UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU), the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) have reaffirmed their joint commitment to promote an effective multilateral system.
In a joint communique released Monday after an annual trilateral meeting, the three organizations expressed their readiness to take further action toward reinforcing synergies and coordination in tackling global challenges through international cooperation.
The AU, EU and UN intend to increase their coordination and cooperation at political, economic and operational levels on a range of issues, notably in the area of peace and security; implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AU's Agenda 2063; inclusive and sustainable growth, human rights and climate change, as well as support for the implementation of AU and UN reforms.
They welcomed the cooperation and the results achieved by the tripartite task force to address the migrant situation in Libya, launched in November 2017. They particularly noted the progress made in the protection of migrants and refugees, the voluntary return of migrants, and the reintegration process. They encouraged further efforts to dismantle trafficking and criminal networks, said the communique.
The three organizations will continue to work together in support of the Sahel countries as well as other hot spot issues such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Libya.
The leaders acknowledged the important role played by peace operations mandated or authorized by the African Union and confirmed their resolve to enhance collaboration, coordination and planning between their respective missions and operations.
They intend to pursue together the reflection on how to ensure the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of financing for AU-led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council.
AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held their third annual trilateral meeting on Sunday at UN Headquarters in New York on the margins of the UN General Assembly.
