Consultation of PSC with the AGA-APSA Platform/Human Rights Subcommittee
Date | 7 August 2025
Tomorrow (8 August), the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) will convene its 1295th Session for the consultation between the African Governance Architecture-African Peace and Security Architecture (AGA-APSA) Platform and the PRC Sub-Committee on Human Rights, Democracy and Governance (HRDG).
The session is expected to start with an opening statement by Mohamed Khaled, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the AU and Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council of the AU for August 2025 and the introductory remarks by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security. Presentations are also expected from Ambassador Willy Nyamitwe, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Burundi, and the Ag. Chairperson of the PRC Sub Committee on Human Rights, Democracy and Governance (HRDG) and Wilson Almeida Adao, Chairperson of the African Committee of Experts on Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) and Chairperson of the AGA Platform.
The PSC last convened such a consultation during its 1167th session in August 2023, marking the first time it brought together both the AGA-APSA Platform and the PRC Sub-Committee on HRDG in a joint session. Previously, the PSC had engaged with these two bodies separately, holding its inaugural consultation with the AGA-APSA Platform at its 1098th session in August 2022, and a separate meeting with the PRC Sub-Committee during its 1095th session in the same month. Both sessions underscored the importance of these engagements and recommended that joint consultations be held annually. This collaborative approach is not only supported by previous PSC decisions but is also grounded in the PSC Protocol, which mandates the Council to promote democratic governance, the rule of law, and the protection of human rights across the continent. The joint consultation seeks to deepen coordination among PSC Members, the PRC Sub-Committee on HRDG, and the AGA-APSA Platform, fostering a more coherent and impactful response to governance-related peace and security challenges in Africa.
The consultation is expected to deliberate on the engagement of the PRC sub-committee on pressing governance and human rights issues related to peace and security challenges in tomorrow’s session. This is expected to put the spotlight on governance challenges faced on the continent. Beyond the unconstitutional changes of government, the challenges identified include a lack of transparency and accountability, weak institutions, corruption, repression of expressions of dissent, a lack of inclusivity, and increasing disaffection of the majority youthful population with failure of governments to deliver services, as well as human rights violations. Exacerbated by the spread of jihadist violence and growing public disillusionment with civilian leadership, as well as the extension of term limits, inconsistent responses of AGA Platform institutions, including the PSC, have exacerbated the situation. A case in point is the lack of enforcement of Article 25(4) of ACDEG that bars perpetrators of unconstitutional changes of government from participating in elections in two recent cases of Chad and Gabon. This trend undermines the AU’s democratic norms, making it critical for the consultations to meaningfully address the root causes of instability and safeguard the continent’s hard-won peace, security, and democratic governance gains.
The consultation is also expected to focus on the widespread and interconnected conflicts across the continent, with Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan, and the Sahel serving as key examples of protracted regional conflict systems that are increasingly affected by external meddling, geopolitical rivalry, and the scramble for natural resources. This affords the PRC Sub-committee and the PSC to interrogate the ways in which the changing global geopolitical context is increasingly exacerbating governance challenges and conflict dynamics on the continent and how the AU can leverage AU instruments for mitigating these trends. Discussions will likely examine the persistent challenges in effectively implementing post-conflict reconstruction and development (PCRD) strategies in countries emerging from violence. The session is also anticipated to address recurrent election-related violence, emphasising the urgent need for stronger preventive and governance measures.
Beyond the foregoing, the discussions are expected to also focus on prioritizing the design of joint, coordinated initiatives by leveraging the PSC’s authority, utilizing the AGA platform coordination role, and engaging the PRC Sub-Committee on HRDG oversight function to directly address the root causes of instability, namely, weak democratic institutions, lack of accountability, and governance-related grievances. These initiatives are vital not only for reinforcing AU norms such as the ACDEG but also for enhancing early warning systems, bolstering preventive diplomacy, and grounding post-conflict recovery efforts in democratic consolidation and the rule of law.
Among the key decisions adopted by the PSC in its previous session was a call for a joint consultative meeting between the AU Commission, the African Governance Platform (AGP), and the AGA-APSA Secretariat to identify concrete, action-oriented initiatives that go beyond periodic experience-sharing. These included conducting joint promotional visits by the PSC, the PRC Sub-Committee, and the AGP to advocate for the ratification and implementation of AU shared values instruments. However, no such joint promotional visits have taken place to date. Another component of the decision emphasised the need to involve the PSC in the planning and implementation of AGA Flagship Initiatives and to establish robust follow-up mechanisms to ensure that decisions from joint sessions lead to tangible outcomes. While the PSC has held separate consultations with some AU organs that are members of the AGA-APSA Platform, such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), African Union Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), there is currently no clear framework or evidence to assess the extent of the PSC’s involvement in AGA Flagship Initiatives.
In line with the previous decision, tomorrow’s session is expected to prioritise the development of coordinated action plans that facilitate the joint implementation of shared mandates and strengthen synergy between the AU’s governance and peace and security pillars. In this regard, a key development expected to inform the discussions is the ongoing formulation of the Joint AGA-APSA Roadmap. This strategic document aims to serve as a guiding framework for enhancing operational synergy between the governance and peace and security pillars of the AU. Its development responds directly to the PSC’s repeated calls for more structured, outcome-driven engagement between the two architectures. It seeks to move beyond ad hoc collaboration towards a more institutionalised and programmatic partnership. Once finalised, the Joint Roadmap is expected to provide a common results framework that will facilitate alignment of interventions, monitor implementation of joint decisions, and promote a proactive, preventive approach to addressing the root causes of conflict on the continent.
The outcome of the session is expected to be a Communiqué. The PSC is expected to reaffirm its commitment to holding annual joint consultations with the AGA-APSA Platform and the PRC Sub-Committee on Human Rights, Democracy and Governance (HRDG). The Council may also underscore the importance of institutional synergy between governance and peace and security actors in addressing structural drivers of conflict. Concerning governance-related root causes of instability, the PSC may commend ongoing joint efforts to tackle democratic deficits and call for the more consistent application of AU norms, particularly those relating to unconstitutional changes of government, to strengthen their deterrent effect. Regarding the Joint AGA-APSA Roadmap, the PSC is expected to encourage its timely finalisation and adoption as a guiding framework for coordinated action. In the same vein, the Council may reiterate its previous request for the AU Commission to expedite the operationalisation of the African Governance Facility, emphasising its importance for supporting Member States and AGA activities, especially in preventive governance. The PSC may also restate its earlier decision to conduct joint promotional visits, together with the AGP and the PRC Sub-Committee, to advocate for the ratification and implementation of AU shared values instruments. In an effort to enhance the PSC’s role in AGA Flagship Initiatives, the Council is likely to stress the need to develop a precise mechanism for its involvement in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of these initiatives. It may also call for the establishment of a regular reporting channel or periodic briefing mechanism to keep the PSC updated on progress. Furthermore, the PSC may emphasise the need to strengthen collaboration between governance and peace and security actors in early warning and preventive diplomacy, including the conduct of joint assessments and missions to countries facing elevated risks of instability. Similarly, it may highlight the importance of integrating governance dimensions into post-conflict reconstruction and development (PCRD) processes, recommending that governance assessments be considered when mandating AU support to countries emerging from conflict. Lastly, the PSC may request the establishment of a joint follow-up mechanism or working group to monitor the implementation of decisions emanating from this and previous joint consultations, and to report periodically to both the PSC and the PRC Sub-Committee on HRDG.
