Imagine a continent striving for lasting peace amid rising conflicts and global shifts – that's the bold ambition fueling tomorrow's pivotal gathering. On November 17th, the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (UN PBC) will convene their eighth annual consultative meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. But here's where it gets intriguing: this isn't just another routine talk; it's a formal upgrade from informal chats, aimed at deepening collaboration to mend Africa's frayed peace fabrics. Led by co-chairs Churchill Ewumbue-Monono from Cameroon and Ricklef Beutin from Germany, the event kicks off with welcoming remarks. Expect insights from Bankole Adeoye, AU's Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, and Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the UN Secretary-General's envoy to the AU. This marks the second formal session since the decision at the sixth informal meeting in November 2023 to elevate these discussions to a more structured level, signaling a commitment to real action over mere dialogue.
This meeting unfolds during the AU's Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) Awareness Week, from November 17 to 21, building directly on last year's seventh session. Looking back, the joint statement from that gathering emphasized the UN PBC's role in rallying global support and stakeholders, while the AU drives PCRD policy implementation. It stressed that bolstering ties between the AU's PCRD center in Cairo and the UN's Peacebuilding Support Office (within the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs) is crucial for enacting the AU-UN Memorandum of Understanding on peacebuilding. And this is the part most people miss: the September 22, 2024, Pact for the Future, adopted at the Summit of the Future, injects fresh energy by committing to stronger peacebuilding worldwide. Plus, with the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review (PBAR) underway, the event offers a prime chance to refine operational strategies, measure real impacts, and tighten AU-UN coordination in crafting effective peacebuilding programs across Africa.
Against this backdrop, the first agenda item dives into 'Reviewing Collaborative Peacebuilding Efforts and Priorities.' The AU PSC and its chair will lead the discussion, spotlighting joint achievements in fostering peace and stability on the continent. Key focuses include preventing conflicts, securing sustainable funding, and weaving peacebuilding into development goals – especially relevant now with the PBAR. This review gains extra weight when paired with new global frameworks like the updated AU PCRD policy, the New Agenda for Peace, and the Pact for the Future, all pushing for smarter, more unified global approaches to handling disputes. For instance, think of how integrating peace efforts with economic growth could prevent future crises, much like how community-based programs have rebuilt trust in post-conflict villages. During a high-level dialogue on shaping a Common African Position (CAP) for the PBAR, the AU developed recommendations to ensure African voices dominate the process, drawing from regional talks like the October 2024 ACCORD-DIRCO-UN PBSO forum, which explored ways to link UN support with local mechanisms for better outcomes.
The CAP, crafted by the PSC in 2020 for the first UN Peacebuilding Architecture (PBA) review, outlines 12 enduring priorities, such as managing political shifts (which have been crucial in recent years), building strong governance, promoting justice, combating terrorism, and funding peace initiatives sustainably. But here's where it gets controversial: these efforts face mounting hurdles from overlapping issues like terrorism, escalating debts, soaring living costs, weak institutions, strained relations between states and citizens, questionable government legitimacy, pandemics, geopolitical rivalries, and worsening climate effects. Critics argue that traditional peacebuilding often treats these as isolated problems, but a bolder view suggests we must tackle them holistically within political frameworks. For example, imagine a country like one in transition where economic aid without addressing corruption only postpones conflict. Thus, the PBAR must weave in these priorities for truly effective reforms.
Shifting gears, the second item tackles 'Youth – Connections Between Development and Peacebuilding.' The PSC and the African Union Youth Ambassador for Peace will present, with the PBC sharing updates on youth involvement in the peace architecture. Past meetings stressed the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda, leveraging the AU's Youth Decade Plan and the PBC's Strategic Action Plan to empower young people, enhance their skills, and integrate them into peace and development work. This focus couldn't be timelier, especially with Generation Z uprisings growing, signaling deep frustration among Africa's largely youthful population over poor governance and limited economic chances. As our recent analysis of the PSC's November session on Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) and migration revealed, rising youth exodus – often intertwined with security threats – underscores persistent gaps in development and leadership. It calls for targeted peacebuilding that bridges these divides, perhaps through job training programs that directly involve youth in local decision-making, turning potential unrest into constructive energy.
The PBC's input will cover events like the Africa Regional Consultation for the Second Independent Progress Study on YPS, inspired by the Pact for the Future, where new youth-led narratives in peace processes shone. Additionally, the Peacebuilding Support Office's 2025 Peacebuilding Fund Thematic Review on YPS, based on 41 projects across 33 nations from 2018–2022, showcases successes in boosting youth roles through councils, dialogues, networks, and national plans. Picture a project in a war-torn area where youth networks mediated talks, leading to community-led ceasefires – that's the kind of real-world impact we're talking about.
The final agenda point zooms in on 'Peacebuilding Initiatives in South Sudan, Sahel Countries, and the Lake Chad Basin.' These regions' volatile situations demand urgent AU responses. Since early 2025, the PSC has ramped up oversight of South Sudan's turmoil, following March clashes between government forces and opposition groups. A recent Amani Africa briefing to the UN Security Council warned that the fragile peace from the 2018 Revitalized Agreement is teetering, risking full war. To rebuild effectively, it urged immediate preventive diplomacy, renewed party commitments to the accord through talks, and ongoing UN Mission support for civilian protection and local peace efforts. But here's where it gets controversial: some debate whether external interventions truly help or just prolong dependency, questioning if African-led solutions might yield better long-term stability.
The Sahel's challenges epitomize peacebuilding in transitions marred by extremism, terrorism, and fractured international ties. Insights from the November 13 informal PSC consultation with transitioning nations like Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Sudan stress that transitions for constitutional order must align with broader stabilization, including joint security strategies against terrorist threats. For beginners, think of it as rebuilding a house: you can't fix the roof without shoring up the foundation first.
Lastly, in the Lake Chad Basin, despite efforts by the Basin Commission and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Boko Haram's threat persists, with recent developments weakening the MNJTF amid climate, security, and governance issues. The key now is scaling up interventions, perhaps by expanding from military focus to community resilience programs that address root causes like poverty and environmental degradation.
The meeting aims for a joint statement urging nations to embed peacebuilding and social unity into their development plans, with local leadership and inclusion of all groups, especially women and youth. It will press international partners, UN entities, and financial institutions to align efforts with national priorities, tackling youth-driven protests and migrations. Emphasizing partnerships with regional bodies for better coordination, it highlights the need for political buy-in from leaders to make peacebuilding a broad-based political agreement. But what if some leaders prioritize short-term gains over long-term peace? Is it fair to expect global players to fund fixes without addressing their own roles in conflicts?
So, what are your thoughts? Do you believe integrating youth voices is the game-changer for African peacebuilding, or should we focus more on economic reforms first? Share your opinions in the comments – let's spark a debate on building a more peaceful future!
