Abstract

This chapter analyzes the state of cooperation among the prominent dyad of contemporary African peacebuilding: the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU). With both institutions focused on peace, security, and development on the continent, a UN-AU partnership is made necessary by their respective shortcomings. Despite the UN and the AU having learned to recognize and make better use of each other’s comparative advantages, operational and structural constraints continue to stand in the way of a real synergy in their efforts to achieve sustainable peace on the continent. The overview of this cooperation is followed by a number of policy recommendations that aim to sketch out a way toward an institutionalized UN-AU partnership.