New US Foreign Policy and the AU-UN Partnership: What’s Next for Peace Support Operations in Africa?

This closed-door roundtable brought together AU and UN officials, diplomats, policy advisors, regional experts, and researchers to assess the current state and future prospects of AU–UN collaboration on peace support operations (PSOs). The discussions focused on the challenges of sustaining African-led peace operations in the context of unpredictable financing, growing operational demands, and shifts in global political commitment to multilateralism.

Among the key outcomes of the dialogue were:

• Financing remains a critical vulnerability. Participants highlighted the stalled implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719 and the continued reliance on ad hoc funding mechanisms, which undermine planning and sustainability for AU-led missions.
• The AU–UN partnership requires recalibration. There is a need to balance responsibilities, improve coordination, and ensure that African priorities are fully reflected in joint planning and mandate-setting.
• African autonomy must be supported through capacity-building. Gaps in logistics, technical systems, and political-military integration persist. Strengthening internal AU and REC capacity is essential for reducing dependency on external actors.
• Mission mandates must be politically grounded. Speakers warned against narrowly defined security mandates disconnected from broader political processes. PSOs must be part of long-term strategies for mediation, governance, and post-conflict recovery.

The event reaffirmed that the AU–UN partnership remains a cornerstone of peace and security on the continent – but one that must be reimagined to respond to evolving geopolitical and operational realities.

In parallel, the discussions also touched on the importance ofgreater alignment between the AU–UN partnership and other external actors, particularly the European Union. Stay tuned for our forthcoming policy briefthat will outline recommendations for EU stakeholders on how to support African-led peace efforts in ways that are politically coherent, financially predictable, and grounded in African priorities.

FES AU remains committed to facilitating strategic dialogue that strengthens African agency, multilateral cooperation, and sustainable peacebuilding.