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Un Sicherheitsrat

13. Oktober 2011

Statement by Ambassador B Sangqu at the UNSC debate on Security Sector Reform

Statement by Ambassador B Sangqu at the United Nations Security Council debate on "Moving Forward With Security Sector Reform; Prospects And Challenges"

12 OCTOBER 2011

Mr. President,

My delegation wishes to commend Nigeria for organising this important open debate.  We align ourselves with the statement to be delivered later today by the Permanent Representative of Egypt on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

We are particularly pleased that this debate is being presided over by the Nigerian Foreign Minister whom we welcome to the Council. Nigeria, together with South Africa co-hosted a High Level Forum on African Perspectives on Security Sector Reform held on 14 May 2010, outcomes of which were submitted to the Secretary-General.  We thank Unser-Secretary-General Ladsous for his briefing and for appeasing us on the work being done within the Secretariat on SSR.

Given our own history, South Africa attaches great importance to Security Sector Reform as the reform and transformation of our security sector was both a constitutional imperative as well as a political objective of our democratic dispensation.

South Africa’s approach to Security Sector Reform is a holistic one, aimed at creating effective and accountable security institutions which are absolutely essential for the building of sustainable peace, development, reconciliation and a culture of human rights.

Mr. President,

South Africa believes that building accountable and democratic security institutions are important in countering the potential destabilising effect that unregulated security forces could play in the political life of any country.

The role of the UN in working with the national governments in strengthening SSR is therefore crucial in the area of conflict prevention. The legitimacy and global character of the UN gives it a particular responsibility to facilitate a coordinated approach on SSR.

The assumptions and principles on the UN role in SSR, contained in the Secretary-General’s 2008 report remain valid.

We also recognise the important role UN Peacekeeping Missions play in SSR where Peacekeeping Missions have become increasingly multi-dimensional.  The importance of SSR has also been recognized as an important element of peacebuilding and we have seen the increasing involvement of the Peacebuilding Commission in this regard.

 
Mr. President,

South Africa recognises the importance of close partnerships between the United Nations in particular regional, sub-regional and other intergovernmental organisations including international financial institutions and non-governmental organisation in the area of SSR. The multiplicity of actors requires greater coordination among donors to facilitate synergy and avoid duplication.

At a regional level, the African Union is in the process of developing a Policy Framework document for SSR which transcend from the emphasis of security/military to human security by defending and protecting all citizens from all forms of violence and insecurity, including gender based violence.  The rationale and scope of this policy framework stresses the importance of African ownership of the SSR process. The many externally generated narratives on SSR do not fully address African approaches, thus it is preferable to refer to African-originated references.  The Policy Framework has been adopted in principle and will be presented to the African Union Assembly during the AU Summit in 2012.

The experience of SSR on the African continent indicates that SSR is not an event but a process which requires continuous attention and political will. Throughout our involvement in SSR in Burundi, DRC, CAR and our own experiences in South Africa, it became clear that each country faces its own unique challenges and therefore, whatever approach is adopted, has to be context-specific.  We have also learnt from these experiences that SSR can only be sustainable if the principle of local ownership is sustained. Thus there cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution to security sector reform. The international community should therefore work in close collaboration with countries emerging from conflict, including recognising the important role women and vulnerable groups’ can play as agents of change.    

 
Mr President,

In conclusion, Mr. President, the legitimacy and global character of the UN gives it particular responsibility to facilitate a coordinated approach to Security Sector Reform, based on the principle of national ownership. Fundamental in the assistance and expertise that the UN provides, is cooperation and consent of the States involved.  Additionally, the Strategic Partnership developed between the United Nations and the African Union on SSR is an expression of the important role that the UN could play in advancing SSR on the African Continent. We hope that the discussion here today will move us a step closer to further enhancing and coordinating our approach to SSR.

I thank you

-- END --

(This statement is available in English only)

 

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