UN–AU Cooperation 2025: Aligning Peace and Security Architectures Ahead of October Consultations

This report has been prepared by African Security Analysis (ASA) based on the official UN Security Council briefing and related documentation.

Executive Summary

In October, the UN Security Council (UNSC) will convene a high-level briefing on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU), with a focus on operationalizing a whole-of-continuum approach—from prevention and mediation to peace support operations (PSOs), peacebuilding, and post-conflict recovery. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) to the AU and Head of the UN Office to the AU (UNOAU), is expected to brief members and present the Secretary-General’s annual report on strengthening the UN–AU partnership in Africa.

October also features two cornerstone engagements in Addis Ababa: the 19th Joint Consultative Meeting between the UNSC and the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) (17 Oct) and the 10th informal joint seminar (16 Oct). In parallel, New York will host the ninth UN–AU annual conference later this year, the first to include the newly elected AU Commission under Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

The agenda will be anchored in live theatres of concern—Sudan, eastern DRC/Great Lakes, Somalia (and AUSSOM funding), Libya, South Sudan, and West Africa/Sahel—and will revisit implementation pathways for UNSC resolution 2719 (2023) on financing AU-led peace support operations (AUPSOs) from UN-assessed contributions.

1) Expected Council Action (October)

• Briefing/Discussion Theme: UN cooperation with regional and sub-regional bodies, with a focus on the AU.
• Anticipated Briefer: SRSG Parfait Onanga-Anyanga (UNOAU).
• Document Underpinning: Secretary-General’s 2025 annual report on the UN–AU partnership (conflict prevention, peace-making, PSOs, peacebuilding/rule of law, counterterrorism/CVE).
• Objective: Identify concrete steps to tighten UN–AU policy, planning, financing, and field coordination across the peace continuum.

2) Key Recent Developments

• Secretary-General’s Annual Report (25 Aug 2025):

– Reviews cooperation in prevention/mediation, peacekeeping and PSOs, peacebuilding/rule of law, and counterterrorism/violent extremism.

– Assesses continental hotspots: eastern DRC, Sudan (and regional spillover), South Sudan, Libya, West Africa & the Sahel, Somalia.

• UN–AU Annual Conference Cycle:

– 8th conference held Oct 2024 (Addis Ababa).

– 9th conference to be hosted in New York (dates TBC), first with Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and the new AU Commission.

• UNSC–AUPSC Institutional Dialogue:

– 19th Joint Consultative Meeting in Addis Ababa on 17 Oct; preceded by the 10th informal joint seminar on 16 Oct.

– Expert-level engagements arranged ahead of the meeting (arrival 13 Oct) to negotiate a joint communiqué.

• Financing AUPSOs – Resolution 2719 (2023):

– Application remains politically sensitive; follow-up report from the Secretary-General expected December 2025.

– AUSSOM (Somalia) funding gap persists; AU pursuing resource mobilization with UN, bilateral, and multilateral partners (high-level meeting held 25 Sept in New York).

3) Issues for Decision and Options

A. Synchronizing UN & AU Peace Operations Reviews

Issue: Both organizations are reviewing their peace operations models.
Option: Convene an informal UNSC session with UNOAU/AU Commission to align mandate design, logistics, force generation, and exit strategies, and codify a joint planning playbook for AUPSOs with predictable support modalities.

B. Implementing Resolution 2719 (AUPSOs Financing)

Issue: Translating principle into practice amid political divisions.
Options:

1. Case-by-case financing framework with eligibility criteria (mandate clarity, human rights/IHL compliance, fiduciary controls).

2. Pilot dossier (e.g., counter-terrorism stabilization support in select theatres) to test assessed-contribution pathways and oversight.

C. Country/Theatre-Focused Coordination

• Sudan: Explore regional containment measures (cross-border humanitarian access, arms-flow monitoring, atrocity prevention triggers).
• Eastern DRC/Great Lakes: Tighten regional de-escalation and leverage joint verification mechanisms.
• Somalia (AUSSOM): Define bridging finance and logistics enablers to avoid capability cliffs post-drawdown.
• Libya: Support a sequenced political roadmap linked to security sector commitments.
• South Sudan: Link political benchmarks to community security and localized reconciliation.
• West Africa/Sahel: Advance CVE approaches, border security cooperation, and ECOWAS/AU alignment on transitions.

