Addis Ababa, May 13, 2026 (FMC) — The 10th African Union–United Nations Annual Conference opened on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, bringing together senior leaders from both multilateral institutions to advance cooperation on peace and security, sustainable development, and global governance reform.
The meeting follows commitments made at the 9th Annual Conference held in New York in 2025, co-chaired by the United Nations Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Discussions at that session focused on crises in Sudan, Somalia, the Sahel, and the Horn of Africa, as well as financing mechanisms for African Union peace support operations.
The 2026 conference is expected to further strengthen cooperation across key areas, including conflict prevention, sustainable development under Agenda 2063, human rights, climate action, humanitarian response, African-led peace operations, and emerging priorities such as water security and sanitation in line with upcoming UN initiatives.
In the opening sessions, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Africa’s security challenges are closely linked to deep structural inequalities within the global system.
He said the continent continues to face an “unjust” international economic architecture, highlighting the absence of permanent African representation on the UN Security Council as a critical gap with far-reaching implications.
He noted that these imbalances contribute to broader systemic challenges, including debt burdens, unequal financial governance structures, and disparities in the allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).
Guterres emphasized that such structural inequalities limit Africa’s ability to fully implement its development strategies and constrain efforts toward economic transformation.
He further stressed that these challenges not only affect Africa’s progress but also undermine global stability, calling for reforms in international financial and political institutions to ensure greater fairness, inclusion, and effectiveness.
Despite these concerns, the Secretary-General reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment to supporting African-led peace initiatives, emphasizing that sustainable solutions require stronger governance frameworks, coordinated international cooperation, and long-term development approaches rather than fragmented responses.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission also raised concerns over financial constraints affecting the AU’s capacity to respond effectively to conflicts and sustain peace operations across the continent.
He noted that persistent budgetary pressures are placing strain on Africa’s peace and security architecture, limiting the ability to deliver durable solutions to instability in various regions.
He called for predictable and reliable financing mechanisms to strengthen African-led peace operations and enhance regional stability.
The conference continues with renewed emphasis on strengthening AU–UN cooperation, as leaders underline that lasting peace in Africa depends not only on security interventions but also on comprehensive reforms of the global financial and governance systems.