The African Union Peace Fund officially opened its first-ever Joint Retreat on May 7^th, at African Union Head Quarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bringing together all governance bodies of the Peace Fund on a single coordinated platform following the full operationalization of its governance architecture.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, marked the importance of the Joint Retreat and said “Without peace, there is no development on this continent.”

The engagement provides a platform for participants to align on institutional priorities, strengthen collaboration across governance structures, and reinforce coordination between oversight and operational bodies.

H.E. Couns. Kalidou Gadio, during the opening ceremony, highlighted the significant progress achieved by the Peace Fund in recent years, including the strengthening of fiduciary systems, operationalization of governance structures, expansion of partnerships, and continued resource mobilization efforts supporting peace-related activities across the continent.

As the Director of the Secretariat, Mrs.Dagmawit Moges, stated, “the governance architecture of the African Union Peace Fund has been completed”, leading to this Joint Retreat which brings together the key governance structures, including the Board of Trustees (BoT), Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), Executive Management Committee (EMC), Fund Managers, and the Peace Fund Secretariat.

This Joint Retreat is expected to strengthen governance coherence, enhance institutional collaboration, and provide strategic direction across all structures supporting the continued growth and effectiveness of the African Union Peace Fund.

For further information, kindly contact:

Mr. Molalet Tsedeke I Information and Communications Directorate I African Union Commission I Tel: 0911-

630631 I Email: molalett@africanunion.org I Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Mr. Estifanos Tewodros | African Union Peace Fund Secretariat l African Union Commission | E-mail: pfs@africanunion.org

Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia I Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram| YouTube |