On 19 and 21 November, UNOAU participated in events organized by the AU Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department in collaboration with the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) to commemorate the 4^th PCRD Awareness Week. The event on 19 November discussed challenges related to the implementation of the revised PRCD policy, while a High-Level Dialogue, convened on 21 November, focused on ‘Cultivating Consensus Towards a Common African Position on the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review (PBAR)’. Both events featured presentations from the AU, UN, PCRD Center, research institutions and think tanks, as well as selected youth leaders.

The AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, in his interventions, emphasized the imperative of sustainable funding for PCRD, stressing that the goals of the revised policy can only be realized with adequate resources. Participants underscored the centrality of child protection and the role of youth in PCRD as stipulated in the new policy and called for collective efforts to address the impact of climate-related conflicts.

The meeting featured the launch of the first PCRD Journal, including articles on enhancing PRCD awareness and promoting peace education. At the High-level Dialogue on 21 November, the participants underscored the opportunity presented by the 2025 PBAR for Africa to articulate its peacebuilding priorities.

In his intervention, UNOAU Deputy Head of Office and Director of Political Affairs, Gerald Mitchell, encouraged the AU to approach the review with a well-articulated common African position, while recognizing that peacebuilding initiatives must be owned and led by respective Member States. He underscored the importance of partnership, leveraging the existing mechanisms between the AUPSC and the UN Peacebuilding Commission. Participants welcomed the decision of the UNSC which supports funding for peacebuilding through the use of UN assessed contributions. The CCCPA, AU PCRD Center, and relevant departments of the Commission, in collaboration with the AUPSC, are expected to coordinate contributions, considering the New Agenda for Peace and the Pact for the Future, to finalize the AU common position towards the 2025 PBAR, consistent with practices in previous years.