The 39th African Union summit: what were the results? |
The 39th African Union summit: what were the results?
Africa asserts itself at the 39th AU summit: between claimed sovereignty, colossal challenges, and political paradoxes.
Furthermore, the 39th summit did not only address water security. It articulated three themes that, combined, constitute a systemic challenge to the international architecture established in 1945.
First, internal institutional reform. The Assembly reviewed the report on AU reforms and reaffirmed the objective of a “people-centered, effective, accountable, and financially sustainable” Union. The adoption of the reports on the African Peace and Reconciliation Mechanism (APRM), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Africa CDC, and the Peace Fund confirms a commitment to strengthening integration instruments. The reiteration of “zero tolerance” for unconstitutional changes of government, in the context of ongoing crises in the Sahel, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, reflects a quest for independent normative credibility.
Secondly, the anchoring in global governance. The presentation on the outcomes of the Johannesburg G20 Summit (November 22-23, 2025) and the AU’s institutionalized participation in the G20 mark a turning point. By advocating coordinated African positions on debt restructuring, climate finance, and digital transformation, Africa is ceasing to be an aggregate of scattered national interests and becoming a collective actor. The reaffirmation of the common African position on UN Security Council reform – in the presence of António Guterres, among others – constitutes a direct reminder to the powers with veto power: global governance without equitable African representation is structurally illegitimate.
Third, historical justice. The examination of the study classifying certain acts committed during slavery, deportation, and colonization as genocide introduces a highly political dimension of memory. By placing truth, restorative justice, and dignity at........