regional and subregional organizations in matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security and consistent with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations can improve collective security.

“The Security Council recognizes that regional and subregional organizations are well positioned to understand the root causes of armed conflicts owing to their knowledge of the region which can be a benefit for their efforts to influence the prevention or resolution of these conflicts. The Council underlines the importance of utilizing the existing and potential capabilities of regional and subregional organizations in this regard, including through encouraging countries in the region to resolve differences peacefully through dialogue, reconciliation, consultation, negotiation, good offices, mediation and judicial settlement of disputes.

“The Security Council reaffirms its commitment to the pacific settlement of disputes, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations, in particular Chapter VI. The Council also recognizes the need to enhance efforts in support of conflict prevention and resolution, including by the promotion of confidence-building measures and political dialogue through full engagement with concerned parties.

“The Security Council stresses the necessity of mobilizing the efforts of the international community in order to build sustainable peace, in particular of regional and subregional organizations, to promote peace and trust among concerned parties. The Security Council also recognizes that the scale and nature of the challenge of sustaining peace calls for close strategic and operational partnerships between national governments, the United Nations, regional and subregional organizations, and other relevant stakeholders, including, inter alia, civil society organizations, women’s groups and youth organizations.

“The Security Council recognizes that regional and subregional organizations are well positioned in promoting confidence, trust and dialogue among concerned parties within their respective regions. The Security Council, in this regard, recognizes the desirability of promoting closer and increased operational cooperation, as appropriate, between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in the fields of conflict early warning, prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and to enhance coherence, synergy and collective effectiveness of their efforts. The Security Council further recognizes the role that regional and subregional organizations can play in post-conflict reconstruction and sustainable development, and reaffirms the importance of interaction and cooperation between them and the Peacebuilding Commission.

“The Security Council emphasizes the importance of promoting confidence building and dialogue in a sustained manner as one of the essential components in conflict prevention and resolution. The Security Council, in this regard, emphasizes the role of states, regional and subregional organizations, the United Nations and relevant stakeholders in promoting confidence-building measures and dialogue at various levels while ensuring synergy, coherence and complementarity of such efforts, and ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women.

“The Security Council acknowledges the determined work to strengthen strategic cooperation and coordination among the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations that can play an important role in conflict prevention, and in this regard, encourages consideration of the need to continue enhancing capacity-building for regional and subregional organizations in conflict prevention, crisis management, post-conflict stabilization and sustaining peace, including through the provision of human, technical and financial assistance as appropriate.

“The Security Council commends the ongoing efforts and contributions made by the Secretariat to consolidate partnerships with regional and subregional organizations, including through the High-level interactive Dialogue with heads of regional and other organizations. The Security Council encourages the Secretariat and regional and subregional organizations to further explore, as appropriate, information-sharing on their respective capabilities, best practices and lessons-learned in maintaining international peace and security and to continue to compile best practices, in particular in the field of mediation, good offices and peacekeeping.

“The Security Council recognizes the existing partnerships established among regional and subregional organizations, including those from different continents. The Security Council, in this regard, encourages regional and subregional organizations to make full use of their comparative advantage of proximity and existing mechanisms for the promotion of confidence building and dialogue, and to strengthen their cooperation, dialogue and capacities to improve their readiness for providing necessary assistance to their member states, in line with the Charter of the United Nations and respective arrangements between each regional organization and its members, in efforts to prevent and peacefully resolve conflicts.

“The Security Council commends the Secretary-General’s efforts to include in his regular reporting to the Security Council assessments of progress on the cooperation between the United Nations and relevant regional organizations, and requests that these efforts continue. The Security Council further requests that the Secretary-General, where appropriate and within existing resources, includes in his biennial report to the Security Council and the General Assembly on Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations, information and observations on efforts by the United Nations system and regional and subregional organizations to promote confidence-building measures and dialogue, including the identification of challenges and best practices in this regard.

“The Security Council requests the Secretary-General, while presenting regular written reports on matters seized by it, make recommendations for further enhancing cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in promoting confidence building and dialogue where appropriate.”

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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