Mozambique: Violent extremism in focus during country’s UN Security Council presidency – Watch

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Violent extremism in focus during country’s UN Security Council presidency – Watch

12:04 CAT | 03 Mar 2023

Screen grab: UN TV

The fight against terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism will be in focus during Mozambique’s monthly presidency of the Security Council of the United Nations (UN), official sources have announced.

In a presentation of the March agenda of the Security Council on Wednesday, Mozambique’s permanent representative to the UN, Pedro Comissário Afonso, announced that the Mozambican president, Filipe Nyusi, will chair the high-level debate ““Countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism by strengthening cooperation between the UN and regional organisations,” scheduled for the 28th March.

“Terrorism is a major concern in today’s world and so we need to put our efforts together to defeat and eradicate it. (…) Our experience in Cabo Delgado shows us that we need to continue to combat terrorism in the world,” Comissário Afonso said.

This will be one of the main events of his presidency, along with a debate on “Women, Peace and Security”, scheduled for March 7 and to be chaired by Mozambique’s minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Veronica Macamo.

“This is a historic moment as Mozambique has never served on the Security Council before. In three months since the beginning of our mandate, we are now in the chair. This programme was unanimously adopted by my colleagues in the Council this (Wednesday) morning and has a long range of events and meetings,” Pedro Comissário Afonso assessed.

Throughout March, Mozambique has also scheduled an open briefing on security sector reform, which will include representatives from the UN Secretariat, the African Union and civil society and whose aim is to bring the Security Council updates on the Secretary-General’s efforts to reform the security sector.

The Security Council is also scheduled to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) between 9 and 12 March, in addition to a briefing on the United Nations Mission in the country (MONUSCO).

Several other issues on Africa are on the agenda this month, including an open debate on the “Silencing the Guns in Africa”, a meeting on the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS ) and the renewal of its mandate, a meeting on the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), and a meeting on the implementation of the Somalia Transition Plan.

Mozambique has also scheduled meetings on Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, the Golan Heights, Afghanistan, North Korea, Myanmar and Palestine.

Questioned on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Pedro Comissário Afonso said that Mozambique’s position is that “there should be two states: that of Palestine and that of Israel, living in harmony side by side”, stressing that “Mozambique has encouraged this approach”.

Despite not having scheduled any meeting on Russia’s war in Ukraine – an issue on which it has abstained in votes at the UN General Assembly, the ambassador said he was sure that events on that conflict would be scheduled throughout the month.

Mozambique began its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council on January 3.

Source: Lusa / UN TV