H.E. Amb. Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), and H.E. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) addressed participants as co-chairs of the Fifth AU-UN High Level Strategic Dialogue on Sustainable Development which took place on November 10, 2025, at the UN headquarters.

The dialogue which brought together Commissioners and Representatives from the AU and UN specialized agencies and departments, in the presence of the Permanent Observer of the AU to the UN, served as an important platform for fostering collaboration and addressing the unique challenges faced by African nations in their sustainable development goals, and to enhance collaboration between the AU and the UN.

H.E Amb. Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the AUC began by acknowledging the work of the UN Agencies for holding regular consultations with technical departments of the AU and AUDA-NEPAD on a wide range of thematic issues and the continued support in institutional capacity building initiatives with the AU Commission in the areas of democratic development, trade policy, strengthening food security across Africa. She stressed the need for institutional reforms within both organizations to better support sustainable development efforts and underscored the need to establish regular review processes to assess progress on agreed-upon initiatives and outcomes.

H.E Mohammed Amina, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN on her part, encouraged the sharing of best practices by facilitating such dialogues on successful initiatives and programs that can be scaled or adapted across different regions, emphasizing the importance of involving marginalized groups, including women and youth, in development processes and decision-making.

Key highlights of the dialogue included AU–UN cooperation, UN reforms (UN80), harmonizing the African Union’s Agenda 2063 with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to ensure cohesive efforts towards common goals, the roadmap for Africa’s development and transformation, peace and security and governance , the role of women in leadership and youth development, infrastructure and connectivity, education and skills development climate resilience, Innovative financing solutions, Technology and Innovation and environmental sustainability.

At the end of the Fifth AU-UN High Level Strategic Dialogue, the two Organizations agreed on specific frameworks and mechanisms for joint monitoring and implementation of development initiatives, the need for institutional reforms within both organizations to better support sustainable development efforts, and Recognition of the importance of investing in education and capacity-building to ensure long-term sustainability among others.

Source: African Union