Regional Organisations
Expected Council Action
In August, at Nigeria’s initiative, the Council is scheduled to have an open debate on regional organisations and contemporary challenges for maintaining international peace and security. An outcome is not expected.
Background
Improving partnerships and cooperation with regional organisations has been a recurring theme for the Council and other parts of the UN system. Within the last year, the Council has held two open debates specifically focused on cooperation with regional and subregional organisations. On 28 July 2014, the Council held an open debate on regional partnerships in peacekeeping and adopted resolution 2167; and on 16 December 2014, the Council held an open debate on AU-UN partnership in peace operations and issued a presidential statement. On an annual basis, Council members have held joint consultative meetings with members of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) and more recently, informal meetings with members of the EU Political and Security Committee. The Secretary-General has also issued biannual reports regarding cooperation with regional and other organisations. Lastly, both the report on peace operations of the High-Level Independent Panel and the report on peacebuilding of the Advisory Group of Experts emphasise the need for strengthening UN partnerships with regional and subregional organisations.
There has also been an increasing realisation among Council members that responding effectively to contemporary regional and transnational threats—such as piracy, health crises, organised crime, terrorism and human trafficking—requires improved cooperation among subregional, regional and international organisations. On 14 August 2013, the Council issued a presidential statement stressing the importance of regional coordination for counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Guinea; on 18 September 2014, the Council held an open debate on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and adopted resolution 2177 declaring it a threat to international peace and security and calling on regional and subregional organisations to mobilise and cooperate closely with the UN on response efforts; on 19 December 2014, the Council held an open debate and adopted resolution 2195 regarding linkages between transnational organised crime and terrorism, which also commended existing subregional and regional security mechanisms in Africa; and on 11 May, representatives of the AU, EU and UN emphasised the need for inter-regional cooperation when they briefed the Council regarding migration, smuggling and the Mediterranean Sea crisis.
Council and Wider Dynamics
The open debate in August comes at a time when threats to international peace and security increasingly appear to have transborder and regional dimensions. The Council, in turn, has become more flexible in terms of how it interacts with regional organisations and in terms of what it determines to be a threat. Institutionally, the UN system has also shown flexibility, such as with the creation of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa and the UN Office for West Africa. However, both policymaking and operational obstacles to greater cooperation in peace operations also remain, such as competing mandates, differences regarding UN financing for AU peace support operations, re-hatting processes and coordination difficulties. The upcoming open debate is an opportunity to further discuss these challenges.
| Security Council Resolutions | |
| 22 December 2014 S/RES/2195 | This was a resolution that addressed the role of transnational organised crime in supporting terrorism. |
| 18 September 2014 S/RES/2177 | In this resolution, the Council determined that the unprecedented extent of the ebola outbreak in Africa constituted a threat to international peace and security. |
| 28 July 2014 S/RES/2167 | This resolution was on regional partnerships and peacekeeping. |
| Security Council Presidential Statements | |
| 16 December 2014 S/PRST/2014/27 | This was a presidential statement adopted acknowledging the progress in the ongoing cooperation between the UN and the AU in peace operations. |
| 14 February 2014 S/PRST/2014/4 | This was a presidential statement on cooperation between the UN and the EU, highlighting the EU’s comprehensive approach to maintenance of international peace and security. |
| 14 August 2013 S/PRST/2013/13 | This presidential statement regarding piracy in the Gulf of Guinea welcomed the summit on maritime safety and security. |
| Security Council Meeting Record | |
| 11 May 2015 S/PV.7439 | This was a briefing on the smuggling of migrants on the Mediterranean Sea. |
| Security Council Letter | |
| 20 March 2015 S/2015/212 | This was a communiqué on the Security Council’s Ninth Annual Joint Consultative Session Meeting with the AU Peace and Security Council. |
| Secretary-General’s Report | |
| 4 August 2014 S/2014/560 | This was a report on cooperation with regional and other organisations. |
