CONCLUSIONS OF THE 12TH HIGH-LEVEL SEMINAR ON PEACE AND SECURITY IN AFRICA, ORAN PROCESS

I. INTRODUCTION

1. The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) and the African Members of the United Nations Security Council (A3), in collaboration with the Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department of the AU Commission (AUC) and the Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, organized the 12th Annual High-Level Seminar on Peace and Security in Africa: Assisting Incoming African Members of the United Nations Security Council (A3) in Preparing to Address Peace and Security Issues on the Continent” from 1 to 2 December 2025, in Algiers, Algeria. The Seminar was held pursuant to the 397th PSC meeting held at the level of Heads of State and Government, in New York, on 23 September 2013, which reviewed the partnership between the AU and the United Nations (UN) in the area of peace and security, and decided, inter alia, on the need for “greater consultations between the Peace and Security Council and the African Members of the UN Security Council to ensure that PSC decisions and those of the AU Assembly are effectively promoted and defended in the UN Security Council.”

2. H.E. Ahmed Attaf, Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, and Coordinator of African Members of the United Nations Security Council, delivered the welcoming remarks. H.E. Tete Antonio, Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola also delivered remarks as the Chairperson of the AU Executive Council, while H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the Commission of the AU delivered a Keynote Statement. H.E. Therese Helen Loken Gheziel, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Algeria delivered a message of Goodwill on behalf of the AU partners. H.E. Kacou?Houadja?Léon?Adom, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire and Chairperson of the PSC for the month of December 2025, delivered the opening remarks, declared open and chaired the High-Level Seminar.

II. PARTICIPATION

3. Participants included the fifteen PSC Members, namely: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire (Chair), Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda. The following Members of the current A3+ also attended the High-Level Seminar, namely: Algeria, Sierra Leone; Somalia and Guyana. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Liberia attended as incoming A3 Members.

4. Also in attendance were representatives of the following Friends of the Seminar, namely Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia and Zimbabwe. The representatives of Denmark, Norway attended as Partners of the High-Level Seminar, while Bahrain, Colombia, Latvia and Portugal attended the Seminar as invited guests. Senior Officials from the AU Commission and the United Nations, as well as the AU Counter-Terrorism Centre (AUCTC) and Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) also attended the High-Level Seminar.

III. MAIN OBJECTIVE

5. As with previous editions, the 12th High-Level Seminar was also meant to contribute towards further strengthening the capacity of the A3+ to more effectively promote and defend common African positions on peace and security issues within the UN Security Council, as well as to further strengthen coordination between the AU PSC and the A3 Plus to foster coherence between the two entities.

6. Participants seized the opportunity to take stock of the work and progress achieved by the A3+, as well as challenges faced, lessons learned, and best practices in amplifying the African voice, effectively championing African interests and reflecting common African positions in the United Nations Security Council decision-making process and outcome documents.

7. Participants recalled the primacy of the United Nations Security Council in maintaining international peace and security, in line with the relevant provisions of the United Nations Charter, the AU Constitutive Act and the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union.

8. The Manual on the Modalities for Enhancing Coordination Between the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and the African Members of the United Nations Security Council was launched during the 12th High-Level Seminar.

IV. MAIN AGENDA ITEMS COVERED

9. The Agenda of the High-Level Seminar (Oran Process) was structured around the following four main thematic sessions:

a) Global Landscape of Peace and Security in Africa: Current Dynamics;

b) AU and UN Concerted Action on Counter Terrorism and Violent Extremism;

c) Taking Stock of A3+ Activities: Lessons Learned and Way Forward; and

d) AUPSC and A3+: A Stronger Voice for UNSC Reform.

Session 1: On Global Landscape of Peace and Security in Africa: Current Dynamics

10. Participants took note of the presentation made by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security and the perspectives of the Panelists, namely: H.E. Tete Antonio, the Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola; H.E. Mrs Selma Ndeapo Ashipala, Minister of International Relations of Namibia; H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ali Nafti, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad; H.E. Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the AU High Representative on Silencing the Guns; and H.E. Jean-Pierre Francois Renaud Lacroix, the United Nations Under Secretary-General for Peace Operations.

