Ambassador Mohamed Arrouchi, Morocco's Permanent Representative to the AU and UNECA, who was speaking at a PSC ministerial meeting held Friday and devoted to the financing of peace support operations (PSO) mandated by the AU, noted the importance of this issue, which comes just a few days after the publication by the UN Secretary General of his report on the PSOs financing.

He noted that it is also a pressing issue for the AU, especially for missions such as ATMIS in Somalia, which require urgent mobilization of resources to ensure their viability and proper functioning.

Participation in peacekeeping efforts, particularly in Africa, has been at the heart of Morocco's foreign policy since its independence, Arrouchi said.

Morocco has implemented a policy of solidarity and action in favor of peace and stability in Africa, through participation in UN peacekeeping operations and constructive contribution to UN and African peacebuilding efforts in preventive diplomacy, mediation and peaceful settlement of disputes, added the Moroccan diplomat.

Morocco's commitment at the UN level is consistent with its belief that the United Nations and in particular the Security Council, remain the international organization that has the exclusive and universal competence, in accordance with the UN Charter, in the field of peacekeeping and peacebuilding, reaffirmed Arrouchi.

In parallel to its commitments at the UN level, Morocco has supported the efforts made by the AU for peace, security and stability in Africa, within the framework of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), said the Moroccan diplomat.

The Moroccan diplomat recalled in this context the message addressed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the High-Level Meeting on the "Action for Peacekeeping" initiative, held in New York on September 25, 2018, in which the Sovereign had affirmed that "The time has come for all UN Member States to provide the appropriate support required to the African Union and to African countries, thereby supplying this partnership with the necessary means to broaden its scope and achieve the desired effectiveness. This is an investment in the future, for global stability hinges on stability in Africa."

Morocco believes that the partnership between the UN and the AU should be further strengthened to support the structures and mechanisms of conflict prevention and mediation, including through the PSOs, given their vital role in containing conflicts and crises, said Arrouchi.

In this regard, the Kingdom considers that PSOs are one of the essential instruments for peacekeeping and peacebuilding in Africa, in the context of compliance with the relevant provisions of the UN Charter, in particular Article 24 and Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, he said.

"Peacekeeping and peacebuilding being the exclusive and universal competence of the UN, in particular the Security Council, we believe that the UN has an essential role to ensure predictable, constant and sustainable funding of PSOs," he insisted.

Morocco considers that in accordance with the guiding principles of the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017), the AU should have immediate access to mandatory UN contributions to fill the funding gap for PSOs, Arrouchi added.

In addition to UN funding, the Kingdom of Morocco welcomes the operationalization of the Peace Fund, which will help finance the AU's actions in the area of peace and security, the Moroccan diplomat said.