AU, UN Advance Security Cooperation As Somalia, Sudan and DRC Feature In Talks

GOOBJOOG NEWS | NEW YORK: The African Union and the United Nations have agreed to advance a series of measures on peace, security, food security and economic cooperation in Africa following high-level talks in New York.

African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and UN Secretary-General António Guterres co-chaired the meeting on the margins of the 81st UN General Assembly, with the two sides discussing ways to strengthen cooperation beyond 2026.

The meeting agreed on the need to finalise a joint AU-UN roadmap for cooperation beyond 2026 and to strengthen mechanisms supporting African-led responses to conflicts.

On peace and security, the two organisations called for stronger continental peace and security structures, greater emphasis on preventive diplomacy and mediation, and the mobilisation of resources for African-led solutions.

The talks reviewed security and political developments in the Sahel, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while reaffirming support for mediation efforts led by Togo on the DRC crisis.

Somalia was therefore among the countries whose security situation was discussed, although the AU readout did not announce a new specific initiative or commitment directed at Somalia.

The meeting also placed economic issues high on the agenda, with the AU and UN backing reforms to the international financial architecture, greater attention to debt sustainability and efforts to ensure African countries derive more value from their critical mineral resources.

The two sides also raised concerns over conflicts, disruptions to global supply chains and instability around maritime chokepoints, saying such pressures were adding to economic and food-security challenges across Africa.

Climate-related shocks were also discussed, particularly their potential to deepen existing vulnerabilities across the continent.

As follow-up measures, the AU and UN agreed to work towards completing the joint cooperation roadmap, advance planned engagements on Libya and Sudan, identify countries most vulnerable to food insecurity and develop contingency measures supported by stronger coordination and financing.

The talks came as African leaders and governments gather in New York for the high-level week of the 81st UN General Assembly, where the AU is seeking a stronger role for Africa in global decision-making, including reforms to the international financial system and greater African representation in global institutions.