UN, African Union Set Joint Push to Prioritize Africa After High-Level Talks

Overview

• The ninth UN–AU conference at UN Headquarters aligned priorities across peace, development, human rights and climate action.
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged reforms to an "outdated" global financial system and invoked the Sevilla Commitment on debt relief and lower borrowing costs.
• He pledged full support for the African Union’s Silencing the Guns initiative, calling for fresh investment in peace efforts.
• Both organizations flagged fiscal strains and said programmes must adapt while sustaining peace operations, counter-terrorism, prevention and humanitarian support.
• Guterres cited urgent security concerns, including reported atrocities in El Fasher, worsening violence in Sudan’s Kordofans, rising Sahel insecurity and crises in several other countries.