On 7 May, SRSG Parfait Onanga-Anyanga attended the meeting by the AU PSC on Security Sector Reform (SSR), convened to discuss the AU support to Member States, including The Gambia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali and South Sudan. The meeting focused on lessons learned and perspectives on a way forward. The meeting was chaired by Ambassador Harald Bundu Saffa, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the AU, and Chairperson of the AU PSC for May 2025. Participants included PSC members, the AU Commission, and invited guests such as the members of the AU SSR Steering Committee, Regional Economic Communities, Regional Mechanisms, the Institute for Security Studies and UNOAU.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Ambassador Harald Bundu Saffa underlined the importance of SSR as well as inclusive African-led approaches. On behalf of Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, the AU Director of Governance and Conflict Prevention, Patience Chiradza, stressed that SSR needs to be part of a broader approach across the conflict cycle. She added that the AU SSR Policy Framework provides the basis for AU SSR support, which values the role of inclusion and civil society as well. The Director highlighted the events related to the ten-year anniversary of the AU SSR Policy Framework, including lessons and recommendations of the AU-ISS study on the implementation of SSR in specific Member States.

Statements were also delivered by delegations of The Gambia, Madagascar, and South Sudan, sharing their experiences, challenges, and lessons learned regarding their implementation of SSR processes. They emphasised approaches such as national ownership, financial commitment, strengthening coordination and institutional frameworks, and coherence of interventions, accountability, and inclusivity.

In his intervention, the SRSG highlighted the vital role of SSR and Governance in conflict prevention, the importance of a people-centered approach, and the primacy of politics. He also stressed that for a stronger UN-AU partnership, it is important to bridge the gap between policy and practice, to value coordination, and to enhance capacities as well as to explore possible SSR champions on the African continent.