11. During the discussions that ensued, participants took note of the prevailing geopolitical dynamics, weakening multilateral system and conflicts outside the African Continent, which are negatively impacting on Africa, highlighting the need for enhancement of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), as well as on AU led efforts to effectively promote sustainable peace, security and stability in Africa. They observed that global peace and security are at their lowest ebb, and noted the increasing donor fatigue, shifting financing priorities of traditional partners, as well as the proliferation of illicit weapons and foreign fighters. They underscored the importance of:

a) Promoting inclusive and democratic governance, strengthening state institutions, as well as consolidating and safeguarding constitutionalism;

b) Rekindling African unity, solidarity and common voice, as well as ensuring coordinated, collective security approaches and actions in the prevention and response to the plethora of challenges facing the African Continent;

c) Enhanced cooperation between the AU and the UN, including strengthening the collaboration between the PSC and the A3+ to enable and consolidate the work and engagements of the A3+ in promoting African positions and interests at the UN;

d) Pushing forward the call for democratizing the global multilateral system, particularly the UN Security Council, to ensure two permanent seats with all its prerogatives and two additional rotational seats for Africa, pursuant to the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration;

e) Exploring alternative sources of financing for AU led peace and security efforts, including engagement with non-traditional partners and the African private sector; as well as scaling up joint AU-UN collective advocacy for securing predictable, adequate and sustainable financing for AU peace efforts, including operationalization and implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719;

f) Further strengthening multilateralism and prevent its further fragmentation and potential collapse;

g) Mainstreaming the nexus between peace, security and development;

h) Reiterated the importance of the full and effective implementation of the African continental free trade area as one of the ways of eradicating poverty and addressing some of the structural root causes and drivers of conflict.

i) Reaffirming the collective commitment for the effective implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, as well as the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda;

j) Emulating the lessons drawn from enhanced and sustained coordination between the AU and UN as illustrated by the experience in the Central African Republic;

k) A study on the link between organized criminal syndicates and unconstitutional changes of government in the Continent;

l) Reiterating the call for the AU Commission to develop a universally applicable definition of what constitutes an ‘unconstitutional change of government’ and a ‘popular uprising’ and to submit it to the Council for consideration as soon as possible;

m) Address the nexus between natural resources management and governance including through finding lasting solutions to the illegal exploitation of natural resources by armed and terrorist groups and promoting the fair beneficiation and distribution of natural resources to address long-standing grievances related to resource exploitation.

Session 2: On AU and UN Concerted Action on Counterterrorism and Violent Extremism

12. Participants took note of the presentation by Mr. Idris Lalal Lahkder, Acting Director of the AU Counter-Terrorism Centre. They also took note of the perspectives of the panellists, namely; H.E. Dr. Phenyo Butale, Minister of International Relations of the Republic of Botswana; H.E. Frances Piagie Alghali, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone; H.E. Ambassador Abu Bakr Hefny, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Mr. Jackson Victor Hamata, the Executive Secretary of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA).

13. Participants acknowledged the growing threat posed by the scourge of terrorism across the Continent. They noted with deep concern the growing capacity of terrorist organizations to integrate the use of sophisticated technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence in their activities. During the discussion participants underscored the importance of:

a) Enhanced collaboration and coordination of efforts, as well as harmonization and realignment of AU-UN frameworks and mechanisms for addressing the scourge of terrorism in order to ensure mutual reinforcement and effectiveness;

b) The AU Commission to expedite the development of a new AU Continental Strategic Plan of Action on Counterterrorism and, following a validation process, and to submit it to AU Executive Council, for adoption, by February 2026, following due process;

