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II. United Nations and Sub-Saharan Africa

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II. United Nations and Sub-Saharan Africa II. United Nations and Sub-Saharan Africa The new UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, declared Africa, and in particular the crisis in Darfur, as a priority on his agenda. He made his fi rst trip in offi ce to the AU summit in Addis Ababa in January. The appointment of Asha-Rose Migiro as the deputy secretary general on 5 January was a signifi cant sign in itself. The former Tanzanian foreign minister became the second woman in history in this position and the highest-ranking woman at the UN. Another high-profi le appointment took place in July: Eritrean Haile Menkerios, former senior Department of Political Affairs (DPA) offi cial for African affairs, assumed the position as assistant secretary general for political affairs. Partnerships continued to be a buzzword. For instance, the Security Council stressed the importance of boosting the resources and capacity of the AU after a meeting organised on the initiative of South Africa, as part of its proactive approach to holding the presidency of the Council during March. Nonetheless, mutual understandings and clarity with regard to duties and responsibilities remained weak. The secretary general removed the Offi ce of the Special Advisor on Africa (OSAA) in July. The offi ce had been leaderless since 9 February, with the resignation of Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, the special advisor on Africa appointed by Kofi Annan. The OSAA mandate was consolidated with the offi ce of the high representative for the Least Developed Countries (LDC), Landlocked Develop- ing Countries (LLDC) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Cheick Sidi Diarra was appointed as high representative for this merged offi ce. Some members of the African group feared a loss of focus on African issues other than as an object of humanitarian aid and peacekeeping missions. It was also noted that both the posts of special representative of the secretary general in Sudan and Côte d’Ivoire went unfi lled for most of the year. Peace and Security In a joint communiqué on 16 June, the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Secu- rity Council agreed to strengthen cooperation. Participants at a top-level Security Council meeting on 25 September resolved to bolster the cooperation between the UN and the AU. Some interesting institutional and personal interaction developed, furthering the working relationship. The UN and AU special envoys for Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim respectively, displayed united and combined UN-AU action over the political pro- cess in Darfur. 16 • United Nations and Sub-Saharan Africa The Security Council debated on 6 November the role of regional and sub-regional organisations in maintaining international peace and security. The secretary general declared that the joint peacekeeping force and political mediations over Darfur with the AU were a demonstration of UN commitment to cooperating with regional organisations. However, concrete and long-term fi nancial support packages, the key issue for African delegations, remained unresolved. The permanent representative of the AU and observer to the UN strongly signalled the need for a stable and reliable funding mechanism, the lack of which, the statement said, had caused damage to the “partnership” over Darfur and over the AU Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). In November, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonisation) held its comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations. A new department of fi eld support was created, to provide expertise in the areas of personnel, fi nance and budget, com- munications, information technology and logistics. The committee stressed that greater coordination and communication between the Security Council and the secretariat and troop- and police-contributing countries would be necessary, including the so-called ‘cap- stone doctrine’ as a guiding principle for UN peacekeeping. Many developing member states felt that consultations with the Security Council and the secretariat had been insuf- fi cient, especially since the non-aligned movement provided more than 80% of peacekeep- ing personnel in the fi eld. Many non-aligned countries were unhappy with the ‘capstone doctrine’ draft’s formulation “restraint in the use of force” as a substitute for the traditional wording, “non-use of force except in self-defence” and the fact that developing countries remained underrepresented at UN headquarters, particularly at senior level. The Sudanese delegate said that the rise in the number of peacekeeping troops over the years, and the approximately $ 7 bn spent on peacekeeping operations in one year, seemed to indicate an “increased militarisation” of the UN. Instead, more resources could be invested in preven- tive diplomacy. The UN remained active in Burundi mainly through the establishment of the UN Integrated Offi ce in Burundi (BINUB), as well as the AU special task force. The Council welcomed the appointment of a government of national unity on 14 November. It empha- sised the need for the UN system and the Peace Building Commission (PBC) in particular to maintain their support for peace consolidation and long-term development. The Council also encouraged the full implementation of the comprehensive ceasefi re agreement signed on 7 September 2006 between the government of Burundi and the Palipehutu-FNL (‘Parti pour la Libération du Peuple Hutu – Forces Nationales pour la Libération’). They further welcomed the signing of a framework agreement on the establishment of a tripartite steer- ing committee for national consultations on transitional justice mechanisms on 2 Novem- ber. The Council extended the mandate of BINUB until 31 December 2008. Humanitarian agencies struggled to reach the up to one million people affected by vio- lence and tensions among CAR, Sudan and Chad. In a December report, the secretary gen-.
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