The African Union, the EU and Coordination in the United Nations

This paper assesses the composition and functioning of the African Union (AU) within the United Nations. It provides information on AU voting cohesion -- compared to cohesion of the EU -- within the UNGA, based on the collection and analysis of voting records. The chapter then assesses the role of the AU in multilateral politics and outlines patterns of collaboration between the AU and the UN over time. It also discusses competition among AU member states as to their potential representation in a reformed United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the role of AU members as troop contributing countries. Finally, the chapter discusses some primary concerns of the AU within the UN, including the ‘Agenda 2063’, ‘Silencing the Guns by 2020’ and links between the priorities of the AU and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).