H.E. Ambassador Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU), has urged the international community to move past ad-hoc security cooperation and operationalize a balanced, predictable financial burden-sharing partnership to secure long-term stability across Africa.
Addressing a high-level strategic review on AU and UN Peace Operations, Ambassador Otengo stated that UN Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023) serves as an unprecedented mechanism to build a structured, predictable, and sustainable partnership.
Institutionalizing Joint Planning and Strategy
Ambassador Otengo emphasized that future peace support operations must feature institutionalized AU-UN cooperation throughout the entire planning cycle. She called for joint crisis analyses, shared situational awareness, and coordinated planning arrangements to become standard practices.
“Future operations must be guided by clear political strategies, with achievable objectives, measurable benchmarks, and realistic transition arrangements,” Ambassador Otengo stated. She added that mission mandates must align with available resources while retaining the flexibility to adapt to evolving security conditions.
Key Operational Lessons from Somalia
The Ambassador highlighted that the most critical lessons informing the implementation of Resolution 2719 have emerged from African-led operations in Somalia. She noted that the collective experiences of AMISOM, ATMIS, and the newly established AUSSOM underscore the undeniable value of African peace initiatives, alongside the vital need for reliable financing and coherent transition planning.
To guarantee operational success, Uganda stresses that vital capabilities must be integrated into planning from the earliest stages, including:
- Strategic mobility and advanced logistics
- Aviation assets and rapid medical evacuation capacities
- Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance infrastructure
- Communications network and robust force sustainment
Overcoming Financial and Budgetary Barriers
The Ambassador candidly addressed structural friction points, noting that misaligned AU and UN budget cycles, conflicting approval procedures, and mismatched deployment timelines directly threaten the timely availability of resources.
To counter uncertainty surrounding extra-budgetary contributions, Uganda called for enhanced resource mobilization, diversified financing, and continued contributions to the AU Peace Fund.
A Shared Global Responsibility
While reaffirming that African Member States are strengthening local ownership through the AU Peace Fund, Ambassador Otengo reminded global partners that maintaining continental peace is a shared global duty.
“The success of this strategic partnership will ultimately be measured not by frameworks adopted, but by our collective ability to authorize the deployment of predictably, adequately, and sustainably financed peace operations that protect civilians, support political solutions, and contribute to lasting peace,” Otengo concluded.
