COMMUNIQUÉ

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1365^th meeting held on 24 August 2026, on the Consideration of the Conclusions of the 2^nd Joint Consultative Meeting between the PSC of the AU and the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), held at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 19 August 2026:

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling its previous decisions on its engagements with the PAP, particularly Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1290.2 (2025)] adopted at its 1290th meeting held on 22 July 2025, which adopted the Conclusions of the 1^st Joint Consultative Meeting between the PSC and the PAP held in Midrand, South Africa from 17 to 18 July 2025;

Taking note of the Opening Statement by H.E. Ambassador Dr. Mohamed Khaled, Permanent Representative of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for August 2026; and the presentation by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, as well as statement and presentation by H.E. Dr. Fateh Boutbig, President of the Pan-African Parliament, on the strategy of the new PAP Bureau to promote peace and security in Africa;

Recognizing the critical role of parliamentary diplomacy as an integral component of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA), complementing the constitutional mandates of Member States, the PSC, and Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs); and

Determined to further strengthen working ties with the PAP in the promotion of good governance, peace, security, stability, and development in Africa;

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council,

1. Welcomes the successful election of the new PAP Bureau during the Extraordinary Session of the 7^th Legislature, held on 30 April 2026, and congratulates the newly elected leadership on assuming their mandates; reaffirms the commitment of the PSC to further strengthen institutional collaboration, synergy, and joint initiatives with the PAP to enhance role of parliamentary diplomacy in the promotion of peace and security in Africa; adopts the Conclusions of the 2^nd Joint Consultative Meeting between the Peace and Security Council and the Pan-African Parliament, held at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 19 August 2026, under the theme “Leveraging Parliamentary Diplomacy to Promote Peace and Security in Africa”;

2. Endorses the institutionalization of the “PSC-PAP Parliamentary Diplomacy Mechanism” as a dynamic tool to promote the “PSC-PAP Common Agenda for Peace”, and requests the two Secretariats to develop an annual work plan with clear deliverables, designated focal points, and measurable indicators of implementation;

3. Requests the AU Commission, through the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, to continue engaging and participating in PAP Plenary Sessions as provided for under Article 18 of the PSC Protocol;

4. Calls upon national and regional parliaments to accelerate the ratification and domestication of relevant AU peace, security, democracy, and governance instruments, including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance;

5. Welcomes with appreciation the strategy of the new PAP Bureau for promoting peace and security in Africa, structured around eight strategic priorities, and commends the Bureau for identifying a stronger PSC-PAP partnership as one of its key priorities;

6. Takes note with appreciation of the Implementation Matrix of the previous decisions taken during the 1st Joint Consultative Meeting and endorses the Matrix of Priority Actions for Implementation as the proposed baseline for PSC-PAP cooperation for 2026–2027;

7. Requests the two Secretariats to finalize the draft PSC-PAP Collaboration Roadmap 2026–2028 and to share it with the PSC Members and the Bureau of the PAP for adoption through silence procedure;

8. Also requests the PSC and PAP Secretariats to introduce biannual implementation reporting on the Implementation Matrix, in addition to its review at each Annual Joint Consultative Meeting, and to designate focal points for this purpose by December 2026;

9. Looks forward to the 3rd Joint Consultative Meeting between the PSC and the PAP, to be held in South Africa on a date to be mutually agreed; and

10. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS