Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee
Remarks to the Security Council on
Cooperation between the UN and regional and subregional organizations (AU)
New York, 7 October 2025
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you for the opportunity to brief the Security Council on the cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations. Special Representative Parfait Onanga-Anyanga has provided you with an update on the main developments related to this strategic partnership. Commissioner Bankole / Permanent Observer Mohamed Edrees will brief you on the African Union’s perspective on the matter. I will provide this Council with a brief progress update on the implementation of resolution 2719 (2023).
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. African membership has grown from just four member states in 1945 to some 54 today, constituting more than a quarter of the membership. The significance of this is also reflected in the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, which has never been stronger. We welcome, in this regard, the adoption of resolution 79/329 by the General Assembly on cooperation between the two organizations.
As this Council is aware, armed conflicts have been resurgent globally, including in Africa. Conflicts have also grown in complexity. Resolution 2719 was, therefore, conceived as a means to address a longstanding gap in the African Union’s peace and security architecture to better to respond to armed conflicts on the African continent, with the support of the broader international community, and this Council in particular. In this regard, we are encouraged that since its adoption in 2023, the Council has repeatedly reiterated its support for the implementation of the resolution on a case by case basis, including in the letter from the President of the Security Council to the Secretary-General dated 3 May 2025 (S/2025/322)
Mr. President,
Resolution 2719 sets out clear directives across four priority workstreams, as reflected in the Joint Roadmap for the operationalization of resolution 2719, which was endorsed by the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission in October 2024. Since then, we — the African Union Commission and the United Nations Secretariat — have made progress, drawing on lessons from previous African Union–led and United Nations operations, and our ongoing collaboration. Let me outline the areas of progress on these four priority workstreams:
Joint planning, reporting, decision making: We have developed joint planning modalities for establishing new African Union–led peace support operations under the framework of resolution 2719. These planning modalities were approved at the Twenty-Fifth Consultative Meeting of the United Nations–African Union Joint Task Force on Peace and Security on 27 September. The modalities provide for a predictable, coherent and shared planning and decision-making architecture, serving as a common reference for possible future cases.
Mission support. Effective operational support will equally be critical for translating political mandates by the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council into operational reality, and for sustaining efficiency in the field. Accordingly, we have developed joint support planning modalities too. They foster synergies and complementarity in the delivery of operational support to African Union-led operations. This guidance document, also approved by the Joint Task Force on Peace and Security on 27 September, will be validated through a joint exercise.
Financing and budgeting. In May, the Secretary-General submitted a report detailing how the United Nations Financial Rules and Regulations would apply should the Security Council decide to authorize an African Union-led peace support operation under the framework of resolution 2719, using the support office model. The report sets out standards for oversight, accountability and budgetary processes, and provides a framework for the preparation and implementation of financial arrangements. Its application will be tailored to the specific African Union–led peace support operation authorized by the Council. The Secretary-General’s report is currently under review by the relevant United Nations legislative bodies.
Compliance and protection of civilians. A robust Human Rights Due Diligence Policy mechanism, and a strengthened African Union Compliance and Accountability Framework are essential for the full implementation of resolution 2719. The implementation of the AU Compliance and Accountability Framework is advancing through the development of processes, policies and structures for African Union-led operations. For instance, the adoption of a draft African Union policy on gender integration in peace support operations is pending, alongside the development of a gender-responsive monitoring and evaluation curriculum, amongst others.
The modalities developed across the four workstreams represent a concrete step in the operationalization of resolution 2719. They seek to ensure that our collaboration is grounded both in strategic vision and in operational practicality.
A report on the overall implementation of resolution 2719 will be submitted at the end of the year, providing a detailed account of the work done.
Mr. President,
As we reflect on the future of peace operations and seek efficiencies, it becomes even more evident that resolution 2719 meets the moment. The resolution contributes to making peace operations relevant to contemporary challenges. It seeks to ensure that we leverage our respective advantages in keeping with the Pact of the Future, the New Agenda for Peace, and Silencing the Guns initiative. The synergy it offers can also help generate cost-efficiencies.
While significant progress is being made, there are still challenges ahead. Indeed, amongst others, the United Nations and the African Union must keep working on fostering a shared understanding of and expectations on the resolution, including with the African Regional Economic Communities, Regional Mechanisms and other key stakeholders. Shared understanding and realistic expectations are key to successful partnerships, given the variety of the mandates and memberships of the various multilateral organizations involved. In this regard, The Secretariat will continue work on socializing resolution 2719 and its provisions.
Mr. President,
In closing, I would like to reiterate the Secretary-General’s unwavering commitment to work towards the implementation of resolution 2719, to ensure that the African Union, with support from the United Nations, is in the best position to rise to the peace and security challenges of our times.
I thank you, Mr. President.