Wege zu einer effektiven Zusammenarbeit zwischen ECOWAS und AU bei von den Vereinten Nationen unterstützten Friedensmissionen

This research paper examines the strategic coordination between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) within the context of shifting global peacekeeping dynamics and the drawdown of United Nations (UN) operations in West Africa. It argues for a formalised division of labour and stronger alignment between the regional and continental bodies to improve the effectiveness of African-led peace operations and secure sustainable UN funding.

• The global peace and security landscape is shifting toward a greater expectation for African regional organisations to lead conflict management, driven by UN peacekeeping reassessments and funding cuts proposed by the United States, the largest donor to UN peacekeeping.
• UN Security Council Resolution 2719, adopted in 2023, aims to create a sustainable financing mechanism for AU-led peace operations by covering up to 75 percent of costs through UN-assessed contributions, though a 25 percent funding gap remains.
• ECOWAS is the most experienced of the eight AU-recognised Regional Economic Communities in peace operations, having deployed personnel between 1990 and 2017 to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, and the Gambia.
• The operational effectiveness of ECOWAS is currently strained by internal divisions and the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, who cited the bloc's failure to support their efforts against terrorism and violent extremism.
• A significant institutional gap exists because most ECOWAS missions lack formal AU endorsement, which limits their eligibility for UN-assessed funding under Resolution 2719 and restricts their influence on UN mandate-setting and resource allocation.
• The AU's subsidiarity principle, which suggests regional actors closest to a crisis should lead, is often applied inconsistently, leading to policy gridlock; this was evidenced by the divergent responses of ECOWAS and the AU to the 2023 coup in Niger.
• The paper recommends that ECOWAS and the AU formalise their division of labour through regular structured consultations and that the AU consistently participate in ECOWAS security summits to better champion regional operations in UN forums.
• To strengthen its global role, ECOWAS should seek a seat at the UN-AU table, including participation in the UN-AU Joint Task Force on Peace and Security and gaining observer or consultative status on the UN Security Council.

APA

Karimou, I. (2025). Wege zu einer effektiven Zusammenarbeit zwischen ECOWAS und AU bei von den Vereinten Nationen unterstützten Friedensmissionen. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/de/wege-zu-einer-effektiven-zusammenarbeit-zwischen-ecowas-und-au-bei-von-den-vereinten-nationen-unterstutzten-friedensmissionen-en

Chicago

Karimou, Imane. Wege zu einer effektiven Zusammenarbeit zwischen ECOWAS und AU bei von den Vereinten Nationen unterstützten Friedensmissionen. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2025. https://afripoli.org/de/wege-zu-einer-effektiven-zusammenarbeit-zwischen-ecowas-und-au-bei-von-den-vereinten-nationen-unterstutzten-friedensmissionen-en.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Karimou |first1=Imane |title=Wege zu einer effektiven Zusammenarbeit zwischen ECOWAS und AU bei von den Vereinten Nationen unterstützten Friedensmissionen |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=30 October 2025 |url=https://afripoli.org/de/wege-zu-einer-effektiven-zusammenarbeit-zwischen-ecowas-und-au-bei-von-den-vereinten-nationen-unterstutzten-friedensmissionen-en |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{karimou2025wege, author = {Karimou, Imane}, title = {{Wege zu einer effektiven Zusammenarbeit zwischen ECOWAS und AU bei von den Vereinten Nationen unterstützten Friedensmissionen}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://afripoli.org/de/wege-zu-einer-effektiven-zusammenarbeit-zwischen-ecowas-und-au-bei-von-den-vereinten-nationen-unterstutzten-friedensmissionen-en}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }