Egypt unveiled a busy agenda as it assumed its one-month presidency of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) on Sunday at the time when the African continent and the world as a whole are facing escalating security, political, and development challenges.
The presidency comes as part of a rotation among PSC members.
The agenda of the Egyptian presidency aims to boost the effectiveness of the council as the main body entrusted with safeguarding stability and security on the African continent through a comprehensive approach that seeks to develop the structures of peace, security, and governance in Africa, said a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Saturday.
The Egyptian presidency will be keen throughout the month to embody the established principles and enduring values enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the AU, which is based on respect for the sovereignty of states, their unity, and the integrity of their territories, the safeguarding of their national institutions, the non-interference in internal affairs, and the promotion of multilateral action within the framework of the African Union, the statement added.
“Complex regional and international circumstances require strengthened cooperation and coordinated efforts to address such issues,” the statement said.
Cairo’s agenda for the month includes a renewed focus on Africa’s most volatile conflicts and emerging security threats. It includes high-level briefings on Sudan and Somalia, alongside thematic debates on climate, peace and security, the role of artificial intelligence in governance and peacebuilding, and the connection between food, peace, and stability.
A non-official ministerial consultation is likely to be held with the foreign minister of Sudan to be followed by two ministerial sessions to discuss the situation in Sudan and Somalia.
This is in addition to the adoption of the “Report on the Activities of the Peace and Security Council and the State of Peace and Security in Africa,” an annual PSC report to be presented to the AU Summit of Heads of State and Government next week.
The agenda is likely to align closely with the AU’s 2063 Agenda, the continent’s 50-year blueprint for economic and social transformation.
The PSC is the AU’s standing decision-making body for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts. Its presidency rotates monthly among its 15 elected member states.
Egypt assumes the chairmanship of the PSC following the end of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s tenure in January.
The last time Egypt assumed the PSC chairmanship was in October 2024. The main aim of the agenda then was to focus on strengthening the role of the PSC as a body dedicated to maintaining peace, security, and stability on the continent.
It included a visit to Port Sudan, the first since the eruption of the Sudanese crisis in 2023. Port Sudan was then the base of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Today the situation in Sudan still features high on Egypt’s presidency agenda.
Egypt also managed AU-PSC deliberations on combating terrorism in Africa and the AU’s activities in financing peace missions and arranging military support for counterterrorism operations during its previous presidency.
Other sessions were held on the humanitarian situation on the continent, women, peace, security, and climate change.
Egypt became a PSC member when it was unanimously elected to a two-year seat on the council during meetings of the African Union Executive Council in February 2024. It represents the North African region, and its membership started on 1 April the same year.
In other developments that took place this week and reflected Egypt’s active role within the AU, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty praised Angola’s leadership of the AU throughout this year and called for coordination ahead of the AU summit.
Abdelatty made that statement during a phone call with Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs Téte António early this week.
In another phone call with his Kenyan counterpart Musalia Mudavadi on Sunday, Abdelatty highlighted the need for closer coordination ahead of the upcoming AU summit as well as the next meeting of the steering committee of the African Union Development Agency (NEPAD), currently under Egypt’s chairmanship.
During this week’s meeting with AU representatives in Cairo, Abdelatty reviewed the political and security challenges facing the continent and urged AU offices to play a more active role in conflict prevention and the peaceful resolution of crises.
He also called for more cooperation between AU and Egyptian bodies, specifically the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development and the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 5 February, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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