UNOAU, an integrated Office, was created to (a) enhance the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union in the area of peace and security; (b) to provide coordinated and consistent United Nations advice to the African Union on long-term capacity-building and short-term operational support matters; and (c) to streamline the United Nations presence in Addis Ababa to make it cost-effective and efficient in delivering UN assistance to the AU.

Read more about the mandate in Resolution 64/288 and the Secretary-General's Report on the budget of the UNOAU A/64/762 (30 April 2010).

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 further guides implementation of joint efforts towards peace and security in Africa.

Every year, the 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 is released. See the latest report (S/2022/643) of 25 August 2022.

A full list of relevant documents on implementation of the UN-AU partnership in peace and security in Africa can be found here.