UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- African countries are building increasingly strong partnerships for advancing peace and security, according to a situation briefing at a United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting on Thursday.
In her briefing to the Council's meeting on partnership to strengthen regional peace and security, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, the UN secretary-general's chef de cabinet, recognized the African Union (AU) and its member states' success in achieving important milestones in their pursuit of higher-level effectiveness, self-reliance and cooperation.
She welcomed the work of the AU Mediation Support Unit and the African network of women in conflict prevention and mediation FemWise, which are, she said, "boosting capacity to defuse crises and making such efforts more inclusive."
Viotti outlined some of the progress being made in certain African countries, such as the peace talks, led by the AU, in the Central African Republic that have led to a political agreement.
Cooperation between the UN, AU and other partners in the area of elections is growing, said Viotti, citing visits organized by the UN Office for West Africa to several countries, ahead of legislative or presidential elections, over the last two years.
The UN and AU, she said, are cooperating closely to ensure that the voices of women and youth are integral to the peace processes, and both organizations have youth envoys and strategies, acting as advocates and agents of change.
Despite the progress that has been demonstrated by many examples, Viotti said that the international community needs to do much more to support African efforts.
"Building partnerships and harnessing their power requires long-term vision and commitment," Viotti told the Council, adding that the secretary-general is looking forward to "even greater partnership and collaboration, enabling the African Union to achieve its 2063 vision of equitable, people-centered transformation and lasting peace and security."
