Addis Ababa:The scale and complexity of challenges facing Africa necessitate a stronger partnership between the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU), with increased focus on crisis anticipation, addressing underlying pressures, and ensuring prompt, predictable, and accountable actions, according to a senior UN official.
According to Qatar News Agency, these remarks were made during a UN Security Council meeting focused on cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, including the African Union. Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the African Union, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, discussed key findings from the Secretary-General's latest report on the UN-AU partnership. The report highlights significant progress but also reveals an increasingly interconnected and complex peace and security landscape.
Onanga-Anyanga identified three key priorities: the evolving nature of conflicts, structural factors driving regional instability, and the practical implementation of the UN-AU partnership in peace support operations. Despite current challenges, he expressed optimism about Africa's future, citing the continent's young population and abundant natural resources as potential catalysts for a new era of opportunity, provided there is bold leadership and a supportive global environment.
He also noted that several countries are facing intensifying and geographically expanding violence, with rising civilian casualties. Developments in the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes region, and the Sahel were highlighted as particularly urgent challenges requiring sustained attention.
In support, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, praised the frameworks and mechanisms established by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in cooperation with the AU. He highlighted a declaration signed by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and the UN Secretary-General during the tenth annual UN-AU Conference in Addis Ababa on May 13, 2026. Adeoye stated that the declaration reaffirmed the principles underpinning the three common frameworks on peace and security, as well as aligning with the African Union's 2063 Agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and human rights.