1. INTRODUCTION

1. The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) and the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) held their 2^nd Joint Consultative Meeting on 19 August 2026, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the AU Headquarters, under the theme: “Leveraging Parliamentary Diplomacy to Promote Peace and Security in Africa”. The Joint Consultative Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Amb. Dr. Mohamed Khaled, Permanent Representative of People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for August 2026 and H.E. Dr. Fateh Boutbig, President of the PAP.

II. PARTICIPANTS

2. The Joint Consultative Meeting was attended by the PSC Member States, the PAP Bureau, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, as well as AU Commission and PAP Staff.

III. METHODOLOGY

3. The Joint Consultative Meeting was guided by the AU Constitutive Act and other legal instruments establishing the PAP and the PSC, in particular the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to the Establishment of the PAP; and the Protocol relating to the Establishment of the PSC of the AU.

IV. AGENDA

4. The agenda of the Joint Consultative Meeting focused on the following:

a) Opening;
b) Session 1: How can PSC-PAP leverage parliamentary diplomacy to promote peace and security in Africa;
c) Session 2: Presentation by the new bureau of its strategy to promote peace and security in Africa;
d) Session 3: Review of the matrix for implementing previous decisions and the way forward;
e) Session 4: Consideration and adoption of the Joint Conclusions;
f) Closing.

V. SESSIONS

a) Opening

5. The Co-Chairs delivered opening remarks setting out the objectives and expected outcomes of the Joint Consultative Meeting, emphasizing its alignment with broader continental priorities. They welcomed the leadership of the new PAP Bureau, highlighting its vital role in fostering institutional sustainability and addressing the shared challenges facing Africa. The primary focus of the meeting was to review the strategy established by the new Bureau and evaluate the progress made in the implementation of the outcomes of the Inaugural Joint Consultative meeting between the two organs. The co-chairs also highlighted the need to agree on a realistic, ownership-based Collaboration Roadmap with clear benchmarks for collaboration between the two organs.

6. The Co-Chairs further underscored the critical role of the PAP within the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA). They emphasized the Parliament’s capacity to advance preventive diplomacy, facilitate dialogue, support early warning mechanisms, and assist in political transitions. Furthermore, the PAP serves as a key bridge between policy and execution by translating continent-wide decisions into local action, raising awareness, and mobilizing national parliamentary follow-up.

7. In his opening statement the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, acknowledged the growing complexity of the continent’s security landscape and stressed the imperative to reinforce preventive diplomacy and deepen institutional cooperation between the PSC and the PAP. He underscored that PAP plays a crucial role in grounding security policies in local realities to build a unified, grassroots-driven approach to peace, embodying the principle of “One Africa, One Voice.”

b) Session 1 - How PSC - PAP leveraging parliamentary diplomacy to promote peace and security in Africa

8. The session discussed the structured partnership between the PSC and PAP to enhance parliamentary diplomacy as a non-duplicative and complementary pillar of the APSA. To achieve this, key discussions focused on implementing an operational PSC-PAP Mechanism backed by annual work plans, linking parliamentary networks to early warning systems, and advancing peacebuilding initiatives through women, youth, and expedited ratification of AU treaties. Additionally, the dialogue addressed aligning legislative agendas on emerging issues like AI governance, joint advocacy for global governance reform, and securing sustainable financing to reinforce continental peace, security, and stability. The following considerations were highlighted:

(i) Underscored that parliamentary diplomacy as an integral component of the APSA and AGA, complementing, and not duplicating, the constitutional mandates of the Member States, PSC, and Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs);

(ii) Agreed to institutionalize the “PSC – PAP Parliamentary Diplomacy Mechanism”, anchored in respective mandates as a dynamic tool to promote the “PSC-PAP Common Agenda for Peace”. This Mechanism should, in full compliance with the respective mandates of the two organs and the decisions of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, facilitate: joint preventive diplomacy missions; parliamentary engagement in countries experiencing political transitions; joint fact-finding and assessment missions, where appropriate; structured engagement with national and regional parliaments; exchange of early-warning information, subject to appropriate confidentiality and credible sources of information; capacity-building in mediation and preventive diplomacy; parliamentary advocacy for ratification and domestication of AU peace and security instruments; and joint public communication on matters of continental peace and security;

(iii) Further agreed that the Mechanism shall be supported by an annual workplan with clear deliverables, designated focal points within the PSC and PAP Secretariats, and measurable indicators of implementation;

(iv) Requested the AU Commission, through the Political Affairs, Peace and Security to continue engaging and participating in the PAP Plenary Sessions as provided under Article 18 of the PSC Protocol, and noted with appreciation the already existing cooperation and commended the AU Commission Chairperson for his leadership and engagement with PAP, including through the video briefing delivered during the First Ordinary Session of the Seventh Parliament;

(v) Agreed to strengthen institutional linkages between PAP's parliamentary networks and the AU Continental Early Warning System, so that early warning translates systematically into early engagement and early action;

(vi) Emphasized the need for capacity building for the standing committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution to enhance its engagement to play a critical role in bridging the legislative policies of Member States on conflict resolution, as well as to prevent and address drivers of conflict;

(vii) The PAP committed to conducting continuous inter-parliamentary dialogue to harmonize legislative frameworks against emerging transnational threats, such as terrorism and tech-driven security risks. Furthermore, to advance the AU governance, peace and security agenda globally, PAP will leverage its partnerships with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and regional and national legislative bodies, as directed by the Assembly and relevant AU PSC decisions;

