Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA (EI) — African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Tuesday held a meeting with envoys of the permanent and African member countries of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on a number of critical issues in Africa.
During the quarterly working luncheon meeting at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, the AUC Chairperson and ambassadors of the five UNSC permanent member countries as well as the three African members of the Council accredited to the AU discussed “a range of pressing peace, security and humanitarian issues on the continent,” according to an AU statement issued Tuesday.
As the African continent grapples with a number of humanitarian, peace, and security crises, the meeting, among other things, discussed the continental response to the continued Ebola outbreak, which is currently expanding across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Central African country, since declaring its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, has recorded 4,120 confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola cases and 1,887 deaths, according to the latest epidemiological update from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) — the AU’s specialized continental public health agency.
The meeting also discussed strengthening cooperation concerning the situation in Sudan, the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), peace and security developments in the Sahel and the Great Lakes regions, as well as the reform of the UN Security Council, according to the AU.
“The meeting provided an opportunity for a candid and constructive exchange on shared priorities and areas of common concern,” the AU said in a statement.
During the meeting, the ambassadors welcomed the continued value of the quarterly consultations with the 55-member continental organization as “an important platform for strengthening strategic coordination and enhancing coherence between the AU and the UNSCl on matters relating to international peace and security.”
The envoys further expressed their appreciation for the regularity of these consultations as well as “the frank and open nature of the exchanges,” it was noted.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Currently, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia, and Somalia serve as the African non-permanent members of the Council, as part of a total of ten non-permanent members, who are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. The other non-permanent members include Bahrain, Colombia, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, Pakistan, and Panama.
(Photo Credit — African Union Commission)
