Rabat – Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, co-chaired the ninth annual consultative meeting between the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) in New York on Wednesday.
Hilale, who chairs the PBC, co-led the meeting with Churchill Ewumbue-Monono, Cameroon’s Permanent Representative to the AU and current chair of the PSC.
The meeting pointed to Morocco’s role in advancing cooperation between the UN and the AU on peace, security, and conflict prevention across Africa. Morocco serves on the AU’s PSC and chairs the UN’s PBC.
In his opening remarks, Hilale welcomed progress since the eighth annual meeting, held in Addis Ababa in November 2025, particularly in financial contributions and coordination, calling on participants to build on these gains and move from consultation to concrete action.
This year’s meeting focused on “Advancing Synergies and Regional Approaches in Support of National Peacebuilding Priorities in Africa.”
Hilale outlined two proposals to strengthen implementation: establishing a concise record of agreed measures and setting indicative deadlines, with both bodies’ secretariats responsible for reporting on progress.
The PBC chair also called for targeted efforts in specific contexts, including West Africa and the Great Lakes region, where coordinated initiatives could deliver tangible results at the request of the countries concerned.
On financing, Hilale advocated greater coordination among the UN Peacebuilding Fund, the AU Peace Fund’s institutional capacity-building component, the African Development Bank, and other donors.
These funding mechanisms, he argued, would benefit from closer alignment with priorities identified by the countries themselves.
Hilale said the three proposals shared a common principle: national ownership, support from regional organizations, and the inclusive participation of women, girls, and young people.
During the discussions, participants examined how the UN and the AU could help member states develop national conflict prevention strategies and strengthen their resilience to conflict risks.
They also explored how the PBC could use its advisory, advocacy, and resource mobilization functions to support the AU and expand its network of partners. Discussions covered political transitions, peacebuilding financing, and the AU’s Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) policy.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of a joint statement outlining the next steps to strengthen cooperation between the PBC and the PSC in support of lasting peace driven by African leadership.
Participants included Bankole Adeoye, the AU commissioner for political affairs, peace and security; Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the UN secretary-general’s special representative and head of the UN Office to the AU; Martin Kimani, the newly appointed UN under-secretary-general for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations; and Elizabeth Spehar, the UN assistant secretary-general for peacebuilding support.
MWN with MAP
