African Union

The AU's predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), was founded in Addis Ababa in May 1963, when 32 independent African states signed its charter. The OAU reflected Pan-African aspirations for unity and cooperation at a time when much of the continent was still under colonial rule. It provided a forum for coordinating diplomacy, supporting liberation movements and opposing apartheid. As African countries faced new political and economic conditions, leaders sought a more integrated continental organization. The AU's Constitutive Act was adopted in 2000; after the act entered into force, the AU was officially launched in 2002 and replaced the OAU.

The Constitutive Act gives the Union a broad mandate: to strengthen unity and solidarity among African peoples and states, accelerate political and socioeconomic integration, promote common African positions internationally, and support peace, security and stability. It also commits the organization to democratic institutions, good governance, human and peoples' rights, sustainable development and cooperation in areas such as health, science and technology. The act sets out principles including the sovereign equality of member states, peaceful settlement of disputes, gender equality and rejection of unconstitutional changes of government. These aims are shared through treaties and political decisions; they do not make the AU a single continental state.

The AU has 55 member states and is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Its Assembly, composed of heads of state or government, is its highest decision-making body. The Executive Council brings together ministers, while the African Union Commission serves as the Union's secretariat and carries out day-to-day work. Other bodies include the Peace and Security Council, the Pan-African Parliament, the Permanent Representatives Committee and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council. Regional Economic Communities and specialized bodies also contribute to the wider institutional landscape. Their mandates differ: some coordinate government policy, while others provide advisory, parliamentary, diplomatic or peace-and-security functions.

The AU works on issues that cross national borders, including conflict prevention, mediation, economic cooperation and continental representation. Its Peace and Security Council is one of the central bodies for the Union's peace-and-security work. The AU also coordinates with the United Nations: their partnership includes policy dialogue, conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding. Agenda 2063, adopted as a long-term continental framework, sets out a vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa and links that vision to social and economic development, regional integration and governance. The agenda is implemented through successive plans rather than through a single continental government.

The AU gives African governments a standing forum to negotiate shared positions and organize collective initiatives, extending a role first played by the OAU. Its continental reach does not mean that its decisions are automatically implemented everywhere: member governments retain sovereignty, and action often depends on their political agreement, resources and cooperation with regional institutions. Recent analyses have pointed to coordination gaps, limited institutional capacity, funding pressures and uneven follow-through as recurring obstacles to reform and implementation. These constraints help explain why the AU's practical influence varies across policy areas and political situations.