Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the cooperation between the AU and the UN in peace and security questions.

Paper long abstract:

The African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) cooperate in several fields, including peace and security questions as well as democracy promotion. Focussing on the peace and security aspect, the paper provides insights into the relations and cooperation of the UN and the AU. It starts with a brief overview of how the relations between the two organizations emerged since the 1990s. This is followed by an analysis of the status quo. This exploration covers well-known actions such as the AU-UN cooperation in and around peacekeeping missions like in Burundi and Somalia as well as the hybrid mission in Darfur. In addition, the analysis also covers activities that sparked less academic interest, such as the UN Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the African Union, signed in 2006, and regular meetings of UN-AU Joint Task Force on Peace and Security. Using this appraisal, the paper asks why both organizations have an interest in working together, how they organize their cooperation, what has been achieved so far, and which challenges lie ahead.