Joint Statement of the 6th Informal Annual Consultative Meeting Between the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (UN PBC), 13 November 2023.

Abstract

While exploring opportunities for enhanced cooperation, the members of the two bodies underlined the (i) importance of national ownership, leadership, and full participation of all strata of society, including the youth and women, (ii) the need for concerted support to the short- and long-term peacebuilding and national prevention plans of countries and regional organizations, and (iii) the importance of comprehensive and coordinated approaches to peacebuilding activities in Africa. They commended the contributions made by the AU in the development of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture (2020) through the Common African Position on the 2020 review of the UN peacebuilding architecture. They also called for the strengthening of partnership through strategic and concrete steps, including in the lead-up to the adoption of the revised AU PCRD Policy, the United Nations Summit of the Future in 2024 and the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture in 2025. The importance of ensuring adequate, predictable and sustained financing for peacebuilding was also reaffirmed. The implementation of recommendations that emerged from previous consultative meetings and joint statements, particularly the one adopted on 18 October 2016 was called for and in this regard, the holding of the Annual Joint Consultative Meeting between the AU PSC and UN PBC was institutionalized, to be held every year preceded by the preparatory meetings of the Experts of the AU PSC and UNPBC.