UNOAU
United Nations Office to the African Union
UNOAU
United Nations Office to the African Union

Background

Secretary-General António Guterres and Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Since the transformation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) into the African Union (AU) in 2002 and particularly since the 2004 launching of the AU peace and security architecture, there has been strong support within the UN and its Member States for closer UN cooperation with the AU. In 2005, the World Summit underscored the need to devote attention to the special needs of Africa. In follow-up to the World Summit, Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in the 2006 Addis Ababa Declaration called, 'Enhancing UN-AU Cooperation: Framework for the Ten-Year Capacity-Building Programme for the African Union', pledged UN support for the development and strengthening of the AU Commission, focusing 'with priority, on conflict prevention, mediation and good offices, peacekeeping and peace building'. In 2007, the General Assembly adopted GA Resolution 61/296 on cooperation between the UN and the AU and requested the Secretary-General to take appropriate steps to strengthen the capacity of the Secretariat to meet the special needs of Africa.

The United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) was established on 1 July 2010 by UN General Assembly Resolution 64/288. The Office integrated three offices: Department of Political Affairs (DPA/ now the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, DPPA) Liaison Office, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO/now the Department of Peace Operations – DPO) AU Peace Support Team and the Department of Field Support (DFS) Planning Team for Somalia to support the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), as well as the support component of the United Nations and African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Joint Support Coordination Mechanism (JCM) office in Addis Ababa.

In 2016, the AU Peace and Security Council Members adopted the 628th Communiqué on the partnership between the UN and the AU on issues of peace and security in Africa. Later the UN Security Council (SC) adopted resolution 2320 (2016) on partnership between the UN and Regional Organizations, in particular with the African Union. Afterwards, the UN Secretary-General report was presented on a new level of partnership. This was further strengthened by the new UN Secretary-General, through his expressed vision and priorities in which he stressed the fact that UN and AU must continue to keep a strong strategic partnership in the area of peace and security, through the implementation of both organizations programmes namely Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On 19 April 2017, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General and Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission signed the Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, during the first United Nations-African Union Annual Conference, at UN headquarters in New York. This Framework serves as a as a basis for collaboration through joint mechanisms and regular consultations. In a Joint UN-AU Communiqué SG/2239 on the same date, the Secretary-General and the Chairperson reiterated their strong commitment to working hand in hand towards achieving the continent’s development goals.

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Key Documents

  • Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2025/532) of 25 August 2025
  • Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2024/629) of 26 August 2024
  • Security Council resolution 2719 (2023)
  • Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2023/629) of 28 August 2023
  • Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2022/643) of 25 August 2022
  • Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2021/763) of 30 August 2021
  • Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2020/860) of 31 August 2020
  • Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2019/759) of 19 September 2019
  • Security Council resolution 2457 (2019)
  • Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2018/678) of 6 July 2018
  • Security Council resolution 2378 (2017)
  • Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2017/744) of 30 August 2017
  • Report of the Secretary-General on options for authorization and support for African Union peace support operations (S/2017/454) of 26 May 2017
  • Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, signed on 19 April 2017
  • Security Council resolution 2320 (2016)
  • Report of the joint African Union-United Nations review of available mechanisms to finance and support AU peace support operations authorised by the UN Security Council (S/2016/809) of 28 September 2016
  • First annual report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on issues of peace and security in Africa, including the work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (S/2016/780) of 13 September 2016
  • Report of the Secretary-General on the future of United Nations peace operations: implementation of the recommendations of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (A/70/357-S/2015/682) of 2 September 2015
  • Report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations on uniting our strengths for peace: politics, partnership and people (A/70/95-S/2015/446) of 17 June 2015
  • Security Council Presidential Statement 27 (2014)
  • Security Council resolution 2167 (2014)
  • General Assembly resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Africa Union (A/RES/67/302 of 1 October 2013)
  • General Assembly resolution on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/RES/66/287 of 10 August 2012)
  • Security Council resolution 2033 (2012)
  • Budget for the United Nations Office to the African Union (A/64/762) of 30 April 2010
  • Report of the African Union-United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union peacekeeping operations (A/63/666; S/2008/813 of 31 December 2008)
  • Security Council Presidential Statement 3 of 18 March 2009
  • Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union in the maintenance of international peace and security (S/2008/186 of 24 March 2008)
  • Security Council resolution 1809 (2008)
  • General Assembly resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (A/RES/61/296 of 5 October 2007)
  • Letter dated 11 December 2006 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the General Assembly and Declaration Enhancing UN-AU Cooperation: Framework for the Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the African Union (A/61/630)
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United Nations Office to the African Union

The United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) serves as a key instrument for the United Nations – African Union strategic partnership, representing a robust pillar of multilateralism, for achieving the AU’s objective of a peaceful, safe, united, and more prosperous Africa.