We can shift the tide on a period of increased global
conflict: UK statement at the UN Security Council - Ambassador
Kariuki
Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council
meeting on peace through dialogue.
Thank you, President, for convening this important meeting and
thanks to ASG Khiari, Former Presidents Bachelet and Mbeki, and
Ms. Echavarría Alvarez for their briefings.
The Secretary-General’s analysis in his ‘New Agenda for Peace’
should strike a chord with us all. People around the world are
living – and dying – through a period of conflict unmatched in
decades. Last year, according to the Peace Research Institute of
Oslo, there were 55 active conflicts and there were more
battle-related deaths than in any year since 1984.
For more than a decade now, conflict has been trending
relentlessly in the wrong direction. How is it that we seem, at
times, so powerless to shift this tide? And what is it that this
Council, the wider UN membership, and other actors can do to
change that trend?
Let me offer three reflections.
First, we can do more, and in a more coordinated manner, to
support national actors to prevent and resolve conflict. Indeed,
that should be our first port of call. It is enshrined in the UN
Charter, which looks first to conflict parties to settle their
disputes by peaceful means.
Achieving peace is rarely easy. And lasting peace can only be
sustained with true and inclusive national ownership. This often
requires hard decisions and the help of good faith friends. The
UK has had the privilege of being such a friend through several
peace processes. And we continue actively to support conflict
resolution efforts bilaterally and through multilateral partners,
including as a major voluntary donor to global United Nations
peace programmes.
Second, we can support, help strengthen, and coordinate better
with regional organisations. This Council’s annual dialogue with
the African Union Peace and Security Council is a model that has
borne fruit. But it can be further deepened and extended
including through stronger linkages between early warning
mechanisms, better use of the wider UN and regional peacebuilding
architectures and more coordinated support to nationally-led
prevention strategies.
Our engagement with CARICOM on Haiti and with ASEAN on Myanmar
are other examples where regional bodies play an important role
for our partners in this Council.
The UK has always been a strong advocate of Chapter VI of the UN
Charter. At times of deep geopolitical division, it is even more
important that regional organisations play an active role.
Thirdly, President, where national and regional efforts fail, it
is the duty of this Council to take action to safeguard
international peace and security. This is a last resort we can
better avoid by marshalling all the tools at our disposal for
effective prevention, mediation and peacebuilding to avoid
escalation.