African Union and UN Renew Agreements on Operational Support and Knowledge Exchange

The African Union and the United Nations have renewed two cooperation agreements aimed at strengthening operational support and knowledge exchange between the two organisations.

The agreements were signed at UN Headquarters in New York on 21 September 2026 by Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and Atul Khare, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support.

The officials renewed a Memorandum of Intent on cooperation in operational support and a Memorandum of Understanding governing the Knowledge and Expertise Exchange Programme, known as KEEP.

Focus on practical cooperation

Haddadi and Khare emphasised the need for the partnership to move beyond coordination towards stronger strategic alignment, shared priorities and practical cooperation.

Haddadi said cooperation should be guided by shared priorities, mutual accountability and measured impact as global and continental challenges become more complex.

The two officials also highlighted sustained knowledge exchange, institutional capacity development and reliable operational support systems as important to the African Union’s ability to plan, deploy and sustain peace support operations.

Khare said the cooperation had shown the value of practical capacity development based on shared objectives and mutual learning.

“The renewal of these agreements provides an important foundation for the next phase of our partnership and for further strengthening African Union ownership, institutional capacity and operational readiness,” Khare said.

KEEP cooperation

The renewed frameworks build on nearly a decade of cooperation under KEEP. The programme was established in 2016 and revitalised in 2022.

The cooperation covers areas including mission planning, supply chains, finance, human resources and information and communications technology.

Recent cooperation also included the inaugural STAR Programme, which brought African Union and United Nations expertise together in Algiers from 19 to 23 July 2026.

The renewed agreements reaffirm the organisations’ stated commitment to practical cooperation, African ownership and preparedness for future peace support operations. The source information does not specify the duration or detailed implementation provisions of the renewed agreements.