African Union Peace and Security Council

Click Here to see the AUSPC Study Guide.

Click Here to see the AUSPC Agenda.

Topic A: The Africanization of the Security Framework: Challenges and Prospects.

Topic B: The Situation in Somalia and the African Union’s Response

Africa must reject the ways of the past, and commit itself to building a future of democratic governance subject to the rule of law. Such a future is only achievable on the condition that we end Africa’s conflicts, without which no amount of aid or trade, assistance or advice, will make the difference. (Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General, Lusaka, July 2001)

Malnourishment, wretchedness, illnesses, underdevelopment, corruption, and bad governance. Those are some of the consequences of decades of armed conflicts that have devastated the African continent. In its 12^th edition, the AMUN will bring into discussion the African efforts to develop its own security architecture. The African Union Peace and Security Council will be simulated for the first time, symbolizing the African nations’ determination to resolving their own issues.  

The international community has for several occasions failed to address effectively African challenges. The insufficient knowledge on its specificities, on the one hand, and the lack of sufficient political will to be involved directly in a conflict, on the other hand, led to humanitarian tragedies still alive in the minds of the African people.  In order to avoid further human losses, the African leaders seek their own solutions to their very own problems. It is not only an attempt to revive the Pan-African ideals of building a united Africa, but it also indicates a fundamental shift of paradigms.  In this sense, new tools are being sought to reduce the dependence on external agents and to ensure that Africa, through the African Union, plays a central role in bringing about peace, security, and stability to the continent;

Therefore, in its ordinary meeting, the AUPSC shall discuss the improvement made until now in order to address the challenges that the African project still faces. It is expected that delegates develop a complete roadmap which will provide the guidelines for future AU interventions and peace support deployment. In this sense, the fundamental questions posed consist of what is the AU role concerning conflict resolution in Africa and how should its relationship with UN be shaped? More importantly, considering its limited resources and capacities, how can the AU resolve and manage internal conflicts and also promote peace and stability among the African countries?

In order to employ the conceptual security framework envisaged for the AU, the AUPSC shall bring into discussion the current situation in Somalia. The country faces the nastiest conflict in the continent today and represents the most difficult challenge for African leaders. Somalia is more than a failed state and is ruled only by anarchy. The endless mayhem that is taking place for almost two decades shall be considered and urgent measures shall be taken in order to avoid more human suffering and to bring to an end the unruliness that threats do spill over the entire region.