From 27 April to 2 May, the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) participated in an African Union consultative and validation workshop in Gaborone, Botswana, to strengthen planning and decision-making for African Union peace support operations.
The workshop brought together representatives from the African Union, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms, the Military Staff Committee, UNOAU and international partners to review and validate key operational frameworks. Discussions focused on the AU Planning and Decision-Making Framework for Peace Support Operations, the AU–UN Joint Planning Guidelines aligned with Security Council resolution 2719, and the Operational Framework for the Continuous Enhancement of the African Standby Force.
Participants emphasized the need to strengthen coherence, operational effectiveness and mission sustainability while enhancing rapid deployment, financing and exit planning. The workshop also reinforced AU–UN cooperation through harmonized planning processes and strengthened alignment between the African Peace and Security Architecture and evolving operational requirements.
The meeting endorsed standardized planning and mission management templates and agreed to submit the finalized frameworks to the 18th Specialized Technical Committee on Defence, Safety and Security in July 2026 in Bujumbura, Burundi.