c) Encouraging Member States to establish synergies for effective early detection, prevention and swift combating of terrorism, as well as the development of comprehensive, integrated and whole-of-society approaches, including through establishing deliberate socio-economic programs aimed at economically empowering the population, especially Women and Youth, to win their hearts and minds and re-orient them away from the politics of identity to the politics of interests;

d) Member States and RECs/RMs affected by terrorism to further enhance collective security approaches, including through intelligence and information sharing as well as regular joint capacity building training exercises and joint operations;

e) Fast-tracking the implementation of the Malabo Declaration adopted by the 16th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly held on 28 May 2022 as well as the Abuja Declaration of April 2024, particularly with regard to the operationalization of the Ministerial Committee on Counterterrorism;

f) Recognizing the highly valuable efforts of the AU Champion on Counterterrorism and violent extremism, President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, H.E. Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in advancing AU agenda of combating terrorism and violent extremism, and calling for an accelerated implementation of its concrete proposals in this direction;

g) Enhancing the effectiveness of the regional intelligence cooperation platforms such as the Djibouti and Nouakchott Processes, and other complementary mechanisms and to replicate these processes in all parts of the Continent affected by terrorism;

h) Striking a balance between kinetic and non-kinetic strategies that more positively address the structural root causes, drivers, catalysts and factors that sustain terrorism and violent extremism;

i) Member States to scale up efforts aimed at mobilizing predictable, adequate and sustainable funding and other critical resources for national defence and security institutions to ensure their robustness and to enable them to guarantee human security;

j) Governments to be responsive to the legitimate grievances of the population and the necessity of addressing the structural root causes, drivers and factors that sustain terrorism and violent extremism, using comprehensive, integrated and inclusive whole of government-whole of society approaches that promote socioeconomic empowerment of women and the youth;

k) Promoting inclusive and democratic governance that mainstream effective and meaningful participation by women and youth;

l) Mainstreaming in all counterterrorism efforts the link between terrorist groups, armed groups, illegal exploitation of natural resources and drug trafficking;

m) Further strengthening State Institutions and ensuring effective presence of the State across the entire territories of Member States, to avoid the creation of ungoverned spaces that can be easily exploited by terrorist groups;

n) The AU Commission to expeditiously develop a watchlist of terrorist organizations and individuals, including foreign terrorist fighters operating on the Continent, to be submitted to PSC subcommittee on countering terrorism and further to PSC Council for consideration ;

o) Scaling up mobilization of predictable, sustainable and adequate funding for counterterrorism efforts, including UNSCR 2719 and, in this regard, expedite the operationalization of the AU Special Fund for Combating Terrorism, as well as the operationalization of the Africa Arrest Warrant System, to promote effective cooperation between and among Member States, with the active support of the African Standby Force;

p) Member States to develop mechanisms, including at a regional level, for dealing with the source of terrorism financing so as to curtail the activities of terrorist groups.

q) International Partners to take appropriate measures to ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for the preparation, financing, or organization of terrorist acts intended to be committed against other States or their citizens.

r) AU peace enforcement actions, guided by the African Union Doctrine on Peace Support Operation and adequately supported by Member States, as well as the need for the expeditious establishment of a Counter-Terrorism Unit within the ASF, pursuant to relevant Decisions of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, and as part of ongoing efforts for the reconceptualization of the ASF, to ensure that it is fit for purpose and to enable its full utilization by the PSC, working with RECs/RMs, to effectively prevent and respond to conflict and terrorism trends and trajectories;

s) Establishment and further strengthening of inclusive platforms for promoting genuine inter-faith and inter-community dialogue, as well as the efficacy of community-based approaches, mindful of the critical role of local communities, particularly traditional leaders and leaders of various religious persuasions;

t) Member States to continuously enhance/reinforce the institutional capacities of their national defence and security forces, including equipping them with the correct ideology of Non-Sectarianism; Pan-Africanism; and Nationalism, in order to ensure their resilience and capacity to more effectively defend their national unity and territorial integrity, as well as guarantee the human security of their populations;

u) Encouraging Member States to redouble investments in countering dangerous narratives that facilitate easy radicalization and recruitment of the youth by terrorist organizations;

v) Creation of platforms for sharing experiences, lessons learnt and best practices in counterterrorism. For example, from the experiences of Algeria and Egypt.

