Amid deepening conflict and insecurity across Africa, the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union should shift from reactive crisis management to proactive conflict prevention and from abstract frameworks to concrete implementation of Council resolution 2719 (2023 ), speakers heard today during the Council’s annual meeting on cooperation with the African Union, ahead of their twentieth annual joint consultative meetings later this month.
“The scale and complexity of today’s challenges demand a stronger partnership; one that anticipates crises, addresses the pressures that sustain them and converts shared commitment into prompt, predictable and accountable action,” underscored Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union , and Head of the UN Office to the African Union .
The Horn of Africa remains highly fragile and faces devastating conflicts, toxic weaponization of identities and external shocks. In the Great Lakes region, efforts by the African Union, East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, United States and Qatar face weak implementation, continued fighting and regional tensions. Meanwhile, insecurity in the Sahel persists amid interconnected political, security and humanitarian crises driven by violent extremism, weak governance, delayed political transition, displacement, food insecurity and climate pressures.
He urged “inclusive approaches placing women at the heart of peacebuilding”, as well as “African youth leadership [that] is indispensable to lasting peace”. The UN and the African Union’s strong partnership requires political commitment and institutional tools to provide effective responses on the ground. Towards that end, he called for stronger investment in prevention, mediation and national-owned political solutions; predictable and sustainable support for African-led peace support operations; and sustained coordination between the UN and African Union, from their two councils to the operational levels.
Also briefing the Council was Zinurine Abiodu Alghali, Senior Advisor and Peace and Security Coordinator of the Security Council’s African members, noted that, since the Council last met to discuss the topic, the African Union-UN partnership has established instruments it did not have a year ago. On that, he spotlighted the Declaration signed by the Chairperson of the Commission and the Secretary-General at the Tenth African Union-UN Annual Conference in Addis Ababa on 13 May 2026.
“The measure of this partnership, however, must ultimately be its impact on the lives of people affected by conflict,” he went on, outlining the African Union’s efforts to address persisting situations in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Horn of Africa and Somalia. He noted that the African Union is leading the efforts of the Quintet, alongside the United Nations, the League of Arab States, IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] and European Union. He called on the Council to bring parallel initiatives in line with an inclusive, Sudanese-owned political process to end the external interference and the flow of arms that prolong the war.
Call to Turn Political Commitments into Concrete Action
Council members echoed the need to turn political commitments into concrete action. Denmark’s representative called for stronger connections between the organizations to ensure conflict responses are tailored to specific conflict dynamics. “For peace support operations to be effective, they need ownership, resources, partnerships and political will,” he noted, drawing attention to the “untapped potential” of the landmark adoption of resolution 2719 (2023), a point echoed by the representative of Greece, Council President for October.
Through this resolution, the Council unanimously agreed to consider, on a case-by-case basis, requests from the African Union Peace and Security Council seeking authorization to access UN assessed contributions for African-led peace support operations.
“Predictable financing must become predictable capacity,” underscored Liberia’s representative, urging clear mandates, credible oversight, accountability, respect for international humanitarian and human rights law, and realistic political strategies. He urged a shift in the partnership “from cooperation by circumstance to partnership by design”. The forthcoming consultations between the UN and the African Union must deliver stronger early-warning mechanisms and measurable follow-up on previous decisions.
Several speakers, including Colombia’s representative, underscored the need for proactive prevention. The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo emphasized that the link between natural resources and conflict must be fully integrated into the prevention architecture and peace settlement mechanisms of the councils of both the African Union and the UN. Africa’s natural wealth must finance development for its people and not conflict, he added, calling for bolstered tracing in supply chains, income transparency and cross-border cooperation. Somalia’s delegate called for a stronger, better-resourced African Union-UN partnership that can anticipate Africa’s increasingly complex and interconnected conflicts.
Correcting Historic Injustice: Give Africa Two Permanent Seats in Security Council
Addressing the call of the African Council members, the representative of France said: “We support giving two seats to Africa as permanent members of the Security Council with the same rights as those enjoyed by the current members, including the veto right”.
The United Kingdom’s representative also voiced her country’s long-term support for permanent African representation in the Council. Through its £25 million African Union Partnership Programme, London also supports African Union mediation and the UNDP-AUC African Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions, helping States navigate complex political transitions, she added.
The speaker for the United States said the African Union-led peace support operations under Council resolution 2719 (2023) will leverage the African Union’s comparative advantages to addressing conflicts in Africa. However, he pointed out that: “Any such peace operations should be small, timebound and have clear objectives.”
Latvia’s delegate urged stronger action on climate-related security risks. “Collectively, we should move from recognition to implementation – integrating climate risks into early warning, prevention, mediation efforts and mandates of peace operations,” she said. She further stressed the importance of African leadership and anticipatory action as El Niño worsens food insecurity, displacement and humanitarian pressures
Global Governance Reform to End Legacy of African Colonialism
Some speakers drew attention to the historical injustices and legacy of colonialism experienced by Africa. China’s representative called for reform of global governance to increase Africa’s representation and voice. “The leading role in determining the path forward for settling African crises belongs to the regional players, the Africans themselves,” said the Russian Federation’s representative.
Bahrain’s representative welcomed the signing of the Strategic Partnership Declaration between the African Union and the UN, in light of the growing challenges faced by the African continent and their repercussions for international peace and security. Voicing concern over armed conflict and its consequent humanitarian consequences, he underscored the need for peaceful solutions and dialogue.
“The African continent contributes mediators, peacekeeping contingents and indispensable experience to international peace and security,” stated Panama’s delegate, adding: “Recognizing that contribution requires a partnership of equals, in which African leadership has meaningful influencing in decision-making.”
