United Nations A/RES/61/296
General Assembly Distr.: General
5 October 2007
Sixty-first session
Agenda item 108 (a)
06-51213
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
[without reference to a Main Committee (A/61/L.70 and Add.1)]
61/296. Cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union
The General Assembly,
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on cooperation between
the United Nations and regional and other organizations,1
Recalling the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations,
as well as its resolutions 55/218 of 21 December 2000, 56/48 of 7 December 2001,
57/48 of 21 November 2002 and 59/213 of 20 December 2004,
Recalling also the principles enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African
Union adopted at the meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the African
Union, held in Lomé from 10 to 12 July 2000,2
Recalling further the decisions and declarations adopted by the Assembly of
the African Union at all its ordinary and extraordinary sessions, held in Durban,
South Africa, on 9 and 10 July 2002,3 in Maputo from 10 to 12 July 2003,4 in Addis
Ababa from 6 to 8 July 2004,5 in Abuja on 30 and 31 January 2005,6 in Sirte, Libyan
Arab Jamahiriya, on 4 and 5 July 2005,7 in Khartoum on 23 and 24 January 2006,8
and in Banjul on 1 and 2 July 2006,9
Welcoming the adoption of the African Union Non-Aggression and Common
Defence Pact at the fourth ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union,6
as an instrument to reinforce cooperation among States members of the African
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1 A/61/256 and Add.1.
2 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2158, No. 37733.
3 See A/57/744, annex III.
4 See A/58/626, annex I.
5 See African Union, documents Assembly/AU/Dec.33–54 (III) and Assembly/AU/Decl.12 & 13 (III).
6 See African Union, documents Assembly/AU/Dec.55–72 (IV) and Assembly/AU/Dec.1–2 (IV).
7 See African Union, documents Assembly/AU/Dec.73–90 (V), Assembly/AU/Dec.1–3 (V) and
Assembly/AU/Resolution 1 (V).
8 See African Union, documents Assembly/AU/Dec. 91–110 (VI), Assembly/AU/Dec.1–3 (VI) and
Assembly/AU/Recommendations (VI).
9 See African Union, documents Assembly/AU/Dec. 111–132 (VII) and Assembly/AU/Decl.1–4 (VII).
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Union in the areas of defence and security and that can in particular contribute to
the work of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and its cooperation
with the United Nations,
Welcoming also the adoption of the framework for the ten-year capacitybuilding
programme for the African Union set out in the declaration on enhancing
United Nations-African Union cooperation, signed in Addis Ababa on
16 November 2006 by the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African
Union Commission, 10 which highlights the key areas for cooperation between the
African Union and the United Nations, namely institution-building, human
resources development, youth unemployment, financial management, peace and
security issues, political, legal, social, economic, cultural and human development
and food security and environmental protection, as an important step to further
enhance the level of cooperation between the two organizations,
Acknowledging the decision of the African Union Peace and Security Council
at its 68th meeting, held on 14 December 2006, on the establishment of a
coordination and consultation mechanism between the African Union Peace and
Security Council and the United Nations Security Council, taking note of
discussions between the United Nations Security Council and the African Union
Peace and Security Council held in June 2007, and welcoming the agreement to hold
joint meetings at least once a year,11
Welcoming, while taking into account the role of the General Assembly, the
statements by the President of the Security Council of 19 November 2004 on the
institutional relationship with the African Union12 and of 28 March 2007 on the
relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the
African Union, in the maintenance of international peace and security, 13
Bearing in mind the United Nations Declaration on the New Partnership for
Africa’s Development, contained in its resolution 57/2 of 16 September 2002, and
its resolutions 57/7 of 4 November 2002, 58/233 of 23 December 2003, 59/254 of
23 December 2004, 60/222 of 23 December 2005 and 61/229 of 22 December 2006
on the New Partnership,
Stressing the urgent need to address the plight of refugees and internally
displaced persons in Africa,
Stressing also the need for extending the scope of cooperation between the
United Nations and the African Union in the area of combating illegal exploitation
of natural resources in Africa,
Emphasizing the importance of the effective, coordinated and integrated
implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 14 the Doha
Development Agenda,15 the Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference
on Financing for Development,16 the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit
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10 A/61/630, annex.
