On September 19, SRSG Parfait Onanga-Anyanga participated in the second Steering Committee meeting of the Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT). The meeting was co-chaired by Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Africa Bureau, and Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security (PAPS). It was facilitated by Matthias Naab, Director of the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa, and attended by several UN bodies, including the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), the Office of the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, the Development Coordination Office (DCO), and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).

The discussions centred on the role of AFSIT as a platform for cooperation among the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and countries in transition. Participants emphasized the need to recognize the unique circumstances of each transition and take timely, transformative actions. There was strong advocacy for involving civil society—particularly youth and women—in AFSIT's implementation. The group also highlighted the importance of the AU, RECs, and UN coordinating their application of sanctions for more effective results.

The AFSIT Secretariat noted that 2024 would focus on testing and knowledge-building. Looking ahead to 2025, the program aims to: 1) Focus on innovative and strategic consolidation, building on the strong foundation of the first phase; 2) Invest in civil society with practical tools and forge partnerships; 3) Prioritize women’s participation in transition contexts; 4) Operationalize the Africa Transition Index, a tool designed to better understand and forecast risks associated with political and development trends using qualitative and quantitative data sources.