From 15 to 17 May, UNOAU held its annual retreat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As part of the retreat, UNOAU held strategic discussions with the AU Department for Political Affairs Peace and Security (PAPS) on 15 May, involving AUC PAPS Commissioner, Bankole Adeoye.

The Commissioner underlined the importance of the AU-UN partnership in addressing Africa’s peace and security challenges, noting the following five priority areas: 1) recalibrating the partnership in light of the AU reform; 2) enhanced joint efforts in conflict prevention; 3) integrated capacity building for peace operations to effectively address the challenges Africa faces; 4) strengthening democracy and human rights on the continent; and, 5) working together towards a ‘smart partnership’ that is principled and aligned with AU priorities.

On 16 and 17 May, the UNOAU continued its retreat with internal discussions to ensure continuous alignment of the UNOAU work plan with AU priorities. Other topics discussed included, inter alia, the UNOAU focus on gender, Women, Peace and Security as well as youth, peace and security; updates to its communications and public information strategy; and discussion around key administrative and management issues, including planning and resource-related topics.