SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATES COOPERATION WITH REGIONAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000024

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO UNSC
SUBJECT: SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATES COOPERATION WITH REGIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS

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1. SUMMARY. The Security Council held a debate on cooperation
between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations on
January 13, following a two day retreat hosted by the
Secretary-General for the heads of some regional
organizations. Participants offered their support for greater
cooperation, emphasizing the local knowledge of regional
organizations, their proximity to crisis areas, and their
ability to mediate conflicts. Most speakers encouraged the
use of mechanisms such as annual meetings or liaison
relationships to further cooperation. Most Council members
repeated previously expressed views on cooperation with
regional organizations. END SUMMARY.


2. Following a two-day retreat with UN officials hosted by
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, representatives of eleven
regional and sub-regional organizations on January 13
participated in a Security Council debate on cooperation with
the UN. Representatives from the League of Arab States
(LAS),African Union (AU),Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN),Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO),European Union (EU),North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO),Organization of American States (OAS),
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC),Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),Pacific
Islands Forum (PIF),and the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO),participated along with Council members.


3. Opening the debate, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled
that Chapter VIII of the UN Charter envisioned the UN working
together with regional organizations, consistent with the
provisions of the charter, to prevent, manage and resolve
crises. Ban said that retreat participants had identified
several areas where cooperation could be strengthened,
including coordination and communication among the respective
intergovernmental bodies and secretariats, the need for
better clarity in mediation arrangements, the need to strike
the right balance between flexibility and efficiency in
peacekeeping deployments, and ensuring that humanitarian
assistance reaches those in need in a timely manner and "in
accordance with existing principles." Ban emphasized that
coordination "is not an end in itself," and that success
would not be measured by process or mechanisms. Instead,
political will on the part of Member States would be crucial
to make real improvements in the lives of those most in need.
The aim of the UN in its cooperation with regional
organizations is to achieve greater flexibility in its
activities, Ban said, and to make use of each partner's
comparative advantage.


4. The invited speakers and Security Council members to a
great extent echoed the Secretary-General's themes in their
statements, but some raised additional points. The
Secretary-General of the League of Arab States said that
regional and sub-regional organizations needed to commit to
follow certain agreed rules and procedures for action under
Chapter VIII of the Charter. He called for the creation of a
coordination mechanism under the auspices of the
Secretary-General, similar to the G-20, which would include
representatives of regional organizations and UN agencies,
and would address issues related to climate change, disease
and hunger. The Secretary-General of the OIC and the Permrep
of Australia (representing the PIF) also said it was
important to address the root causes of conflict through
socio-economic development. The Secretaries-General of the
CSTO and SCO emphasized cooperation on interdiction of drug
and human trafficking and efforts to combat terrorism. The
Deputy Secretary-General of NATO emphasized the importance of
bringing military and civilian means closer together when
addressing conflict situations. He pointed out that
institutional participants in peacekeeping operations
typically do not train or plan together, and are not joined
up in the field, and he called for the establishment of
strong liaison relationships to enable better
cross-coordination.


5. Security Council members all reinforced the importance of
UN cooperation with regional organizations, while reiterating
previously established views on peace and security. Uganda
said that the capacity of the UN to address threats to
international peace and security had become overstretched and
that regional and sub-regional organizations had better local
knowledge, proximity to conflicts, and the capability to
respond quickly. Uganda also stressed that regional
organizations such as the African Union need the necessary
financial resources and technical capacity to carry out
missions. Similarly, Nigeria said regional organizations

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such as ECOWAS should take the leading role in peace and
security issues in their regions, with the international
community providing the requisite support. Mexico recalled
the important role of regional organizations in combating
trafficking of small arms and light weapons. Brazil
underscored the importance of cooperation between regional
organizations and the UN to address the root causes of
conflicts. Russia said that enhancing the role of regional
and sub-regional organizations needed to occur within the
context of "maintaining the prerogatives of this universal
organization and its Security Council." EU members of the
Council-- U.K., France, and Austria, noted the large
contributions of the EU to capacity building for regional
organizations, and the EU role as a bridge in crisis areas
such as Chad, where it deployed until the UN was prepared to
take over. Lebanon echoed the Arab League's call for an
annual meeting of regional organizations with the Security
Council, as well as the provision of material support for
regional organizations. Referring to the Arab-Israeli
conflict, Lebanon called for "an end to occupation,"
"ensuring the right of self-determination," and called for a
nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East.


6. Ambassador DiCarlo emphasized the comparative advantage of
regional organizations in the prevention or resolution of
conflicts. She welcomed the role of the AU and ECOWAS in
managing recent crises Guinea, and urged ASEAN to press for
internal political dialogue in Burma as a step toward
credible elections. Ambassador DiCarlo also affirmed U.S.
support to build the capacity of organizations such as the AU
to carry out peace operations.


7. The full meeting record (document number S/PV.6257) can be
found under the "Meetings" heading on the Security Council
web page at: www.un.org
RICE