UN General Assembly
2013

rather as part of a planned process. Over the years, we have learned the important lesson that the Organization cannot stand on the sidelines when challenged to take preventive action. In so doing, we should guard against the misuse and abuse of the norm of the responsibility to protect by infringing on the national sovereignty or altering the legal obligation of Member States to refrain from the use of force except in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations. From the Horn of Africa and across the Sahel region to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the African continent is facing a rise in lawlessness and conflicts. As we celebrate the jubilee of the formation of our continental organization, the Organization of African Unity, we are resolved, as leaders of Africa, that Africa must open a new chapter going forward and extricate itself from the conflicts that have so soiled its reputation and compromised its development. We are determined to build a safe, secure and peaceful Africa from here forward. With the presence of extremist groups and