Strategic dialogue between France and the African Union Commission

M. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Mr Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, held the third session of the strategic dialogue between the African Union Commission and France in Paris today.

Against an international backdrop of heightened tensions and persistent imbalances, the two parties emphasized the need to ensure sustained, strengthened global governance based on strict adherence to international law with a view to universality, accountability and solidarity. They reaffirmed their commitment to an ambitious reform of the multilateral system, based on representativeness and inclusiveness, a guarantee of its effectiveness and legitimacy.

In this respect, the Commission Chairperson and the Minister reiterated the urgent need for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council to make it more effective and representative, in accordance with the goals of the Common African Position, in particular the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration. They agreed that the forthcoming presentation of the African Reform Model in New York will help create diplomatic momentum for the reform and represents a historic opportunity in this respect. They also highlighted the importance of strengthening Africa’s role and voice in other global governance forums, particularly as part of the work conducted within the G20 and as part of the French G7 presidency.

The Commission Chairperson and the Minister affirmed their joint determination to reform the international financial architecture for Africa by putting emphasis on issues to do with access to funding, debt processing and the mobilization of resources to promote the continent’s industrialization and economic transformation as well as the ecological transition – in the spirit of the Pact for Prosperity, People and the Planet and Agenda 2063.

They stressed the importance of promoting a common agenda on development and global issues, especially the climate and health.

The strategic dialogue’s third session also provided an opportunity for the two parties to reaffirm their commitment to the African Union Theme of the Year 2026 concerning challenges linked to water and sanitation, especially health issues, access to drinking water and the scarcity of water in some regions of the African continent due to climate change.

The Commission Chairperson and the Minister voiced their deep concern about persistent regional crises, in Africa in particular.

As regards Sudan, they emphasized their commitment to the country’s unity and territorial integrity. They stressed the need to prioritize a political solution and called for an immediate humanitarian truce.

In the Great Lakes region, the two parties reaffirmed their commitment to a political solution based on respect for international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They highlighted the importance of facilitating humanitarian access, particularly through the resumption of flights to and from Goma airport. 

They also underlined the absolute need for sustained international commitment to the stabilization of Somalia, as an essential contribution to the security of the Red Sea, in the context of the growing disruption to trade flows and freedom of navigation.

The two parties expressed their strong concern about the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism on the continent, and emphasized the importance of a comprehensive solution combining security measures and political, economic and social responses to tackle them in the long term. They voiced their concern over the security situation in the Sahel and their solidarity with populations that are victims of terrorism.

The talks also focused on the Africa Forward Summit, to be held in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May 2026 in the presence of the African Union Commission Chairperson. The summit will be a milestone in terms of identifying joint, practical solutions to all these challenges and thus helping to build mutually beneficial partnerships between France and the African continent. The African Union Commission will be involved in the follow-up to and implementation of the summit’s results.

On the sidelines of the strategic dialogue, the African Union Commission Chairperson had a meeting with President Macron. He also visited the Maison des Mondes africains (MansA) in the company of the Minister Delegate for Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad, Mme Eléonore Caroit, for a discussion with young representatives of civil society and of France’s African diasporas.

The Commission Chairperson expressed his appreciation for the support France has lent, notably by backing the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and providing expertise to the African Union Commission to help implement Agenda 2063.

The two parties reaffirmed their desire to strengthen a partnership based on shared values and mutual interests, and agreed to continue their regular dialogue through the joint follow-up mechanism for decisions and guidelines emerging from the strategic dialogue, whose next session will be held in Addis Ababa.