The induction meeting for new members of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC), held this week in Arusha, Tanzania, under the chairmanship of Morocco, resulted in the adoption of several recommendations to serve as a roadmap for improving the Council's effectiveness.
The meeting highlighted PSC's role in regularly monitoring and evaluating the implementation of its decisions, as well as the Council's part in strengthening collaboration and coordination with the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs).
This also includes the need for the Council to focus on promoting and defending a continental agenda for peace and security, and the necessity of promoting resource mobilization efforts, notably through securing predictable and sustainable funding for the AU Peace and Security Agenda.
Bolstering conflict prevention mechanisms, notably through the use of all available mediation tools, such as the Panel of the Wise, Youth Wise and FEMWISE, was also highlighted in the Arusha recommendations.
The meeting then focused on close cooperation and coordination between the PSC and the Chairperson of the Commission on conflict prevention, management and resolution, involving all relevant departments of the AU Commission, calling for promoting multidimensional and integrated approaches (peace-security-development nexus) to effectively address the structural causes of conflict.
Promoting the integrity and credibility of the Council, as well as a handover process between PSC Chairmen to ensure synchronization and complementarity of monthly PSC activities were highlighted in turn, thus facilitating effective follow-up of pending decisions and activities.
The recommendations also tackled the full implementation of the African Standby Force, guaranteeing a collective commitment, in addition to prioritizing democratic governance as a conflict prevention measure, notably by establishing benchmarks on the credibility of elections in member states.
Additionally, the meeting spotlighted African leadership and financing of peace and security efforts on the Continent.
MAP: 27 March 2025
