On 4 July 2023, the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) to strengthen their collaboration and cooperation.

The MoU, which was signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will provide a framework for collaboration between the UNOAU and KAIPTC to support the African Union (AU), and its Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) and Member States (MS). It will further strengthen the UN-AU-KAIPTC partnership in building capacity and contributing to addressing peace and security on the African continent.

The key areas of collaboration in the MoU include capacity building, exchange of information on contemporary issues, regular joint dialogue as well as strengthening of research, analysis and assessments on continental and regional issues, including gender and youth-related matters.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) to the AU and Head of UNOAU, Parfait Onanga-Ayanga expressed optimism with the prospects of the two institutions supporting the AU as improving peace and security in Africa requires multifaceted and comprehensive approaches involving various stakeholders at local, regional, and international levels.  The Commandant of KAIPTC, Major General Richard Addo Gyane, who led the KAIPTC team, iterated that sustainable peace and security in Africa required long-term commitment, collaboration, cooperation, and holistic approach to addressing the security challenges on the continent.

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