The U.N. Security Council is welcoming Africa's goal of "silencing the guns" on the continent by 2020 and calling for international support to achieve peace in every country.

A resolution adopted unanimously by the council Wednesday "expresses support for initiatives aimed at finding African solutions to African problems" while recognizing that other countries can help accelerate progress.

The African Union's high representative for the 2020 campaign said that "notable progress has been made in preventing, managing and resolving conflicts in Africa."

Ramtane Lamamra pointed to peace agreements in South Sudan and Central African Republic and elections in Madagascar and Congo. But he also told the council that "a number of African countries still remain trapped in a vicious cycle of violent conflict and its deadly consequences."