FG urges AU not to bequeath war, misery, poverty to next generation
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War
Abuja, July 3, 2017(NAN) Nigeria on Monday urged African leaders to keep peace and security agenda on the front burner of discourse and not to bequeath burden of war, misery and poverty to next generation.
The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, gave the advice in his address to the 29th Ordinary Summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Osinbajo had led the discussion on peace and security as the Chairman of the AU’s Peace and Security Council in July.
“”Our peace and security agenda must remain on the front burner of our deliberations.
“”We have no choice peace, security and stability are fundamental to the realization of sustainable development and to assure our peoples of decent and happy lives,’’ Osinbajo said.
According to him, as Africa moves towards silencing the guns by 2020, our collective resolve must remain solid and steadfast to effectively tackle conflicts, terrorism, violent extremism and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
“”We need to rekindle our political will and determination not to bequeath to the next generation of Africans the burden of wars, poverty and misery.
“”It is, therefore, necessary for the Assembly to reaffirm the overriding importance of holistically addressing the root causes of violent conflicts in our countries,’’ the Acting President said.
Osinbajo noted that the tragic consequences of wars and conflicts in Africa were self-evident.
He said that “the millions killed and maimed, the millions displaced, children out of school, set us back decades economically and socially.
““Our resolve to end wars and conflicts in Africa is therefore our vote for a future of real growth and development for our continent.’’
Osinbajo hinted that the Peace and Security Council had continued to relentlessly discharge its mandate of promoting peace, security and stability in the continent.
He said that pursuant to the 50th Anniversary’s Solemn Declaration, and under its chairmanship of the Peace and Security Council “Nigeria would prioritize the adoption of practical measures to address the current security challenges in Africa.
He mentioned the crises in South Sudan, Somalia, Guinea Bissau, the Sahel-Sahelo and Lake Chad Basin regions as causes of concern.
““Furthermore, Nigeria will strengthen the engagement with all AU Member-States in confronting the menace of child soldiering and millions of out-of-school children in armed conflict areas.
““To this effect, I would like to urge your full support and cooperation in this endeavour.
““As a first step, we must ensure the full implementation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), especially the operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF) and the Peace Fund,’’ Osinbajo stated.
He reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to the need for the Peace and Security Council to work towards removing all distractions and impediments to the full attainment of operational capacity of the African Standby Force.
He said that to ensure the effectiveness of the AU peace support operations, the Regional Economic Communities and relevant international bodies, especially the UN must remain strategic pillars of peace, security and development of the continent.
“”We must redouble our efforts and without equivocation avail the necessary resources in order to successfully achieve the goals set out in Agenda 2063.’’
The Acting President thanked AU member-states, the regional Economic Communities and the Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution for their support to the Peace and Security Council.
He extended the same gratitude to the UN, other international partners, civil society organizations and the AU Commission.
“”It is only through such collective efforts that the noble goal of silencing the guns in Africa can be achieved.
“”It is essential that the international communities including the UN continue to reinforce their support for Africa peace and security agenda such as the complementarity between Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).’’;(NAN)
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