On 9 May, UNOAU SRSG Parfait Onanga-Anyanga attended the opening ceremony of the 14th Ordinary Meeting of the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Defence, Safety and Security (STCDSS) and the 17th Meeting of African Chiefs of Defence Staff and Heads of Safety and Security Services (ACDS/HoSSS), held in Addis Ababa. The two meetings are set to last until 12 May. The meetings provide guidance and direction to the AU Commission on matters of defence and security. In addition to the functions provided for in the AU Constitutive Act, the STCDSS is responsible for the enhancement of the Continental Early Warning System; implementation of the Common African Defence and Security Policy; implementation of the AU Policy on Post-Conflict Stabilisation; implementation of the AU Policy Framework on Security Sector Reform; the operationalization and continuous enhancement of the African Standby Force’s (ASF) Planning Elements, the ASF civilian, military and police components, and its Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC); among others. 

The STCDSS meeting was preceded with a two-day Experts meeting which considered the draft AU/RECs MOU for the employment of the ASF, the draft (2021-2025) work plan on the enhancement of the ASF, and draft policy on child protection. The STCDSS meeting was to receive progress reports on the AU Compliance Framework and updates on ongoing AU PSOs, unconstitutional change of government, AU efforts in combatting terrorism and the AU strategic lift capabilities. The recommendations of the Experts were subsequently considered by the Chiefs of Defence Staff, who then made their conclusions to the Ministers of Defence. The Ministers of Defence considered the final conclusions and made their declarations on 9 May 2022.