Defining Pathways Forward: Enhancing the Partnership between the African Union and the United Nations in Peace Operations

On 6 November 2025, NUPI, through the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme,  co-hosted the high-level event Defining Pathways Forward: Enhancing the Partnership between the African Union and the United Nations in Peace Operations at the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York as part of the Peace Operations Review Week.

The event brought together senior AU and UN officials, diplomats, and leading African and international research institutions to reflect on how the AU–UN partnership can evolve in response to rapidly shifting peace and security dynamics on the African continent. With the drawdown of large UN peacekeeping missions, the rise of ad-hoc security coalitions, and increasing geopolitical complexity, discussions focused on the urgent need for more coherent, flexible and politically grounded models of cooperation between the two organisations.

Speakers examined the evolution of the partnership since the 2017 Joint Framework and UN Security Council Resolution 2719, identifying persistent challenges related to strategic alignment, financing, accountability, decision-making, and operational design. The panel explored realistic options for future engagement, including new approaches to mandates, sequencing, and roles for regional economic communities, civil society and knowledge institutions.

The event provided a forward-looking platform to generate concrete ideas and policy pathways for strengthening the AU–UN partnership at a time when multilateral responses to conflict in Africa face mounting pressure — and renewed importance.