V. CLOSED SEGMENT:

Session 3: On Taking Stock of A3+ Activities: Lessons Learned and Way Forward

14. Participants took note of the presentations by H.E. Ambassador Selma Bakhta Mansouri, Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Charge of African Affairs of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, as the A3+ Coordinator and by H.E. Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to the UN. In the discussion that ensued, participants:

a) Acknowledged the significant contribution of the Oran Process towards enhancing and further strengthening the capacity of the A3+ to more effectively discharge their continental mandate within the UNSC, including the significant achievements made by the A3+ since the launch of the 1st High-Level Seminar in 2013, in Algiers, Algeria.

b) Commended the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Republic of Siera Leone and the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, as outgoing A3+ Members for their exemplary and significant contribution to the amplification of the African voice in the UNSC decision-making process as well as consolidating the role of the A3+ in contributing to and shaping Council outcome documents, including for the regular engagements with the UN Secretary-General, the Permanent Members of the Council and for working within the framework of the E10 Members towards ensuring a more equitable Council;

c) Congratulated the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Liberia on their election as the incoming Members of the A3+ family and encouraged them to sustain the existing momentum to further strengthen the A3+ unity and cohesion, with a view to amplifying and consolidating the permanent and resilient African voice within the UN Security Council.

d) Also commended the AU Permanent Observer Mission to the UN in New York, as the Secretariat of the A3+, for its continued support to the Group in enabling political and strategic coordination with the PSC, AU Commission and the African Group in New York as well as in facilitating engagements with key stakeholders and activities of the mechanism. They noted the capacity challenges of the AU Permanent Observer Mission and reiterated the views of the Chairperson of the AU Commission that strengthening the mission is a necessity to support the A3+ in promoting Africa’s positions and interests at the UN. Participants commended all Member States that have seconded staff to the Mission and encouraged other Member States to do the same;

e) Emphasized Articles 3 (d) of the Constitutive Act of the AU, which stipulate that the objectives of the Union shall be to Promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the Continent and its peoples;

f) Emphasized also Decision Assembly Dec.598, of January 2016, which, among others, reiterated that the A3 have special responsibility to ensure that the decisions of the PSC are well reflected in the decision-making process of the UNSC on peace and security issues of concern to Africa;

g) Strongly emphasized the need for the A3+, in accordance with previous Assembly and PSC decisions, to preserve, respect, protect, and promote in entirety, the decisions of AUPSC on matters concerning peace and security on the African Continent under consideration by the United Nations Security Council;

h) Called for systematic information sharing, including through synchronization of meetings of the PSC and those of the UNSC on matters relating to peace, security and stability in Africa, which come under the joint mandate of the two Councils, to ensure proper guidance to the A3+ ahead of UNSC sessions;

i) Strongly urge A3+ to streamline and voice African priorities and Common African Positions in dealing with African peace and security matters within UNSC;

j) Encouraged the A3+ to continue to take leadership on African files and to take effective penholder or co-pen holding roles on African files on the UNSC Agenda, and which come under the joint jurisdiction of the two Councils;

k) Urged the PSC and A3+ to regularize and institutionalize their interactions at the level of Permanent Representatives, Political Coordinators and Experts on African issues that come under the joint mandate of the two Councils as well as for each A3+ Coordinator to seek audience with the PSC during their coordination period;

l) Reiterated its request for the creation of an interactive and timely coordination platform between the PSC Committee of Experts (CoE) and the A3+ PCs/Experts;

m) Also urged that the coordination meetings between the PSC Chair and the UNSC President are held ahead of finalization of each Council’s monthly Programme of Work, to enable alignment and coordinated action;

