Cameroon at the Helm of the Peace and Security Council
PSC Report asked Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue-Monono to share Cameroon’s priorities for its September tenure.
As Cameroon chairs the African Union (AU) PSC for September, what are its priorities and focuses?
At ambassadorial level, we will begin with an open session on the protection of journalists and freedom of information in conflict zones, to be followed by discussions on civil-military relations and conflict management in Africa. There will be another open session on disaster management in the context of climate change, peace and security. Experts will engage with the African Peace Support Trainers Association on harmonising curricula in African defence and security academies.
Our signature session will be on new security threats and the future of the PSC. We have also planned two field missions – one to the Central African Republic to launch Amnesty Month and another to Gabon to assess the progress of its transition.
The focus on journalists is somewhat unusual for member states. What motivated it?
The role of media in peace and security is often overlooked. Traditionally, the media has been viewed as serving various interests, but it is pivotal in either exacerbating or mitigating conflicts. Propaganda, fake news, hate speech and even genocide are closely related to media activities. The protection of journalists in conflict zones is an issue of international humanitarian law that has been debated since 1975. To address this, we have initiated a session with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Federation of African Journalists.
For September, Cameroon chose the future of the PSC, especially in light of new security threats
As a former journalist, I’m particularly attuned to the dangers journalists face in war zones, including being targeted by warring parties and operating in environments rife with misinformation. I appreciate the importance of PSC policy-level discussions on these matters.
Why did you choose the topic of the future of the PSC for the side event in New York?
This year being the PSC 20th anniversary, each month has had a theme. For September, we chose the future of the PSC, especially in light of new security threats. This aligns with discussions on the future of global peace at the 79th United Nations General Assembly and the Dar es Salaam declaration of May 2024. We will examine how emerging security threats could affect the Council and explore how it can adapt and become stronger.
You’ve chaired the PSC before. In your opinion, what are its key challenges and how can it become a more effective decision-making body?
A significant challenge is maintaining dialogue with countries in transition, especially suspended states. There’s often little communication, making it difficult to assess things accurately and help these countries out of suspension, which is supposed to be a temporal situation. It took us some time to use informal meetings to engage with these states.
A significant challenge is maintaining dialogue with countries in transition, especially those suspended
Another challenge is PSC over-reliance on the same pool of experts for multiple issues. We need to diversify and bring in fresh perspectives during Council discussions and debates. Additionally, there are conflicts in Africa that fall outside the PSC's purview, especially when the centres of resolution are beyond the continent. We also need to streamline our focus on thematic issues to avoid being repetitive and provide more time for sensitive country situations. This includes field missions that familiarise the PSC with the environment and actors of a crisis and enable direct interaction with the affected population.
The Council’s secretariat is under-resourced and should be equipped to handle arising complex issues. The shift to virtual meetings during Covid-19 also diminished the human touch in our diplomacy around PSC work, which is crucial for effective dialogue.
Given these emerging challenges, what would you suggest the PSC focus on to enhance its effectiveness?
The ongoing AU reforms, including those of the AU Commission, allow us to address these challenges. We will discuss the issues further during our retreat in Djibouti in November. In the meantime, the PSC should prioritise unconstitutional changes of government and transitions, which have been highly divisive. Civil-military relations should also be central to our conversations. Humanitarian affairs, particularly those driven by both manmade and natural disasters, require urgent attention, as do issues of Women Peace and Security, and Youth Peace and Security.
Some conflicts fall outside the PSC's purview, especially when the centers of resolution are beyond the continent
Strengthening the relationship between the PSC and regional economic communities is also crucial. Since April, the PSC has enhanced collaboration with the peace and security organs of the Economic Community of West African States, the Southern African Development Community and the Economic Community of Central African State. Plans are in place to consult also with the League of Arab States and the National African Regional Capability. We must also debate climate change, elections and governance, as well as the problem of children affected by armed conflict.
As you prepare for the New York ministerial session on new security threats, what outcomes do you hope for?
New threats to global security highlighted in the UN’s New Agenda for Peace range from terrorism, cybersecurity and climate change to the use of artificial intelligence and new technologies, including the weaponisation of unmanned drones. Our goal is to ‘Africanise’ the agenda, ensuring that these new threats are seen from an African perspective. This could lead to the creation of new PSC workgroups or subcommittees. However, the outcomes will depend on discussions of the ministers since the meeting is theirs.
How should Africa maximise its input into the Pact for the Future once it’s adopted?
Although the document is in its final stages, we must ensure that it aligns with our common African positions on global issues such as youth development, digital inclusion and governance reforms. Our reference points include the African high-level panel’s report on reforming the multilateral system, the Aswan conclusions on global governance and other African platforms that have adopted positions. In July 2024, two months before the Summit of the Future, the PSC brainstormed on submissions to the Pact of the Future to further aggregate African interests.
Given the continent’s numerous conflicts and natural disasters, what is the future of its humanitarian response?
The African Humanitarian Agency in Uganda must become functional as recommended by the Executive Council in Accra in July 2024. We hope this will be endorsed by the heads of state in February 2025. Additionally, frameworks such as the African Risk Capacity will be pivotal to disaster preparedness.
Complex emergencies where natural disasters intersect with armed conflicts to increase populations’ vulnerabilities are a growing concern that will require diverse donors and a robust humanitarian diplomacy framework including negotiation of humanitarian ceasefires and corridors. Special envoys may be needed to focus solely on humanitarian diplomacy to enhance the effectiveness of our responses.
Should the Council consider anything else?
The security, disarmament and development nexus needs renewed attention. This nexus, co-sponsored by Cameroon and Togo under the Organisation for African Unity banner of the 1980s, has been somewhat neglected in recent years. Aspects are addressed in initiatives such as silencing the guns and the post-conflict reconstruction and development policy framework. However, it should be revisited as a standalone issue during our discourse at the PSC and in line with the United Nations Secretary-General’s 2018 initiative ‘Securing our common future: an agenda for disarmament’.
