Addis Ababa, September 22, 2025 (FMC) – The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, held a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at UN Headquarters in New York, focusing on deepening AU–UN cooperation.
During the discussions on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA80), both leaders addressed a wide range of shared priorities, including reform of the UN Security Council, restructuring of international financial institutions, preventive diplomacy, and mediation efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.
They also reviewed funding for peace operations, debt relief, climate financing, food security, and the global trading system.
The two officials reaffirmed their commitment to work in solidarity to advance these objectives. They highlighted Africa’s potential to drive its own growth, while emphasizing the continent’s unsustainable debt burden and the need for a just financial architecture, fairer credit ratings, and enhanced climate financing.
Youssouf stressed that Africa, despite contributing the least to global emissions, faces the greatest impact from climate shocks.
He called for increased support for climate adaptation, compensation for loss and damage, and a fairer international trading system.
The bilateral meeting took place ahead of the upcoming AU–EU–UN trilateral engagement, aimed at further strengthening cooperation on continental and global challenges, as reported by the AU social media team.