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OO RUEHIK
DE RUCNDT #0024/01 0192328
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 192328Z JAN 10
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8015
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000024 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO UNSC
SUBJECT: SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATES COOPERATION WITH REGIONAL 
ORGANIZATIONS 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000024  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY. The Security Council held a debate on cooperation 
between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations on 
January 13, following a two day retreat hosted by the 
Secretary-General for the heads of some regional 
organizations. Participants offered their support for greater 
cooperation, emphasizing the local knowledge of regional 
organizations, their proximity to crisis areas, and their 
ability to mediate conflicts.  Most speakers encouraged the 
use of mechanisms such as annual meetings or liaison 
relationships to further cooperation.  Most Council members 
repeated previously expressed views on cooperation with 
regional organizations.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. Following a two-day retreat with UN officials hosted by 
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, representatives of eleven 
regional and sub-regional organizations on January 13 
participated in a Security Council debate on cooperation with 
the UN.  Representatives from the League of Arab States 
(LAS), African Union (AU), Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations (ASEAN), Collective Security Treaty Organization 
(CSTO), European Union (EU), North Atlantic Treaty 
Organization (NATO), Organization of American States (OAS), 
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Organization 
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Pacific 
Islands Forum (PIF), and the Shanghai Cooperation 
Organization (SCO), participated along with Council members. 
 
¶3. Opening the debate, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled 
that Chapter VIII of the UN Charter envisioned the UN working 
together with regional organizations, consistent with the 
provisions of the charter, to prevent, manage and resolve 
crises.  Ban said that retreat participants had identified 
several areas where cooperation could be strengthened, 
including coordination and communication among the respective 
intergovernmental bodies and secretariats, the need for 
better clarity in mediation arrangements, the need to strike 
the right balance between flexibility and efficiency in 
peacekeeping deployments, and ensuring that humanitarian 
assistance reaches those in need in a timely manner and "in 
accordance with existing principles."  Ban emphasized that 
coordination "is not an end in itself," and that success 
would not be measured by process or mechanisms.  Instead, 
political will on the part of Member States would be crucial 
to make real improvements in the lives of those most in need. 
 The aim of the UN in its cooperation with regional 
organizations is to achieve greater flexibility in its 
activities, Ban said, and to make use of each partner's 
comparative advantage. 
 
¶4. The invited speakers and Security Council members to a 
great extent echoed the Secretary-General's themes in their 
statements, but some raised additional points.  The 
Secretary-General of the League of Arab States said that 
regional and sub-regional organizations needed to commit to 
follow certain agreed rules and procedures for action under 
Chapter VIII of the Charter.  He called for the creation of a 
coordination mechanism under the auspices of the 
Secretary-General, similar to the G-20, which would include 
representatives of regional organizations and UN agencies, 
and would address issues related to climate change, disease 
and hunger.  The Secretary-General of the OIC and the Permrep 
of Australia (representing the PIF) also said it was 
important to address the root causes of conflict through 
socio-economic development.  The Secretaries-General of the 
CSTO and SCO emphasized cooperation on interdiction of drug 
and human trafficking and efforts to combat terrorism.  The 
Deputy Secretary-General of NATO emphasized the importance of 
bringing military and civilian means closer together when 
addressing conflict situations.  He pointed out that 
institutional participants in peacekeeping operations 
typically do not train or plan together, and are not joined 
up in the field, and he called for the establishment of 
strong liaison relationships to enable better 
cross-coordination. 
 
¶5. Security Council members all reinforced the importance of 
UN cooperation with regional organizations, while reiterating 
previously established views on peace and security.  Uganda 
said that the capacity of the UN to address threats to 
international peace and security had become overstretched and 
that regional and sub-regional organizations had better local 
knowledge, proximity to conflicts, and the capability to 
respond quickly.  Uganda also stressed that regional 
organizations such as the African Union need the necessary 
financial resources and technical capacity to carry out 
missions.  Similarly, Nigeria said regional organizations 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000024  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
such as ECOWAS should take the leading role in peace and 
security issues in their regions, with the international 
community providing the requisite support.  Mexico recalled 
the important role of regional organizations in combating 
trafficking of small arms and light weapons.  Brazil 
underscored the importance of cooperation between regional 
organizations and the UN to address the root causes of 
conflicts.  Russia said that enhancing the role of regional 
and sub-regional organizations needed to occur within the 
context of "maintaining the prerogatives of this universal 
organization and its Security Council."  EU members of the 
Council-- U.K., France, and Austria, noted the large 
contributions of the EU to capacity building for regional 
organizations, and the EU role as a bridge in crisis areas 
such as Chad, where it deployed until the UN was prepared to 
take over.  Lebanon echoed the Arab League's call for an 
annual meeting of regional organizations with the Security 
Council, as well as the provision of material support for 
regional organizations.  Referring to the Arab-Israeli 
conflict, Lebanon called for "an end to occupation," 
"ensuring the right of self-determination," and called for a 
nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East. 
 
¶6. Ambassador DiCarlo emphasized the comparative advantage of 
regional organizations in the prevention or resolution of 
conflicts.  She welcomed the role of the AU and ECOWAS in 
managing recent crises Guinea, and urged ASEAN to press for 
internal political dialogue in Burma as a step toward 
credible elections.  Ambassador DiCarlo also affirmed U.S. 
support to build the capacity of organizations such as the AU 
to carry out peace operations. 
 
¶7. The full meeting record (document number S/PV.6257) can be 
found under the "Meetings" heading on the Security Council 
web page at: www.un.org 
RICE