On 14 and 15 April, the African Union, United Nations, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms convened the 15th Consultative Meeting on the Prevention and Management of Conflict. The virtual meeting was hosted by the African Union. The AU delegation was led by Ms. Patience Chiradza, the Director of Governance and Conflict Prevention (GCP) and Acting Director of Conflict Management (CMD), while the UN delegation was led by Ms. Nathalie Ndongo-Seh, Director of the Western Africa Division, UN DPPA/DPO.
The Desk‑to‑Desk Consultative Meeting serves as a key mechanism under the Joint UN–AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, fostering working‑level coordination on governance, peace and security challenges across the continent. Discussions focused on the evolving conflict landscape in Africa, institutional responses, and opportunities to strengthen collaboration at both headquarters and field levels, in line with Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Participants reviewed joint initiatives, assessed the effectiveness of existing coordination frameworks, and identified priority areas requiring enhanced support. Particular attention was given to the Technical Working Groups on elections, peace support operations and ad hoc security arrangements, and preventing violent extremism and counterterrorism. The meeting also emphasized shared conflict analysis, improved information‑sharing, and joint operational approaches to support early warning, prevention, and response efforts.
In his opening remarks, the SRSG to the African Union and Head of UNOAU, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga called for stronger coordination, information sharing and unity of effort among the UN, AU and RECs/RMs, cautioning against fragmented approaches. He emphasized the need to identify concrete outcomes that can feed into other AU-UN partnership mechanisms.
The two‑day engagement concluded with agreement on concrete recommendations and follow‑up actions aimed at strengthening system‑wide cooperation among the UN, AU, and RECs/RMs. The outcomes of the meeting will inform continued collaboration and practical engagement to advance sustainable peace and security across Africa.
