“For the United Nations (UN), the most important partnership is the partnership with the African Union.” This were the words of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, last week Sunday in Addis Ababa at the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU). The African heads of state are meeting in the Ethiopian capital for the 30^th Heads of States Ordinary Session. After signing the new AU-UN Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Secretary-General said that across the three main pillars of the United Nations – development, peace and security, and human rights – the African continent is key to solving global problems. He flagged that the majority of undernourished people in Africa live in conflict-affected countries, where hunger is almost twice as high when the crisis is protracted. The Secretary General further advocated for stronger commitment by governments, the AU and UN to promote peace, human rights and sustainable development.

The partnership between the UN and AU, is important, because it will help in the realization of both Sustainable Development Goals and AU’s agenda 2063. This will not only have an impact on the three UN pillars – peace, development, and human rights- it will also have an impact on the four strategic pillars of the African Union – peace and security; development, integration and cooperation; shared values; and, institution and capacity building.

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By Vincent Mwangi