(viii) Recognized central role of women and youth as agents and partners, not only beneficiaries, of peacebuilding, mediation and conflict prevention and resolution; in this regard, PSC and PAP looked forward to the upcoming PAP Annual Women's Conference and Annual Youth Conference to take place in October 2026, Second Ordinary Session, with the participation of the PSC Member States;

(ix) Called on national and regional parliaments to accelerate ratification and domestication of relevant AU peace, security, democracy and governance instruments, including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), and requested the PSC to regularly update PAP on the status of ratification of relevant AU legal instruments to support this advocacy; in this regard, the meeting took note and commended this initiative of the Workshop on Building Member States capacity on the ratification and state reporting on ACDEG on 24 July 2026, in Midrand, South Africa;

(x) Highly welcomed the PAP Legislative Agenda for Peace as a PAP-led instrument, in advancing the domestication of the Johannesburg Declaration on Silencing the Guns and the Model Law on AI, while noting the emerging legislative mandate created by the PSC Communique [PSC/MIN/COMM.1339(2026)] adopted at its 1339th meeting held on 16 April 2026, on Artificial Intelligence, Governance, Peace and Security, as well as the AU-RECs/RMs AI Early Warning Roadmap;

(xi) Agreed to jointly amplify Africa's common positions on the reform of global governance, including equitable representation in the United Nations Security Council and reform of the international financial architecture; in line with the Common African Position on the Proposed Reform of the United Nations (Ezulwini Consensus and Syrte Declaration) adopted by the Executive Council on the 7th Extraordinary Session held in 7-8 March 2005 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;

(xii) Underlined the need to expedite the adoption and alignment between PAP's continental Model Law on AI and the AU-RECs/RMs AI Early Warning Roadmap;

(xiii) The meeting noted the financial constraints facing PAP's contribution to governance, peace and security agenda, and agreed to support AU efforts towards increasing African ownership of financing governance, peace and security agenda, including voluntary Member State contributions to the AU Peace Fund, while pursuing responsible resource mobilization for PAP's mandate.

(xiv) The meeting underscored the importance of participation of the concerned regional parliamentarians during the annual consultative meetings of the PSC and RECs/RMs;

(xv) PAP committed to regularly brief the PSC on its activities related to peace and security, and in this regard, PAP will submit reports to the PSC twice a year. This is to ensure that PAP fully supports the PSC in executing its governance, peace, and security mandate.

c) Session 2 - Presentation by the new Bureau of its strategy to promote peace and security in Africa

9. This session received the presentation by the new PAP Bureau of its strategy to promote peace and security, structured around eight strategic priorities: parliamentary diplomacy; early warning and preventive action; democracy, constitutionalism and good governance; inclusive political participation; peace-security-development nexus; combating terrorism and transnational organized crime; legislative implementation of AU decisions; and a stronger PSC-PAP partnership;

10. Welcomed, with appreciation, of the strategy of the PAP for promoting peace and security in Africa, in particular the identification by the Bureau of a stronger PSC-PAP partnership as one of its eight strategic priorities.

d) Session 3 - Review of the matrix for implementing previous decisions and the way forward

11. This session provided an opportunity to review progress on the outcomes of the 1st Joint Consultative Meeting through the implementation Matrix template. It was recognized that while the PAP’s ongoing institutional transition temporarily impacted implementation timelines following the election, all commitments remain fully recognized and valid.

12. Took note with appreciation and Reviewed the implementation Matrix of the previous decisions taken during the 1st consultative meeting (Annex I) and the Matrix of Priority Actions for Implementation (Annex II) as the proposed baseline for PSC-PAP cooperation for 2026–2027; commended the PSC and PAP Secretariat for following up on the implementation of the decisions and urged PSC Members and the PAP Members to redouble efforts to ensure full implementation of the jointly agreed decisions of PSC and PAP;

13. Took note of the draft PSC-PAP Collaboration Roadmap 2026–2028 (Annex III) and directed the two Secretariats to finalize it and to share it to the Member states of the PSC and the Bureau of the PAP to adopt it through silence procedure;

14. Agreed to introduce biannual implementation reporting on the Implementation Matrix, in addition to review at each Annual Joint Consultative Meeting and requested both Secretariats to designate focal points for this purpose by December 2026.

e) Session 4 - Consideration and adoption of the Joint Conclusions

15. The PSC and PAP adopted the Joint Conclusions. They agreed that the PSC-PAP Collaboration Roadmap (2026-2028) shall be considered as an instrument under the PSC-PAP Parliamentary Diplomacy Mechanism;

16. Requested the PSC and PAP Secretariats to transmit these Conclusions to their respective Plenary/Council for information and formal adoption through a PSC communique, and to PAP Members for dissemination to national and regional parliaments.

VI. CONCLUSION

17. The Joint Consultative Meeting was concluded following the closing remarks of the President of the Pan African Parliament and the Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council, as well as the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.

18. The participants commended the PSC Secretariat and PAP Secretariat for the collective and successful organization of the 2nd Joint Consultative Meeting.

19. The PSC and PAP Members looked forward to the organization of the 3rd Joint Consultative Meeting in South Africa on a date to be mutually agreed.

20. Additionally, they agreed, in the next meeting, to share responsibilities and agree on the agenda on which each Member State will intervene during the meeting.

ANNEXES:

I. Implementation Matrix of the Conclusions of the 1st Annual Joint Consultative Meeting of the Peace and Security Council and the Pan-African Parliament, adopted by the 1290th PSC Meeting held on 22 July 2025;

II. Matrix of Priority Actions for Implementation as the proposed baseline for PSC-PAP cooperation for 2026–2027; and

III. PSC-PAP Collaboration Roadmap (2026–2028).

COMMENTS