Trilateral meeting of AU, EU, UN reiterates support for multilateralism

UNITED NATIONS - Leaders of the African Union (AU), the European Union and the United Nations met at the UN Headquarters in New York on Sunday, reiterating support for multilateralism as the most effective way to address today's challenges.

The meeting was attended by Chairperson of the AU Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, President of the European Council Antonio Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on the margins of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly, along with senior officials of the secretariats from the three organizations.

In a joint communique, the three organizations reiterated their support for multilateralism as the most effective way to address today's challenges, condemned the rising number of instances of lack of respect for international law, international humanitarian law and human rights law, and stressed the importance of adherence to the UN Charter.

They discussed peace efforts in Africa, including the imperative to end the war in Sudan and also discussed measures to strengthen the fight against terrorist armed groups and to promote reconciliation and development in the Sahel. The three organizations affirmed their support for the UN roadmap to revive the political process in Libya.

They also expressed support to ongoing international and regional peace initiatives in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, reaffirmed their support for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, and exchanged views on the ongoing reviews of peace operations aimed at addressing more efficiently emerging challenges in Africa and beyond.

The three organizations called for continued efforts in advancing the operationalization of UN Security Council resolution 2719 on predictable financing of AU-led peace support operations on a case-by-case basis, reaffirmed their collective commitment to advancing durable peace and accelerating or achieving sustainable development in Africa, and underscored the importance of implementing the Sevilla Commitment to unlock and scale up financing for development, catalyze investments and address the debt challenges of developing countries.

In particular, they called for further progress on addressing unsustainable levels of debt and reform of Multilateral Development Banks within the G20 under South Africa's presidency. They also expressed concern over the climate-induced disruptions intensifying across the world, which are disproportionally affecting the most vulnerable populations, and called for ambitious commitments at the COP30 scheduled from Nov 10 to 21 in Brazil.

The three organizations agreed to reconvene in 2026, on the margins of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly, according to the joint communique.