11 See S/2007/386, annex.
12 S/PRST/2004/44; see Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council, 1 August 2004–31 July 2005.
13 S/PRST/2007/7; see Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council, 1 August 2006–31 July 2007.
14 See resolution 55/2.
15 See A/C.2/56/7, annex.
16 Report of the International Conference on Financing for Development, Monterrey, Mexico,
18–22 March 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.02.II.A.7), chap. I, resolution 1, annex.
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on Sustainable Development (“Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”)17 and the
2005 World Summit Outcome,18
Welcoming the efforts to enhance cooperation within the framework of a
partnership between the peace and security structures of the United Nations and the
African Union in the realm of conflict prevention and resolution, crisis
management, peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding in Africa,
Acknowledging the significant contribution of the 1999 Algiers Convention on
the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, and noting the centrality of
international partnership and cooperation between the African Union, the relevant
United Nations organs and the wider international community in the global fight
against terrorism,
Acknowledging also the contribution of the United Nations Liaison Office in
strengthening coordination and cooperation between the United Nations and the
African Union, as well as the need to consolidate it so as to enhance its
performance,
Convinced that strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the
African Union will contribute to the advancement of the principles of the Charter of
the United Nations, the principles of the Constitutive Act of the African Union and
the development of Africa,
1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General;1
2. Stresses the need for closer cooperation and coordination between the
United Nations system and the African Union, in accordance with the Cooperation
Agreement as well as other relevant memorandums of understanding between the
two organizations, particularly in the implementation of the commitments contained
in the United Nations Millennium Declaration14 and the 2005 World Summit
Outcome18 and as regards achieving the internationally agreed development goals,
including the Millennium Development Goals, at the national, subregional and
regional levels;
3. Invites the Secretary-General to request all relevant United Nations
agencies, funds and programmes to intensify their efforts to support cooperation
with the African Union, including through the implementation of the protocols to
the Constitutive Act of the African Union2 and the Treaty establishing the African
Economic Community,19 and to assist in harmonizing the programmes of the African
Union with those of the African regional economic communities with a view to
enhancing regional economic cooperation and integration;
4. Also invites the Secretary-General to request the United Nations system
to enhance its support for the Commission of the African Union in the
implementation of its Strategic Plan (2004–2007);
5. Requests the United Nations system, while acknowledging its primary
role in the promotion and maintenance of international peace and security, to
intensify its assistance to the African Union, as appropriate, in strengthening the
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17 Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa,
26 August–4 September 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.03.II.A.1 and corrigendum),
chap. I, resolution 2, annex.
18 See resolution 60/1.
19 A/46/651, annex.
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institutional and operational capacity of its Peace and Security Council and in
coordinating with other international partners when needed, in particular in the
following areas:
(a) Development of its early warning system, including the Situation Room
of the Peace and Security Directorate;
(b) Training of civilian and military personnel, including a staff exchange
programme;
(c) Regular and continued exchange and coordination of information,
including between the early warning systems and mediation mechanisms of the two
organizations;
(d) Peace support missions of the African Union in its various member
States, in particular in the area of communication and other related logistical
support;
(e) Capacity-building for peacebuilding before and after the cessation of
hostilities on the continent;
(f) Support for the Peace and Security Council in taking humanitarian action
on the continent in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the
Protocol relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council;
(g) The full establishment of the African standby force and the military staff
committee;
(h) Enhancement of the institutional capacity of regional peace support
training centres for States members of the African Union;
(i) Cooperation between the United Nations Security Council and the
African Union Peace and Security Council;
6. Calls upon the United Nations system to support the African Union and
its member States in their efforts to implement the internationally agreed
development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals;
7. Calls for the implementation of the declaration on enhancing United
Nations-African Union cooperation: framework for the ten-year capacity-building
programme for the African Union,10 and in this regard, requests the Secretary-
General to take appropriate measures to strengthen the capacity of the United
Nations Secretariat and to implement its mandate with respect to meeting the special
needs of Africa;
8. Recognizes the need for sustainable and predictable financing and
operational and logistical support for African Union peacekeeping operations and
