UN chief welcomes Security Council resolution on financing of AU-led peacekeeping

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes the Security Council's adoption of a resolution on the financing of African Union (AU)-led peace support operations, said his spokesman on Friday.

Since the start of his mandate as UN secretary-general, Guterres has repeatedly called for a new generation of peace support operations led by African partners, with guaranteed funding to respond to the peace and security challenges on the continent. This is also one of the key recommendations of his recent policy brief on A New Agenda for Peace, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement.

The resolution will help address a longstanding and critical gap in the international peace and security architecture and bolster the international community's efforts to tackle peace and security challenges on the African continent, said the statement.

The secretary-general is committed to further strengthening the strategic partnership with the AU, including through the implementation of this resolution. The United Nations will continue its collaborative efforts with the AU toward political solutions to address conflicts on the continent and enhance AU-UN consultative decision-making process as outlined in the resolution, it said.

Resolution 2719, which decides that AU-led peace support operations that are authorized by the Security Council will have access to funding from the UN assessed contributions, was adopted unanimously by the Security Council on Thursday.