Both Vietnam and Indonesia are stressing that the international community should prioritise fostering regional co-operation for the purpose of achieving peace and meeting stability goals, whilst also calling for support to be given to the Great Lakes region in Africa.

The online meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) discuss
the current situation in Africa’s Great Lakes region

The calls were made during a recent online meeting held among the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to discuss the current situation in Africa’s Great Lakes region.

The meeting saw Xia Huang, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region, present a six-month regular report regarding the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Agreement for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the region.

Countries in the Great Lakes region remain committed to strengthening co-operation and implementing the Peace, Security and Cooperation Agreement. Most notably, both the Government of the DRC and President Tshisekedi have put in a great deal of effort to stabilise the situation within the African country, whilst coming up with initiatives to promote conciliation and co-operation among regional nations.

Furthermore, the special envoy said that the security situation has remained relatively stable in recent years, although it is still fragile. This is in regard to a range of illegal activities regarding the exploitation and smuggling of natural resources by armed groups in eastern DRC.

At present, the socio-economic and humanitarian situation among regional continues is facing plenty of difficulties, especially due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Nations in the Great Lakes have reported over 750,000 cases of the virus and are striving to prevent the spread of COVID-19 whilst simultaneously addressing the socio-economic impact caused by the pandemic.

The UN Secretary General's special envoy stated that his office is working with both regional countries and international partners to develop a UN Strategy on the Great Lakes region, with a major focus being placed on settling and preventing conflicts in the region.

Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, Head of the Indonesian Delegation to the UN, read the joint statement made by Vietnam and Indonesia. Ambassador Djani shared the views of UNSC member states in acknowledging the co-operation efforts of the DRC and other countries in the region, emphasizing the importance of implementing the Peace and Security Agreement by boosting closer collaboration and dealing with looming challenges.

The statement saw both Vietnam and Indonesia detail the necessity of addressing the root causes of instability in the region, with efforts to resolve issues involving strengthening reconciliation and co-ordination to solve the illegal activities of armed groups. This should be done alongside handling issues on natural resource management and boosting development co-operation.

As both Southeast Asian countries have been designated as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, they have issued several joint statements aimed at promoting ASEAN's voice and image since May, including a joint statement on October 8 relating to the situation in Mali.