We, the Members of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), meeting and marking the fifth (5th) year of our Joint Retreat, in Burayu, Ethiopia, from 29 to 30 April 2026.
Recalling the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the PSC of the AU, particularly Article 12 establishing the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) to facilitate the anticipation and prevention of conflicts in Africa, and reiterating the unwavering commitment to supporting CEWS and the broader African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) to ensure the realization of a peaceful and stable Continent, in line with AU Agenda 2063.
Also recalling the Assembly Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.686 (XXX)] of the 30th Ordinary Session held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in January 2018 welcoming steps to position the APRM as an early warning tool for conflict prevention on the continent, in the context of harmony and synergy between the APRM, the APSA and the AGA. This mandate has been concretized through the APRM Statute adopted by the Assembly in February 2020, through Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.758 (XXXIII)].
Having considered the achievements, gaps and opportunities of our engagement, beginning with the inaugural Joint Retreat (2021) and culminating in the 5th Joint Retreat in Ethiopia (2026), declare as follows:
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1. On 19 to 21 December 2021, when we met in Durban, South Africa, for the Inaugural Joint Retreat, we adopted the eThekwini Conclusions stressing that that ground breaking Joint Retreat was in conformity with the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and the APRM Statute particularly concerning conflict prevention in the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance and rule of law in Africa;
2. We institutionalized the Joint Retreat to be an annual event between the PSC and APRM, complementing the already existing APSA tools assisting the PSC on early warning, with a view to synchronizing efforts and for concerted efforts towards mainstreaming of political governance into AU peace and security programs and activities, as well as ensuring interlinkage between political governance, peace and security;
3. We agreed that Joint Retreats should serve as a statutory and effective lesson-learning platform on the inter-linkage between political governance, peace and security as envisaged in the 914th PSC Communique of 5 March 2020;
4. Today, five (5) years later, we can look back with pride at the achievements which the PSC and the APRM have been able to make in line with the outcomes of our cooperation on governance, peace and security, including the:
(i) Institutionalization of our annual joint retreats, a platform which provides an opportunity for the Members of the PSC and the APRM to engage on various peace and security issues which require collaboration between the PSC and the APRM;
(ii) Establishment of the APRM as an early warning mechanism integrated with the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and African Governance Architecture (AGA);
(iii) Establishment of a systematic framework for the APRM to brief the PSC, ensuring that governance assessments are no longer isolated but are integrated into the AU’s broader peace and security agenda;
(iv) Integration of country review reports on political, economic, and corporate governance into the PSC’s preventive diplomacy toolkit;
(v) On conflict prevention, we improved capacity to identify risks through targeted reviews and proactive engagement in managing political transitions.
5. We recall the centrality of the PSC as a standing decision-making organ for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts in Africa. Recognizing that the APRM is an autonomous institution of the AU which serves as an African-owned and African-led platform for self-assessment, peer-learning, and experience-sharing in its mandated areas of assessment, with full respect for democratic principles, human rights, rule of law, and the acceleration of political, social and economic integration in Africa;
6. We renew our commitments and collective efforts to enhance early-warning mechanisms to facilitate timely and efficient response to conflicts and crisis situations in Africa.
7. We encourage the APRM and AGA/APSA Platform Members to expedite the development and submission of the Africa Governance Report 2027 on the theme: “From Youth in Governance: From Promise to Prosperity.”
8. As we look ahead of the future, our partnership needs to be revamped in order to address the challenges on the continent on governance, peace and security, including:
(i) Formally positioning APRM Country Review Reports as one of the tools for the Continental Early Warning System to anticipate crises;
(ii) Highlighting the need to strengthen the focus on constitutionalism, democracy, and good governance to prevent coups, in line with the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance;
(iii) Institutionalizing regular interaction between the PSC, the APR Panel of Eminent Persons, the Panel of the Wise, The Wise Youth, FemWise, and the African Governance Architecture (AGA)/African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) Platform;
(iv) Enhancing the capacity of the Member States to implement APRM reports’ recommendations, as well as mobilizing funding for the implementation of the “National Action Plans” that follow a review;
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(v) Enhancing the capacities of the PSC Secretariat and APRM Secretariat to fully support and follow up on the implementation of the Conclusions of the PSC/APRM Joint retreats;
(vi) Supporting the operationalisation of the APRM Governance Support Programme as a tool aimed at ensuring the APRM delivers on its core mandate with impact and tangible results;
(vii) Ensuring that the promotion of good governance remains at the centre of initiatives aimed at peace and security on the continent; and
(viii) Strengthening the loop on the early warning and early response framework, and institutionalizing data and information sharing including through creating formal protocols so that APRM country findings feed systematically into APSA early warning and mediation planning, within the framework of establishment by the AUC, in coordination with AUCTC, AFRIPOL and CISSA, of a measurable matrix on risk and threats of peace and security in Africa, as a tool of the early warning system;
9. We also look forward to developing a roadmap to ensure APRM Country Review report recommendations are implemented to prevent the escalation of conflicts; and
10. We therefore reiterate our commitment to enhancing synergy and collaboration to promote lasting peace, security, stability, and good governance across Africa, in line with the Silencing the Guns Roadmap and AU Agenda 2063.