ADF staff
As part of what is being called a new generation of peacekeeping missions, the United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution to help fund African Union-led peace support operations.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has endorsed the decision. On social media, he called the vote a “groundbreaking resolution” that will help address a “critical gap in the international peace and security architecture.”
The U.N. issued a December 22, 2023, statement saying that, “Since the start of his mandate, the Secretary-General has repeatedly called for a new generation of Peace Support Operations led by African partners, with guaranteed funding including through UN assessed contributions, to respond to the peace and security challenges on the continent.”
Recent U.N. peacekeeping missions in Africa have faltered due to a lack of support from host nations, among other problems. The 10-year-old mission in Mali completed its withdrawal at the end of 2023. The U.N. mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has begun its withdrawal.
The United States Mission to the U.N. thanked Ghana for its leadership and partnership throughout the resolution process. “As we near the end of Ghana’s time on the Security Council, we are eager to cement its legacy by working with the AU on the deployment of a mission to promote peace and protect civilians on a continent facing grave and complex security threats,” the mission said in a release.
For 2024, Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone are representing Africa on the Security Council. Sierra Leone returned to the Security Council in 2023 as a nonpermanent delegate after a 53-year absence. Algeria joined in 2024.