the crucial role the United Nations has to play with the international community to
work towards a solution quickly, and to that end urges the United Nations to
encourage donor countries, in consultation with the African Union, to contribute to
adequate funding, training and logistical support for African countries in their
efforts to enhance their peacekeeping capabilities, with a view to enabling those
countries to participate actively in peacekeeping operations within the framework of
the Protocol relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council and the
framework of the United Nations, and looks forward to the report of the Secretary-
General on these issues;
9. Stresses the urgent need for the United Nations and the African Union to
develop close cooperation and concrete programmes aimed at addressing the
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problems posed by illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons and antipersonnel
mines, within the framework of the relevant declarations and resolutions
adopted by the two organizations;
10. Calls upon the United Nations system, the African Union and the
international community to intensify their cooperation in the global fight against
terrorism through the implementation of the relevant international and regional
treaties and protocols and, in particular, the African Plan of Action adopted in
Algiers on 14 September 2002, as well as their support for the operation of the
African Centre for Studies and Research on Terrorism, inaugurated in Algiers in
October 2004;
11. Calls upon the United Nations system to intensify its efforts, in
collaboration with the African Union, in combating illegal exploitation of natural
resources, particularly in conflict areas, in accordance with relevant resolutions and
decisions of the United Nations and the African Union;
12. Encourages the United Nations system to effectively support the efforts
of the African Union by urging the international community to strive for the
successful and timely completion of the Doha round of trade negotiations, including
negotiations aimed at substantial improvements in areas such as trade-related
measures, including market access and regional economic integration, to promote
sustainable growth in Africa;
13. Invites the United Nations system to enhance its support for African
countries in their efforts to implement the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation;17
14. Encourages the United Nations to take special measures to address the
challenges of poverty eradication through debt cancellation, enhanced official
development assistance, increases in flows of foreign direct investment and transfers
of affordable and appropriate technology;
15. Calls upon the United Nations system to accelerate the implementation
of the Plan of Action contained in the document entitled “A world fit for children”,
adopted on 10 May 2002 at the special session of the General Assembly on
children,20 and to provide assistance, as appropriate, to the African Union and its
member States in this regard;
16. Calls upon the United Nations system and the African Union to develop a
coherent and effective strategy, including through joint programmes and activities,
for the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa, within the framework of
the implementation of regional and international treaties, resolutions and plans of
action adopted by the two organizations;
17. Urges the United Nations system to increase its support for Africa in the
implementation of the declaration of the extraordinary summit meeting of the
Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity
on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other related infectious diseases, held in Abuja in
April 2001,21 and the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS22 so as to arrest the
spread of these diseases, inter alia, through sound capacity-building in human
resources;
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20 See resolution S-27/2.
21 Organization of African Unity, document OAU/SPS/ABUJA/3.
22 Resolution S-26/2, annex.
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18. Also urges the United Nations system to continue to implement
resolution 58/149 of 22 December 2003 on assistance to refugees, returnees and
displaced persons in Africa, and effectively to support African countries in their
effort to incorporate the problems of refugees into national and regional
development plans;
19. Requests the United Nations system to cooperate with the African Union
and its member States in the implementation of appropriate policies for the
promotion of the culture of democracy, good governance, respect for human rights
and the rule of law, and the strengthening of democratic institutions which will
enhance the popular participation of the peoples of the continent in these issues, in
accordance with the purposes and principles of the Constitutive Act of the African
Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development;23
20. Urges the Secretary-General to encourage the United Nations system to
work towards ensuring the effective and equitable representation of African men and
women at senior and policy levels at the respective headquarters of its organizations
and in their regional fields of operation;
21. Calls upon the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African
Union Commission, working in collaboration, to review every two years the
progress made in the cooperation between the two organizations, and requests the
Secretary-General to include the results of the review in his next report;
22. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its
sixty-third session on the implementation of the present resolution.
109th plenary meeting
17 September 2007
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23 A/57/304, annex.
