On 20 October, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of UNOAU, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, co-convened the 3rd Annual Joint Retreat of United Nations and African Union Special Representatives, Special Envoys and High Representatives working on the continent, together with H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
The retreat, held in Aswan, Egypt, was also attended by Ms. Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa (DPPA-DPO), and Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Administrator and Director, Regional Bureau for Africa (UNDP). The meeting provided a unique platform to exchange field-based good practices and discuss ways to further strengthen UN–AU coordination, collaboration and complementarity in addressing Africa’s peace, security and development challenges. A full communiqué is available here.
On 21–22 October, SRSG Onanga-Anyanga participated in the 16th AU High-Level Retreat on the Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability in Africa, held under the theme “Reframing AU Mediation – Consolidating African Leadership and Ownership.” The retreat reaffirmed the shared vision of the United Nations and the African Union to revitalise mediation processes that are Africa-owned, Africa-led and inclusive of women and youth.
