1. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council held their Fifteenth (15th) Annual Joint Consultative Meeting via a virtual platform on 17 December 2021. They recalled their previous joint communiques since the inaugural annual joint consultative meeting in 2007.

2. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council underscored the primary responsibility of the UNSC for the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. They also reaffirmed the mandate of the AUPSC with regard to the promotion of peace, security and stability in Africa as provided for in the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union.

3. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council reaffirmed the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations on the role of regional arrangements in the peaceful settlement of local disputes.

4. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council noted that the 15th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting was being held for the second time during extraordinary circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused severe socioeconomic, political, humanitarian and security repercussions, globally including in Africa.

5. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council seized the opportunity of the 6th Joint Informal Seminar, held on 16 December 2021, to exchange views on predictable and sustainable financing for AU-led peace support operations through AU and UN contributions, including UN assessed contributions. They discussed practical steps which could be taken and the conditions necessary to establish the mechanism through which AU- led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council and under the Security Council’s authority under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations could be partly financed through UN assessed contributions on a case by case basis, in compliance with relevant agreed standards and mechanisms to ensure strategic and financial oversight and accountability. They also discussed enhancing cooperation between the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council. The members of the two Councils discussed improving the relevant working methods, including through the annual joint consultations and reaffirmed the importance of joint visits to conflict situations in Africa, the modalities of which will be agreed upon on a case-by-case basis, and by increasing informal dialogue between the members of the two Councils including continuation of the monthly meetings between the Chair of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the President of the Security Council. They underscored the importance of further enhancing cooperation, collaboration and coordination between the United Nations and the African Union and reaffirmed their support for the leadership of the United Nations Secretary General and for the Chairperson of the African Union Commission consistent with the Joint AU-UN Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security signed on 19 April 2017.

6. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council deliberated on the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) post-2021, the situation in the Sahel Region, efforts towards combating terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism in Africa, and support to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM). They expressed their support for political and security solutions in these regions that will facilitate the realization of peace and stability.

7. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council commended AMISOM and the Somali Security Forces for the progress achieved thus far in the fight against Al Shabaab and condemned Al Shabaab’s terrorist activities in Somalia and beyond. They underscored the importance of preserving the gains made thus far in the fight against Al Shabaab and emphasised the need for an agreed mission post-2021 by the concerned stakeholders. They noted the publication of the United Nations independent assessment report in January 2021, the publication of the AU independent assessment report in May 2021 and the publication of the revised Somali Transition Plan in February 2021 and looked forward to receiving the joint UN-AU proposal as requested in resolution 2568.

8. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council condemned in the strongest terms all acts of terrorism, expressed their concern regarding the growing impact of terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, including by foreign terrorist fighters, on peace and security in Africa, and reaffirmed their commitment to spare no effort in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism in Africa through joint efforts and mobilisation of sustainable resources in supporting the efforts of the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs). They reaffirmed the importance of addressing the underlying conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism in Africa including by ensuring national recovery and reconstruction, enhancing good governance, and facilitating sustainable socioeconomic development in Africa, while remaining in full compliance with their commitments and obligations under international law.

9. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council commended the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) deployed in Mozambique following the decision of the Extraordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, for its efforts in the fight against the terrorist threat in northern Mozambique province of Cabo Delgado and welcomed the progress achieved thus far. They noted the importance of technical, financial and material support by the international community to enhance the institutional capacity of the Mission and enable it to discharge its mandate effectively. They also emphasized the need for sustained humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons, as well as the need for supporting stabilization, reconstruction, and recovery efforts in the affected province. They encouraged the Government of Mozambique to continue its efforts towards further addressing the underlying conditions conducive to terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism in the country.

10. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council noted that terrorism is one of the major factors threatening peace and security in the Sahel and expressed deep concern over the growing threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism in the Sahel region and over the spread of these risks to neighboring countries. They underscored the importance of enhanced coordination, collaboration, transparency and complementarity of efforts by countries in the region as well as by the African Union and ECOWAS to prevent and address security and development challenges and emphasized the importance of collective regional efforts . They commended the efforts of the Multinational Joint Task Force in combatting terrorism and welcomed, the operationalization of different regional mechanisms, including the G5 Sahel Joint Force and encouraged States of such regional arrangements to ensure that they continue to scale up their level of operation in order to demonstrate increased tangible operational results. They welcomed the international efforts to support regional efforts, including the G5 Sahel Joint Force and stressed the importance of predictable and continued bilateral and international support for it to achieve full and lasting operationalization and autonomy. They encouraged countries of the region to continue to invest more in boosting their institutional capacities, share intelligence and information, as well as redouble their efforts towards holistically addressing the underlying conditions conducive to terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism in the region. They recalled that response to the threats faced by the countries of the Sahel can only be effective if embedded in the implementation of national strategies and inclusive regional cooperation frameworks .

11. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council emphasised the importance to maintain close cooperation and collaboration in conflict prevention, including through preventive diplomacy, peacebuilding and sustaining peace to address the root causes and the drivers of armed conflicts in Africa.

12. They reaffirmed their commitment to continue enhancing close cooperation and collaboration between the two Councils in the area of peace , security and stability in Africa, which contributes to the maintenance of international peace and security and underscored the importance of the implementation of the women, peace and security and the youth peace and security agendas in Africa, as well as the need to ensure the protection of civilians, including children, in situations of armed conflict.

13. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council agreed to convene their 7th Informal Joint Seminar and the 16th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting in 2022, at dates and venues to be jointly agreed by the two sides in due course.

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