n) Requested the A3+ to hold high-level coordination meetings on the margins of the AU Assembly Sessions; the UN General Assembly and the Annual Joint Consultative Meetings between the PSC and the UNSC;

o) Underlined the need to invite, whenever necessary, the A3+ representatives to PSC meetings on crisis and conflict situations, as well as pertinent thematic issues relating to peace and security in Africa on the agenda of the UNSC;

p) Commended the efforts of the AU Permanent Observer Mission in developing an A3+ documentary titled, “Africa at the UN Security Council,” A tracing the inception and evolution of the A3+, illustrating how Africa’s engagement in the Council has grown stronger and more coherent as well as other efforts to enhance A3+ institutional memory within the PAPS Repository, capturing, organizing, and preserving internal and open source documents, including best practices and lessons learned of the over 12 years of A3+ engagements, as part of capacity building efforts and ensuring continuity from one A3+ iteration to another;

q) Urged the A3+ to scale up A3+ joint public diplomacy through joint media stakeouts, joint Arria-Formula meetings and Joint Informal interactive dialogues, as well as continued mutual support during presidencies and committee chair ship of A3+ Members;

r) Requested that the Agenda of the Oran Process, includes reflections on upcoming critical issues to be addressed by the UNSC;

s) Resolved to award certificates of honour to all outgoing A3+ Members who have performed with distinction during their tenure;

t) Reiterated calls for enhancing the solidarity between Africa and the Caribbean and ensuring continuity of the A3+ mechanism with all succeeding Caribbean Members of the UNSC;
u) Requested inclusion of the A3+, at Ambassadorial level, in the Annual Retreats of the PSC on the Review of its Working Methods with a dedicated session on deepening A3+-PSC synergy and coordination as well as joint efforts; and

v) Called for an accelerated implementation of the Manual on the Modalities for Enhancing Coordination between the PSC and the A3+.

Session 4: On AUPSC and A3+: A Stronger Voice for UNSC Reform

15. Participants took note of the presentations made by H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Fathi Ahmed Idrees, the AU Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York and by H.E. Mr. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office to the African Union (UNOAU).

16. During the discussion, participants commended the advocacy efforts of the C-10 under the sterling leadership of the Republic of Sierra Leone to advance the Common Africa Position on the Reform of the UN Security Council and underscored the importance of:

a) Predictable coordination between the AUPSC, the A3+ and the C-10, which entails regular engagements on the reform process; integrating the common African position language and priorities into A3+ statements and initiatives and enabling the A3+ to consolidate Africa’s permanent voice in the Council whilst continuing the strive for permanent seats with all its prerogatives as well as two additional rotating seats;

b) A3+ to continue working closely with the wider E-10 and other like-minded groups, as well as to build on the momentum established by the historic joint statement by the E-10 on Council working methods, as a powerful example of how elected members can collectively advance reform principles from within the Council itself;

17. Furthermore, they underlined the need for the AUPSC and the A3+ to continue to consolidate Africa’s agency, working with the C-10 under the leadership of Sierra Leone, which requires the following:

a) Deepening internal cohesion among AU Member States to ensure that Africa speaks with one voice on all UNSC reform-related processes;

b) Strengthening strategic coordination, including between the AUPSC and the A3+, shared messaging, and reinforce efforts and linkages between Addis Ababa and New York.

c) Enhancing cross-regional partnerships, building on the surge of global support for equitable representation and meaningful reform.

d) Sustaining political leadership and ensuring that African Heads of State and Government place UNSC reform at the centre of Africa’s global diplomatic agenda.

VI. CONCLUSION

18. Participants expressed gratitude to the Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria for the generous hospitality and the excellent facilities that ensured the successful organization of the 12th High-Level Seminar. They also expressed gratitude to UNITAR, Denmark and Norway for their continued support towards the successful organization of the High-Level Seminar.

19. Participants looked forward to the successful organization of the 13th High-Level Seminar in Oran, Algeria, in December 2026.

COMMENTS