Governments must move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action to prevent and resolve conflicts, the Luanda Declaration read by African Union Chairperson Évariste Ndayishimiye said.
The Luanda summit confirmed that sustainable peace must be backed by African resources and that cooperation with international partners must respect sovereignty and African-led solutions.
Through a more predictable, member-funded, financing the African Peace Fund will mobilize resources for African-led peace and security efforts.
The AU Peace Fund, established in 1993, is the main financing instrument of the Union for peace operations, mediation and institutional capacity.
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The fund has long been underfunded and reliant on external donors, leading to repeated calls for more African ownership.
The extraordinary summit identified terrorism, violent extremism, unconstitutional changes of government, political crises, cyber dangers and geopolitical rivalries as the major threats to stability on the continent.
The declaration stressed accountability through AU mechanisms, including the Peace and Security Council, and the need for political will to ensure that decisions by heads of state lead to results.
It also stressed the need to include women and youth in peace processes and called for increased protection of children affected by conflicts.