D. Enhancing the Informal Joint Seminar

Issue: Past seminars vary in interactivity and follow-through.
Options:

• Adopt a retreat format with co-chaired thematic labs (e.g., WPS@25 implementation, CT/CVE burden-sharing, youth inclusion).
• Build a tracked recommendations matrix (owners, milestones, reporting cadence) carried into the joint communiqué.

4) Political Dynamics in the Council

• Broad Support for UN–AU cooperation; the A3 (and A3-Plus) have evolved into an influential coordination bloc—often shaping outcomes on African files.
• Recognition Sensitivities: Some P5 members resist a formalized status for the A3 within UNSC procedure, citing institutional practice.
• 2719 Fault Lines: Divergent views on scope, oversight, and qualifying missions for UN-assessed funding of AUPSOs; concerns over mission creep, human rights due diligence, and budget discipline.

5) Risk Picture (Selected)

• Financing Gap Risk: Lack of predictable support for AUPSOs can produce capability cliffs, weakening regional responses to insurgency and terrorism.
• Mandate–Means Mismatch: Ambitious stabilization mandates without logistics/intel enablers risk mission under-performance and civilian harm.
• Regional Spillover: Sudan and eastern DRC dynamics may export insecurity to neighbors absent coordinated regional guardrails.
• Process Fatigue: Annual meetings without concrete follow-through risk eroding credibility of the partnership.

6) African Security Analysis (ASA) Recommendations (Actionable)

1. Joint Planning Cell: Establish a UN–AU forward planning cell under UNOAU to co-draft mission concepts, force packages, and shared support plans for AUPSOs.

2. 2719 Pilot Pathway: Identify one pilot operation that meets rigorous IHL/HRDDP and fiduciary standards; create a financial oversight board (UN, AU, independent auditors).

3. Theatre-Specific Compacts: In Sudan, eastern DRC, and Somalia, adopt compact-style frameworks linking political benchmarks to security/financing deliverables.

4. WPS@25 Deliverables: Table three measurable commitments (e.g., gender-responsive early warning cells; 30% women in mediation support teams; survivor-centred protection metrics) with 12-month reporting.

5. CT/CVE Burden-Sharing: Launch an AU-led CT support platform (intel fusion, border security toolkits, community stabilization finance) backed by pooled donor funds.

6. Seminar to Communiqué Bridge: Use the 16 Oct seminar to populate a time-bound recommendations tracker annexed to the 17 Oct joint communiqué.

7) Key Dates & Milestones

• 13 Oct: Expert teams arrive in Addis Ababa; begin drafting the joint communiqué.
• 16 Oct: 10th Informal Joint Seminar (UNSC–AUPSC) – interactive thematic labs.
• 17 Oct: 19th Joint Consultative Meeting – adoption of a joint communiqué.
• Oct (New York): UNSC briefing by SRSG Onanga-Anyanga on the UN–AU partnership and UNOAU workstream.
• Q4 2025: 9th UN–AU Annual Conference (New York) with the new AU Commission leadership.
• Dec 2025: Secretary-General’s annual report on AUPSOs financing (follow-up to resolution 2719).

Conclusion

Momentum is building to institutionalize a more predictable, interoperable UN–AU partnership—linking policy coherence with operational credibility and sustainable financing. Delivering tangible progress in October will require pragmatism on financing, discipline on mandate design, and political will to carry seminar recommendations into an enforceable joint communiqué and year-round implementation.

African Security Analysis (ASA) supports governments, multilateral organizations, and mission planners with end-to-end advisory across the UN–AU peace continuum:

• Mission Design & Readiness: Concept of operations, force package design, logistics and ISR enablers, HRDDP integration.
• Financing & Oversight: 2719-compliant financing models, fiduciary risk controls, results-based budgeting.
• Conflict Analytics & Early Warning: Cross-border threat mapping, atrocity/IED indicators, climate-security overlays.
• Political Strategy & Mediation Support: Compact drafting, stakeholder mapping, track-2 facilitation.
• WPS & Protection: Gender-responsive planning, survivor-centred protection frameworks, monitoring and evaluation.

ASA is available to engage immediately with UN entities, the AU/AUPSC, member states, and implementing partners to translate October’s discussions into actionable, resourced, and measurable outputs. Strengthening cooperation frameworks, ensuring financing for AU peace operations, and consolidating the role of regional mechanisms will remain at the centre of the dialogue, shaping the trajectory of UN-AU relations over the coming year.