The Ezulwini Consensus is a position on international relations and reform of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, agreed by the African Union. It calls for a more representative and democratic

Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...

, in which Africa, like all other world regions, is represented.

Background

The consensus is named after

Ezulwini Ezulwini Valley is a valley of northwest Eswatini. Also known as "The Valley of Heaven", the valley lasts for about 30 kilometres, and is bounded to the east by the Mdzimba hills. The historical capital of Swaziland Lobamba is located in the valley ...

, a valley in central

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

(then known as

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

), where the agreement was made in 2005. The consensus was then adopted at an Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union, in March 2005, in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

Agreement

The agreement covered several areas, including:

Collective security - preventive measures

*Underlining the serious threats posed by HIV/AIDS, poverty, and

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...

*Encouraging debts of highly indebted states to be written off *Recommending adoption of the Lomé Declaration and Algiers Declaration on Unconstitutional Changes of Governments. *Calling for an end to illicit manufacturing, trade, and stockpiling of small arms & light weapons (

SALW Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) refers in arms control protocols to two main classes of man-portable weapons.https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_52142.htm NATO, Small arms and light weapons (SALW) and mine action (MA) * "Small arms", ...

). *Recommending steps toward "complete elimination of nuclear weapons"

Collective security - use of force

*A cautious approach to the

Responsibility to protect The Responsibility to Protect (R2P or RtoP) is a global political commitment which was endorsed by all member states of the United Nations at the 2005 World Summit in order to address its four key concerns to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic ...

: "It is important to reiterate the obligation of states to protect their citizens, but this should not be used as a pretext to undermine the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states." * Prohibiting any use of force outside Article 51 of the UN Charter (self-defence) and Article 4h of AU (preventing genoicide and serious crimes against humanity). * Calling for the UN to fund and support peacekeeping forces provided by regional organisations such as the AU. * Proposing a Peacebuilding Commission.

United Nations reform

*At least two permanent seats (including veto power), and five non-permanent seats on the Security Council. *The

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

would choose which African governments get the seats. * Further calls for

ECOSOC The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

to be strengthened.

Sirte Declaration

The Ezulwini Consensus was followed by the

Sirte Declaration The Sirte Declaration was the resolution adopted by the Organisation of African Unity on 9 September 1999, at the fourth Extraordinary Session of the OAU Assembly of African Heads of State and Government held at Sirte, Libya. The Declaration ann ...

of July 2005, which reiterated the need for at least two permanent seats and five non-permanent Security Council seats for African states.

Related agreements

* Algiers Convention on Terrorism * Lomé Declaration * Algiers Declaration

References

{{reflist African Union