At the Afrian Union (AU) Commission, UNOAU works with all Regional Economic Communities (RECs) towards the tri-partite partnership among the UN, the AU and RECs/Regional Mechanisms (RMs), principally through the AU-UN Desk-to-Desk and the Joint AU-UN Task Force mechanisms. It also works with all relevant AU Departments involved in peace and security, including the Departments of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Legal Affairs, and Social Affairs, as well as the Directorate of Gender.
The Office also liaises with the AU/RECs/RMs towards the harmonization of continental norms and practices, and is coordinating preparations for the annual meetings of the UN Security Cilounc and the AU Peace and Security Council.
Coordination among UN occurs through the UN Peace and Security Cluster led by the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), as well as the Governance Cluster led by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Advocacy and Communications Cluster led by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA).
UNOAU also maintains liaison and coordinates with external partners present in Addis Ababa, including the European Union, bilateral partners and missions of member states. It participates in the mechanisms in Addis Ababa that coordinate donors and other partners, so as to ensure that UN support complements, and does not duplicate, their efforts in support of AU priorities.