Since Thursday in Addis Ababa, the peace and security bodies of the UN and the African Union (AU) have been discussing the financing of peacekeeping operations carried out under the aegis of the pan-African organization on the continent. The member countries of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) are holding their annual meeting on Thursday and Friday in the Ethiopian capital, headquarters of the AU. Opening the proceedings, AU Peace and Security Commissioner Bankole Adeoye called on participants to "specifically address the central issue of predictable, adequate, flexible and sustainable funding" for the continental organization's peacekeeping operations in Africa. Since the establishment of its "African Peace and Security Architecture" in 2002, the AU has struggled to finance its peace operations, which are largely dependent on partners such as the European Union (EU). "Funding AU-led peace and security operations will strengthen the capacity of both organizations to tackle threats to peace and security on the continent", said Mr. Onanga-Anyanga.
