United Nations Office to the African Union

The United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), located in Addis Ababa, was established in General Assembly resolution 64/288 to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the African Union.

UNOAU was formed from the merger of what were previously four standalone entities in Addis Ababa, namely:

• United Nations Liaison Office
• African Union Peace and Support Team
• United Nations Planning Team for the African Union Mission in Somalia
• The administrative functions of the Joint Support and Coordination Mechanism of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)

UNOAU is headed by Special Representative of the Secretary-General, at the level of Under-Secretary-General. The current structure of the Office was approved by the General Assembly in its resolution 71/270 following a review of the Office and its functioning completed in 2016.

Key documents

As requested in S/PRST/2014/27, the Secretary-General submits an annual report to the Security Council on strengthening the partnership between the UN and the AU on issues of peace and security in Africa, including on the work of United Nations Office to the African Union.

• S/2020/860
• S/2019/759
• S/2018/678
• S/2017/744
• S/2016/780

Other relevant reports:

• A/64/762 Budget for the United Nations Office to the African Union (Proposed establishment of UNOAU)
• A/71/551 Review of the United Nations Office to the African Union: Report of the Secretary-General

See also

• Support to African peace support operations