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MALABO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA – 10 July 2025 – In a significant step toward deepening collaboration within the African Union, the Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) held a high-level preparatory meeting today in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The session was convened on the sidelines of the African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting (MYCM), offering both institutions a strategic opportunity to finalise the agenda and harmonise expectations for their landmark Joint Consultative Meeting scheduled for 17–18 July 2025 in Midrand, South Africa.
This forthcoming Joint Consultative Meeting will be the first formal collaboration between the PSC and PAP in over a decade. It is expected to lay the groundwork for institutionalised and sustained cooperation between the African Union’s premier peace and security organ and its continental legislative body.
Chairperson of the PSC, Her Excellency Ambassador Rebecca Amuge Otongo, officially welcomed the PAP delegation, underscoring the initiative’s importance in strengthening coordination among African Union organs on matters of peace, security, and governance.
Speaking at the same occasion, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, His Excellency Ambassador Bankole Adewoye, emphasised the relevance of the meeting’s themes. These include pressing issues such as conflict dynamics in the Sahel, Sudan, and South Sudan; the critical role of women and youth in peacebuilding; and strategies to address unconstitutional changes of government across the continent.
Ambassador Bankole stressed the importance of establishing a structured and inclusive partnership through the upcoming meeting. He encouraged the PAP to leverage its parliamentary networks to advance Africa’s Peace and Security Agenda and expressed his appreciation for the PAP’s leadership and commitment to strengthening collaboration within the AU’s peace and security architecture.
In his remarks, the President of the Pan-African Parliament, His Excellency Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira, reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to ensuring the success of the Joint Meeting, declaring that no logistical challenges would stand in its way.
He outlined the need for durable and effective working methods, proposing measures such as the formation of specialised parliamentary committees to address peace and security hotspots, the increased use of parliamentary diplomacy in conflict resolution, the development of institutional and operational synergies backed by time-bound action plans, and the prioritisation of technical and financial capacity-building to strengthen PAP’s role in peace efforts.
The 1st Vice President of the PAP, Hon. Dr. Fatimetou Habib, highlighted the necessity of including women and youth in continental forums on peace, security, and governance. She announced that the PAP Bureau had deliberately decided to involve both the Women’s Caucus and the Youth Caucus in the upcoming Joint Meeting to ensure inclusive dialogue and representation.
In her closing remarks, Ambassador Otongo thanked all participants for their contributions and reaffirmed the PSC’s commitment to building a dynamic and results-driven partnership with the Pan-African Parliament.
The PSC and PAP jointly committed to ensuring the successful convening of the Joint Consultative Meeting in Midrand, South Africa, marking what both institutions hailed as a new era of inter-organ collaboration in support of peace, security, and democratic governance across the continent.
