Ban welcomes Africa Union’s cooperation with UN on continental security issues

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the cooperation between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations, particularly on peace and security issues in Sudan, Somalia and Côte d’Ivoire.

At a meeting with Jean Ping, the chairperson of the AU Commission in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Mr. Ban said he looked forward to working more closely with the regional body on sustainable development, women’s empowerment, combating sexual violence during conflict, security sector reforms, and conflict prevention and mediation over the course of this year.

At a meeting yesterday with Uganda’s Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya, the Secretary-General expressed his gratitude to the East African country for its contribution to peacekeeping operations, particularly in Somalia.

During the meeting in Addis Ababa, Mr. Ban raised several issues with Mr. Bukenya, including the upcoming elections in Uganda; the situation in Sudan and Somalia; the rights of the Ugandan gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community; and operations against insurgents of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

Mr. Ban will be in the United Kingdom beginning on Wednesday, when he will deliver a lecture at Oxford University.