Joint Press Statement Following 19th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting between African Union Peace and Security Council, Members of UN Security Council

The African Union Peace and Security Council and the members of the United Nations Security Council held their nineteenth Annual Joint Consultative Meeting at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 17 October 2025. The African Union Peace and Security Council and the members of the United Nations Security Council convened to deliberate on peace and security issues.

The Africa Union Peace and Security Council and the members of the United Nations Security Council underlined that Article 24 of the Charter of the United Nations accords the United Nations Security Council with the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Furthermore, they reaffirmed the mandate of the African Union Peace and Security Council concerning the promotion of peace, security and stability in Africa, as per the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union.

The African Union Peace and Security Council and the members of the United Nations Security Council recalled the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations on the role of regional arrangements in dealing with matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security, before referring them to the Security Council as appropriate, and the United Nations Security Council's authority to utilize such regional arrangements, consistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

The African Union Peace and Security Council and the members of the United Nations Security Council recalled and reaffirmed all previous joint communiqués adopted during their annual joint consultative meetings.

The African Union Peace and Security Council and the members of the United Nations Security Council seized the opportunity of their tenth Informal Joint Seminar, held on 16 October 2025, to commemorate the 25 years of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) within the context of the women, peace and security agenda. They also exchanged views on African Union-United Nations joint efforts in addressing terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, as well as the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 2719 (2023). The Informal Joint Seminar was preceded by a consultation of the African Union Peace and Security Council Committee of Experts and the United Nations Security Council Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, held in Addis Ababa from 14 to 15 October 2025.

On the occasion of the nineteenth Annual Joint Consultative Meeting, the African Union Peace and Security Council and the members of the United Nations Security Council held discussions on enhancing and supporting African Union-led peace support operations, particularly the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM); the Sahel Region and Lake Chad Basin, including technical assistance to the countries of the Gulf of Guinea in countering challenges affecting maritime security; the Horn of Africa (Sudan and South Sudan); and the Great Lakes Region (Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo).

The African Union Peace and Security Council and the members of the United Nations Security Council agreed to convene their eleventh Informal Joint Seminar and the twentieth Annual Joint Consultative Meeting in New York, United States, on dates to be jointly agreed by the two sides in due course, and to be preceded by expert-level informal consultations.