African Union, European Union, UN Recommit to Effective Multilateralism

The communiqué states that AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UN Secretary-General António Guterres met on 20 September 2026 at UN Headquarters in New York[1], on the margins of the 81st General Assembly.According to the communiqué, the three organisations backed a multilateralism "rooted in international law"[1]. The communiqué says they "expressed support for United Nations reform across the three pillars"[1] and pushed for sustainable financing of the UN system.The text says the leaders "underscored the importance of strengthening Africa's voice"[1] in global governance. It also says they called for more representative institutions, "including the United Nations Security Council"[1].The communiqué reports that the leaders raised concern over "the recent escalation in the Red Sea that is severely disrupting freedom of navigation"[1], as well as global energy and food supply chains.Europe Says reports that the leaders reaffirmed their support for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia[2]. The same report says that on Sudan they "condemned the continuation of the conflict"[2] and backed an "immediate and durable ceasefire"[2].On finance, the communiqué says the leaders called for "stronger domestic resource mobilization, effective curbing of illicit financial flows"[1] and better access to affordable international finance for African countries.