African Union (AU) foreign ministers opened a two-day executive council meeting in Addis Ababa with a renewed call for unity, sustainable development and coordinated action on the continent’s security and governance challenges.
The Forty-Eighth Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council, held at the bloc’s headquarters in Ethiopia’s capital, is taking place under the AU’s 2026 theme: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”
AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said water and sanitation will be central to the continent’s stability and cooperation as climate disruptions intensify.
“In the face of observed climate disruptions, the prudent use of water in all aspects of daily life is a major imperative. This vital resource must be perceived as a collective good to be preserved at all costs and as a vector for bringing our States closer together and for peace,” Youssouf said.
Youssouf also highlighted the commission’s ongoing reform program, including its validated 2024-2028 strategic plan and the implementation of institutional reforms in coordination with Kenya’s President William Ruto, who has been designated as a champion of the process.
On governance and security, the AU Commission chief said the continent continues to face political instability, security crises and unconstitutional changes of government. He cited progress in Gabon and Guinea, while flagging setbacks elsewhere and persistent militant threats in the Sahel and Horn of Africa.
“While there has been regression and progress is minimal, our mediators are active. On unconstitutional changes of government, I welcome the return to constitutional order of the Gabonese Republic and the Republic of Guinea and their return to the AU,” Youssouf said.
He said development momentum remains visible through initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area and the work of specialized AU agencies, but called for a wider push to mobilize financing and broaden participation.
“More than ever, the continent needs to capitalize on its instruments to boost the momentum of development and integration, reflecting on innovative sources of financing and involving all actors, however marginal they may seem,” he said.
Angola’s foreign minister, Téte António, who chairs the executive council, said the country’s AU presidency has focused on intensifying diplomatic engagement and strengthening joint African action.
“Under Luanda’s leadership, the AU advanced coordination on peace, security and development priorities, while laying important groundwork for the 2026 AU Summit of Heads of State and Government,” António said.
Ethiopia’s foreign minister, Gedion Timothewos, pointed to progress on Agenda 2063, the AfCFTA and African positions on UN Security Council reform and climate justice, while warning that coups and geopolitical competition remain a threat. He urged member states to renew commitments to unity and stronger representation in global forums as Ethiopia prepares to host COP32.
UN Economic Commission for Africa Executive Secretary Claver Gatete said Africa faces a pivotal economic transition as older development models built on commodity exports and external financing become less viable. He said the AfCFTA should serve as a core platform for building a more integrated continental economic system amid global fragmentation, tightening fiscal space and climate pressures.
In closed sessions, ministers will review the report of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee, assess AU participation in the G20, and conduct elections and appointments to key AU organs including the Peace and Security Council, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
The council is also expected to examine draft legal instruments, review implementation of previous decisions, and finalize the draft agenda and decisions for the 39th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government scheduled for Feb. 14-15.
